NHL Trade Speculation: The 10 Hottest Names on the Market

The NHL draft and free agency are the NHL's two premier offseason events.

Teams want to build through the draft and then fill in the holes through free agency. However, when one team like the Minnesota Wild is successful in free agency by signing a pair of superstars in Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, it leaves a lot of other teams that feel unsatisfied and in need of a stronger roster.

While there are additional free agents on the market, it's hard to find game changers after the initial blush of signings. Teams may want to pursue the trade market, particularly if they have a surplus of talent in one area and significant areas to build up in another.

This year's trade market is a bit strange in that one name has been on the market since before the in-season trade deadline and remains there, and at least two other players have been talked about for many weeks.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been dangling high-scoring Rick Nash since the midway point in the season but have not been able to work a successful deal. Other prominent names that have been mentioned include high-scoring Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks and beleaguered goalie Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks.

Here's a look at 10 of the hottest names on the trade market.

Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have been dangling Bobby Ryan's name on the trade market for weeks and there are a lot of interested parties, including the Philadelphia Flyers, the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun also reports the Senators have interest in acquiring Ryan as well.

Ryan, 25, has scored 31 goals or more for four consecutive seasons. He has three years remaining on his contract and is scheduled to earn an average of $5.1 million per season.

Ryan told the Camden (N.J.) Courier-Post that he would welcome a trade because he is tired of hearing his name in trade rumors. He seems more than a bit sensitive that the Ducks and general manager Bob Murray would bring his name up when trades are discussed.

The Flyers appeal to Ryan because he's a Cherry Hill, New Jersey native who grew up watching the Flyers play. Both the Red Wings and the Penguins were involved in the Zach Parise-Bobby Ryan sweepstakes and want to come away with something.

The Senators could use extra scoring at the right wing position, even if Daniel Alfredsson decides against retirement and signs a new contract, Garrioch says in his report.

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks

Roberto Luongo knows his time in Vancouver is coming to an end. He appeared on Vancouver radio station CFOX (reported by Vancouver Sun) recently and said he enjoyed playing for the Canucks but he understands that it's time to move on in his career.

The Canucks have a solid goaltending alternative in Corey Schneider, who has been climbing the ladder for the last two seasons. He passed Luongo during the Canucks' playoff loss to the Kings this season, when Vancouver made a goaltending switch after Luongo lost the first two games of the playoff series at home to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks have been mentioned as possible destinations for Luongo, the most likely landing spot is with the Florida Panthers. Luongo played with the Panthers prior to his run in Vancouver and he likes the idea of playing in an area where hockey is not an obsession.

"Playing in a place like Florida with anonymity—to go out somewhere and have a dinner with your family and relax and stuff is great," Luongo said. (Source: TSN.ca)

Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators have to figure out a plan of action regarding all-star defenseman Shea Weber. They could decide to offer him a multi-year extension or they could also decide to move him in a trade.

According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the New York Rangers would be very interested in acquiring him and paying a premium price. Not only is Weber one of the top defenseman in the league, his right-handedness makes him a rarity among defensemen and that makes him extremely valuable.

Brooks speculates that the Rangers would be more willing to pay a high premium for Weber than they would be for Columbus stud winger Rick Nash. The names that would be on the table in a deal for Weber, Brooks speculates, include Ryan McDonagh, Ryan Callahan, Chris Kreider and Dan Girardi.

Glen Sather might be willing to part with one or more of those stars because Weber's hard shot is so dangerous from the right point and he would give the Rangers something that is missing from their offense—particularly on the power play.

Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets

The previous storyline with Rick Nash was that Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson had not completed a deal because he was simply asking for too much from teams like the New York Rangers in return to make it worthwhile from New York general manager Glen Sather's perspective.

Howson may finally be relenting in his trade demands. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Post Dispatch appeared on New York radio station WFAN-AM on July 7 and speculated the new asking price was Derek Stepan, Brandon Dubinsky and a first-round draft choice.

If Portzline is correct, and the Blue Jackets are no longer asking for Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh, Chris Kreider or Dan Girardi, the long-rumored deal may quickly come to fruition. If Portzline is wrong, the Blue Jackets may be back where they started.

The teams that Nash has given his approval as trade destinations include the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks.

Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres

Weakness in the middle. That's the problem the Buffalo Sabres have when they look at their roster.

Sabres general manager Darcy Regier traded talented but inconsistent center Derek Roy to the Dallas Stars for hard-nosed and gritty Steve Ott. That leaves the Sabres with a group of players at the center position that might not be good enough to get the job done over 82 games. Those players include Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson, Matt Ellis, Cody McCormick and Luke Adam.

At the same time, the Sabres have quite a bit of talent at the left wing position and on defense. According to John Vogl of the Buffalo News, the Sabres might be willing to trade players from those positions in order to upgrade at center. Left wing Thomas Vanek is the best of the Sabres forwards and Regier probably wouldn't want to lose him, but he might be the first player that opposing general managers ask about. Vanek has scored 25 goals or more in each of his seven seasons and has a 15.2 percent career shooting accuracy mark.



Keith Yandle, Phoenix Coyotes

The uncertain future of the Phoenix Coyotes has already cost them winger Ray Whitney and may cost them veteran Shane Doan.

It doesn't stop there for the Coyotes. Defenseman Keith Yandle's name has been mentioned as being on the trading block. The Detroit Red Wings are among the most interested teams, according to Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News.

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland wanted to bring Zach Parise aboard to play with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, but Parise chose to go to his home state of Minnesota and play with the Wild. Holland also wanted defenseman Ryan Suter.

Holland does not want to go away empty-handed, so he may try to acquire Yandle, who is coming off an 11-goal, 32-assist season. Yandle is also solid as a defensive defenseman. He is not a superstar, but he is a solid all-around player who would make any team better.

Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary Flames

When the Calgary Flames traded for Washington Capitals offensive-minded defenseman Dennis Wideman before the start of free agency, the move may have put defensive defenseman Jay Bouwmeester on the trading block.

Sportsnet.Ca reporter Roger Millions said that the Flames have been in contact with several teams about Bouwmeester. He says the Flames are not initiating the calls, but they are taking them and talking with other teams.

Millions tweeted that one of the teams that appears to have significant interest is the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers have plenty of developing, high-end talent, but they are very young and need veteran presence and guidance. Bouwmeester certainly fits the bill and he might be the right player to add to the Edmonton locker room.

Michael Grabner, New York Islanders

One of the reasons the San Jose Sharks have struggled in the NHL playoffs has been a lack of speed and quickness. As general manager Doug Wilson builds his lineup for the 2012-13 season, he wants the Sharks to get faster.

He used that reasoning when he traded Dany Heatley to Minnesota last summer for Martin Havlat and it's still the path that the Sharks need to follow. CSNCalifornia.com suggested that New York Islanders' speedster Michael Grabner would be a good fit for the team because of his ability to sprint away from defenders and create scoring opportunities.

Grabner struggled a bit in 2011-12 with 20 goals, but he had 34 goals in 2010-11. Grabner can be a weapon in short-handed situations. He had 6 short-handed goals in 2010-11

Brenden Morrow, Dallas Stars

Brenden Morrow's time in Dallas appears to be coming to an end. So far this offseason, the Stars have acquired Derek Roy from the Buffalo Sabres and have also signed free-agent forward Ray Whitney.

As a result, the need for a 33-year-old forward who played 57 games last season and scored 11 goals is not strong. There are a number of teams interested, but according to Jeremy Rutherford of St. Louis Today.com, the St. Louis Blues may be at the top of the list.

St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong would like to add a defenseman, but while he works on that deal, he may be able to convince the Stars to trade him Morrow, who scored 33 goals in 2010-11.

Jonathan Bernier, Los Angeles Kings

While hockey has never had a higher profile in Los Angeles than it has now as a result of the Kings' first Stanley Cup triumph, No. 2 goalie Jonathan Bernier wants to be traded.

With No. 1 goalie Jonathan Quick firmly entrenched and having signed a 10-year contract, Bernier will never be more than a backup for the Kings. According to Brian Stubits of CBS Sports, Bernier wants to move on so he can at least get a chance to earn more playing time.

Bernier, 23, has done well in limited opportunities. He has a 2.50 career goals against average and a .910 save percentage.