Buying or Selling the Latest NHL Draft, Trade and Free-Agent Rumors
This week is the biggest of the 2023 NHL offseason calendar in terms of movement involving veteran talent.
The 2023 NHL draft will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday and Thursday.
With the general managers of all 32 teams in one place at the same time, there is also the potential for a number of trades involving some notable NHL talent. And it's possible some teams will attempt to move up in the draft order during the first round.
Two days later, the NHL's annual free-agent market opens at noon ET on Saturday. The usual opening-day frenzy of signings is expected as teams attempt to snap up the best available players in what is a shallow pool of talent his year.
This time of year always sees a significant increase in media-generated rumors. We'll wade through the five most notable ones to determine if they're worth buying or selling.
As always, you can weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
Montreal Canadiens Attempting To Move Up in 1st-Round Draft Order
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After winning the 2022 draft lottery and opting for Juraj Slafkovský with the first-overall pick at last year's draft, the Montreal Canadiens hold the No. 5 selection in 2023.
They should be able to land a high-quality prospect at that position. Promising youngsters with NHL potential who could still be available include KHL winger Matvei Michkov, United States National Team Development Plan centers Will Smith and Ryan Leonard, and Austrian defenseman David Reinbacher.
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes could have his sights fixed on another young talent. On June 15, Arpon Basu of The Athletic confirmed a report by Radio-Canada's Alexandre Gascon claiming the Habs contacted the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks about swapping first-round picks.
The Ducks hold the No. 2 pick in the first round while the Sharks sit at No. 4. Hughes could be attempting to move up for a shot at selecting Michigan center (and Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner) Adam Fantilli. He could also have an eye on Swedish Hockey League center Leo Carlsson.
Verdict: Buy on the attempt to move up. Sell on the possibility of getting either pick.
It's not surprising that an NHL general manager like Hughes would talk with clubs ahead of his in the first round to inquire about the availability of their picks. But it's unlikely the Ducks or Sharks will part with theirs given their high placement in the order.
Even if they were inclined to move them, the asking prices would probably be expensive. In addition to the Canadiens' first-round pick, they may also want a couple of their top prospects and one or two good young NHL players as part of the return.
Boston Bruins Could Attempt to Re-Sign Bertuzzi and Hathaway
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Prior to the March trade deadline, the Boston Bruins acquired Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals. Both are slated to become unrestricted free agents on July 1 and did not agree to contract extensions with their former clubs.
Both players performed well for the Bruins over the remainder of the regular season and in their first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers. Bertuzzi tied with Brad Marchand for the team lead in postseason points with 10, while Hathaway was a solid addition to its checking lines.
On June 21, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman told the 32 Thoughts podcast (h/t Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now) that the Bruins hope to re-sign Bertuzzi and Hathaway before July 1.
Friedman claimed he'd heard that general manager Don Sweeney was "burning up the phone lines" attempting to free up salary-cap space to keep both forwards.
Sweeney must make a cost-cutting trade or two if he hopes to keep Bertuzzi and Hathaway in the fold. The Bruins have just $4.9 million in cap space for 2023-24 with 15 active roster players under contract.
Murphy listed goaltender Linus Ullmark, winger Taylor Hall and defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort as trade candidates.
A Vezina Trophy finalist, Ullmark carries a full no-movement clause until July 1 when it reverts to a 16-team no-trade list. Hall has a 16-team no-trade that reverts to a 10-team no-trade on the same day.
Forbort has an eight-team no-trade list that becomes a three-team no-trade list, while Grzelcyk lacks no-trade protection.
Verdict: Sell On Keeping Both
Those no-trade clauses on three of those names complicate efforts to move them. Even if Sweeney can move one of them, it might not free up sufficient cap space to re-sign Bertuzzi and Hathaway.
The Bruins GM might be able to clear enough room to re-sign one of them. Moving Hall and his $6 million cap hit through 2024-25 would free up enough to sign Bertuzzi or Hathaway and leave sufficient space to fill out the rest of the roster.
Will the Nashville Predators Trade Juuse Saros?
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The Nashville Predators pulled off a surprising trade on June 24, when they shipped center Ryan Johansen to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk. That move will generate speculation over what other deals they have in store this summer under new general manager Barry Trotz.
Juuse Saros has surfaced in the rumor mill in recent weeks. On June 7, Nashville Hockey Now's Michael Gallagher cited a source claiming the Los Angeles Kings inquired about the 28-year-old goaltender prior to the March trade deadline but balked at the asking price of two first-round draft picks.
Gallagher doubted the Kings would revisit their interest in Saros but suggested his future in Nashville could be cloudy.
On June 21, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman told 102.5 The Game (h/t Nick Kieser of NHN) that he believes the calls weren't initiated by the Predators but by other teams intrigued by their bold moves leading up to the trade deadline.
Two days earlier, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun noted Trotz wasn't shopping Saros. He believes it would take a significant offer to pry the netminder away from the Predators.
Verdict: Sell
Saros was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2021-22 and finished among this season's leaders in wins (33) and save percentage (.919). He's signed through 2024-25 with an affordable average annual value of $5 million. Unless Trotz is planning on tearing down the roster to rebuild, he'll stick with his starting goalie.
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Clayton Keller to the St. Louis Blues?
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The Arizona Coyotes missed the playoffs this season for the 10th time since 2012. But there were signs that the rebuilding club is making progress, with the most notable being the play of Clayton Keller.
A gifted offensive forward, the 24-year-old bounced back from a season-ending leg injury in 2021-22 to lead the Coyotes with a career-best 86 points, tying the franchise record held by Keith Tkachuk.
Keller's performance suggests he's on the cusp of becoming an NHL superstar. He's the foundation on which the Coyotes could build a perennial playoff contender.
However, Nick Kypreos of the Toronto Star reported there was some trade buzz about Keller after the Coyotes bought out forward Zack Kassian and defenseman Patrik Nemeth.
Kypreos reported the St. Louis Blues had been linked to Keller, who's signed through 2027-28 with an average annual value of $7.2 million. The coming season is also the last before his no-trade clause kicks in.
With $7.5 million in salary-cap space for 2023-24 and 18 roster players under contract, the Blues would have a difficult time absorbing Keller's salary. Kypreos suggested they could move out a high-salaried player such as Jordan Kyrou to make the dollars fit.
Verdict: Sell
It makes no sense for the Coyotes to trade someone who could be their most marketable star since long-time captain Shane Doan retired in 2017. Moving out a foundation piece like Keller would set back their rebuild for years.
Big Moves In Store For the Calgary Flames?
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A year after finishing among the top teams in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames missed the 2023 playoffs. That led to general manager Brad Treliving stepping down, followed by the firing of head coach Darryl Sutter.
The Flames promoted assistant general manager Craig Conroy as Treliving's replacement, and he elevated assistant coach Ryan Huska as their new bench boss.
However, Conroy now faces a more challenging issue involving four of his core players.
Centers Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund, winger Tyler Toffoli and defenseman Noah Hanifin are all a year away from unrestricted free-agent eligibility, but they could be on their way out of Calgary this summer.
On June 22, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported the Flames are trying to re-sign the 28-year-old Lindholm, but the two-way center is leaning toward rejecting their offer.
Seravalli also wrote that Backlund is leaning the same way while Hanifin and Toffoli have informed the club they're not interested in extending their contracts.
Conroy doesn't have to trade any of those four this summer. He could let them play out next season and peddle them at the trade deadline if the Flames are out of playoff contention by then. Sportsnet's Pat Steinberg cited multiple sources stressing the importance of not rushing these moves if they have to be done.
Verdict: Buy
Other NHL clubs could be calling Conroy to inquire about the asking price for those four. He might not trade all of them at once, but there's a good chance he could move one or two during the draft. If no suitable offers appear by then, he could attempt to move them over the course of the offseason.
If these players aren't interested in sticking around, the GM would be better off trading them before the start of next season for the best possible returns. Otherwise, their status becomes an unwelcome distraction for the Flames over the course of 2023-24.
Stats via NHL.com with salary info via Cap Friendly.
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