NHL Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Jonas Brodin, Sami Vatanen and More

Building a championship roster in the NHL isn't an easy task. This is why it's taken 19 years for the Nashville Predators to reach the Stanley Cup Final. The Predators, though, have finally built a team that can challenge for the Cup.

Undoubtedly, plenty of other teams are going to look to do the same this offseason.

Trading for quality players is one way to fill holes on a roster. We could see a flurry of trade activity this offseason, as both the entry draft (June 23-24) and an expansion draft (June 21) are on the horizon.

That expansion draft will be used to fill out the roster of the new Vegas Golden Knights. Since teams can only protect a maximum of 11 players, some will likely look to move extra pieces before June 21. Some trades to move up in the entry draft could occur as well.

We're here to look at the looming trade season and examine some of the latest news and rumors.

Latest Trade Buzz

Bruins Interested in Jonas Brodin

The Boston Bruins were good enough this past season to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they weren't quite good enough to advance. They lost in six games to the Ottawa Senators in the opening round. It's a step forward for a franchise that missed the postseason the two previous years, but adding talent and taking the next step should be the immediate goal.

“We have a lot of work to do as an organization, still," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said, per Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com. "We want to become a deeper, more talented team from top to bottom. Taking one step forward, in my opinion, is not successful. It's a good step, but we have work to do in a lot of areas that we want to continue to get better."

According to Haggerty, there have been ongoing trade discussions between Boston and the Minnesota Wild, dating back to before the in-season trade deadline. One Wild player Haggerty believes the Bruins could be interested in is defenseman Jonas Brodin.

Brodin would have value for the Bruins. He's a 23-year-old, solid defender with some offensive skill—he had a career-high 25 points this past season—and he's the type of left-shot defenseman Boston lacks. The question for the Bruins is whether Brodin is worth the price.

Ontario Hockey League commentator Reed Duthie believes acquiring Brodin would require the sacrifice of the 18th overall pick in the draft:

Brodin is a meat-and-potatoes defender who isn't likely to develop into a true star. If Boston believes this is the type of player it's going to get at 18th overall, it certainly makes sense to add someone with experience and seasoning instead.

If, however, the team believes there is going to be a prospect with higher upside available, then perhaps passing on Brodin is the right play.

Sami Vatanen Could Be on the Move

One of the reasons Brodin could be in the trade market is the fact the Wild can only protect so many defensemen from the expansion draft. The same scenario surrounds the Anaheim Ducks, who could be looking to move a defender of their own.

"I think it's Sami Vatanen," Pierre LeBrun said on TSN's Insider Trading. "I'm told teams are absolutely lining up in their interest for him. Among the teams I think have interest are [the] Toronto [Maple Leafs], Tampa Bay [Lightning and] New Jersey [Devils]. But honestly, there are more teams than that. If the Ducks move ahead on a trade for Sami Vatanen, I think it allows them to protect all the guys they really want to."

LeBrun mentioned the Toronto Maple Leafs as one team that could be interested in Vatanen. This is a move that would make sense as Toronto looks to improve on its 2016-17 wild-card campaign.

The issue for any team trading for Vatanen is he could miss the start of the 2017-18 season. Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in May that both Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm were looking at shoulder surgery.

"Hampus is having shoulder surgery," Murray said, per Andrew Knoll of ESPN.com. "Sami needs surgery, and he's deciding where to do it. Those two guys have bad shoulders, and they played through them. They played through them [from] the first series. Hampus' [recovery is] hopefully four to five months. So into next year. And Sami's is worse."

Vatanen's value would come later in the season for his new team. The benefit of trading him would come immediately for the Duck. Not only could the team receive something in return, but they'd whittle down their list of defensemen to consider protecting.

Philadelphia Contemplating Trading No. 2 Pick

While some teams are looking to trade away players—and potentially move up in the draft—at least one team appears interested in trading out of a high draft slot.

The Philadelphia Flyers won the No. 2 pick in the draft during the draft lottery, but they might not stay in that slot. According to LeBrun, the Flyers are at least listening to trade offers:

What the Flyers decide to do could depend on their offensive options. It seems Philadelphia is focused on improving the team's offense and power play this offseason. This is part of the reason the team hired Erie Otters' Kris Knoblauch as an assistant coach.

"Kris is a forward thinker," Otters general manager Dave Brown said, per Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly.com. "He is someone open to a new idea and always looking for new ways to generate offense."

It makes a lot of sense for the Flyers to just hold on to their pick and take the best player available. However, if the right offensive talent lands on the trade table, perhaps Philadelphia will pull the trigger on a deal.