THW’s Top-12 NHL Trade Rumors Tracker
Just over 20 games into the 2019-20 NHL regular season for most teams, there is fast and furious chatter throughout the rumor mill. We’ve covered a variety of the speculation in our daily NHL rumor rundown articles, but in an effort to put everything into one neat-and-tidy location, we’ll provide a weekly Top-12 rundown of the most talked-about rumors.
The below list is a combination of players who have often come up in trade talks:
12) Taylor Hall
Taylor Hall makes our list at No. 12 and he’ll probably stay on this list for some time. The New Jersey Devils will spend most of the season trying to convince Hall to re-sign with the team, but most insiders believe he’ll either be traded closer to the deadline or wait things out to test free agency should the Devils make the playoffs.
The teams that sound connected to this Hall situation are the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, for now. More teams will enter the conversation as the playoffs draw near and they are either firmly in or out of the postseason picture. At that point, Hall is either deemed a rental or he isn’t.
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11) Tyson Barrie
Coming in at No. 11 is Tyson Barrie from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s mightily struggled in Toronto this season after coming over in a trade that included Nazem Kadri going to Colorado. Barrie was supposed to help stabilize the Maple Leafs blue line but it hasn’t worked and head coach Mike Babcock was just fired, in part, because of it.
Barrie dodged a bullet here (maybe). He might want to move on and get himself in a situation where he can put up some numbers in a contract year but the hope is that new coach Sheldon Keefe will unleash the Barrie most GM’s know is in there.
Moving Barrie before his new coach gets a chance to work with him might be considered a rush decision, but should he not start to produce, expect him to go.
10) Tristan Jarry
The goaltender from Pittsburgh ranks on this week’s list because of continued rumors the Penguins are looking to make a move and a need exists in the marketplace for goaltenders. New Jersey has been heavily rumored here as have the Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks.
Jarry has played extremely well for the Penguins but in only five games. He has a 1.98 GAA and a .938 save percentage. Someone will be interested.
9) Jesse Puljujarvi
December 1st is drawing near and that date is important because if the Edmonton Oilers don’t sign or trade Jesse Puljujarvi before then, he isn’t eligible to play in the NHL this season.
The disgruntled forward that wants a new start is currently playing well in Finland with Karpat and recently announced he’s not returning to the NHL this season. That likely changes the optics of him being traded and the Oilers will revisit moving him again at the draft in nothing gets done in the next few days.
Carolina and the New York Rangers are rumored to be interested.
Related: Oilers News and Rumors: Puljujarvi, Smith, Larsson, More
8) Dustin Byfuglien
The story in Winnipeg that surrounds defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is an interesting one. It was recently reported the NHLPA has filed a grievance on his behalf trying to get him reinstated from suspension and make it so he can receive his salary while out with an injury. The Jets are fighting back.
What’s interesting, outside of the arbitrator drama that’s about to unfold, is that it seems unlikely these two sides will ever be able to make amends and if Byfuglien decides to come back to the NHL after he recovers, that has to mean a trade, no?
7) Jason Spezza
With a new coach in Toronto, it’s possible Jason Spezza is among the happier of campers in that Maple Leafs locker room. He wasn’t getting much opportunity and while it’s possible the Maple Leafs still move him to make room for players coming off injury, maybe the new coach gives him a look first?
If not, and the Maple Leafs have decided to move on, Spezza is a good depth forward who can still provide offense, leadership and skill and is a risk-free trade for someone with the potential to far exceed what he’s being paid.
6) Travis Hamonic
The Calgary Flames will be looking to make a move considering how poorly their season has gone to date. Before this slump, it was already reported that defenseman Travis Hamonic was not willing to negotiate his contract during the season. As a pending unrestricted free agent, does that make him a likely trade candidate?
With a struggling season, an expiring contract and higher expectations, the simple answer is yes. He’s currently dealing with some minor injury issues so don’t expect a trade anytime soon. Johnny Gaudreau, Michael Frolik, and TJ Brodie’s names have come up too.
5) Andreas Athanasiou
The Detroit Red Wings are in a rebuild and as their season continues to slip away from them, expect a number of players to come up in trade speculation. Among them will be the speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou.
He’s come on a bit of late but still only has 12 points in 21 games and is on pace for 19 goals. He was being counted on as a player to take that next important step and he hasn’t really done so.
Pressure will mount, talk of a change of scenery may be in order and considering he’ll likely ask for a raise on the $3 million he’s currently making, he’ll probably be moved to a contender.
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4) Julius Honka
Like Puljujarvi in Edmonton, Julius Honka needs to be signed or traded by the Dallas Stars before December 1st to be eligible for the NHL regular season in 2019-20. Honka has been on the trade block since the summer but there doesn’t seem to be a team interested at the Stars asking price.
If the ask comes down, there might be a move here. Friedman reported in his 31 Thoughts column on November 20th, “As for Julius Honka, it seems quiet. Let’s see if anyone bites.”
3) Chris Kreider
Will the New York Rangers try and re-sign Chris Kreider? Or, will they move him as is/was a speculated? That’s a question that may linger in New York as long as the organization is unsure if they are actually a playoff team or not.
Currently, the Rangers are 13th in the Eastern Conference and Kreider remains high on the TSN Trade Bait Board which means the likelihood is he’s traded. A pending unrestricted free agent, and one who currently makes $4.625 million is an affordable trade deadline acquisition for someone.
That said, this is the same team who told their fans they were rebuilding and then went out and signed Artemi Panarin for seven years at over $11.6 million per season. For all anyone knows, the Rangers could throw $7 million per season at Kreider to stay.
Related: NHL Rumor Shootdown: Flames to Consider Gaudreau Trade
2) Jason Zucker
It has to be only a matter of time before Jason Zucker is traded from the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are well outside the playoff picture, new GM Bill Guerin likely wants to make a mark with his first real trade and Zucker has been in the rumor mill for some time, almost being moved twice under old management.
Zucker certainly isn’t a rental at $5.5 million over the next four seasons but he’s a solid NHL player good for between 40 and 65 points every season. He’s currently on pace for 54 points in 2019-20 and some team might be willing to make a one-for-one deal where they move someone to try and shake things up.
Perhaps I have him too high on this list, but I get the sense him being moved could come out of nowhere one morning.
1) Nic Petan
Petan is likely going to get the shaft in Toronto. He was rumored to be in Babcock’s doghouse so with the coach now gone, maybe things look different but the Maple Leafs are dealing with a numbers game and the organization may have already given up on the player.
If the Maple Leafs can ever last more than a few games without injury issues, Petan is the player that probably doesn’t fit based on this year’s history. That said, he could rebound or someone might take a chance on Petan who could be a victim of what is supposed to be a strong offensive team.
Related: NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Flames, Canadiens, Byfuglien, More
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