NHL Trade Rumors: Breaking Down Buzz on Tyler Bozak, Tyler Myers and More

Coming out of the All-Star Game, things will begin to pick up in the NHL over the next month. The playoffs are right around the corner, which also means teams are making decisions about their present and future with regard to the trade deadline. 

There has already been some trade activity ahead of the March 5 deadline with plenty more still to come. It's an interesting time around the league, as some teams that expected to be contenders (Los Angeles, for example) are struggling to find their footing. 

When you have pleasant surprises and unexpected disappointments, it can change the dynamics of a deadline substantially. Whether that ends up happening will be determined over the next two weeks, but here's a look at the latest rumors going around. 

Tyler Bozak To Be Part of Toronto Fire Sale

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The big storyline this deadline season will apparently revolve around Toronto. The Maple Leafs are mired in another disappointing season, sitting seventh in the Atlantic Division, and are apparently prepared to start tearing the failing house down. 

Based on the wording of things, virtually anyone and everyone will be on the table. That includes center Tyler Bozak, who is third on the team with 36 points but struggles with consistency and carries a high cap number. 

According to the Toronto Star's Damien Cox (via Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet Canada), Bozak's name is already starting to come up in trade discussions:

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In addition to Franson, Santorelli and Winnik, centre Tyler Bozak’s name is out there and could potentially be moved by the deadline, according to Cox.

Bozak has spent his entire NHL career with the Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old Regina native has three years remaining on his contract with an annual salary cap hit of $4.2 million.

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However, as Friedman noted in a separate report, Bozak's salary does present a problem for the Maple Leafs in trying to get what they deem to be a fair deal:

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As a general rule, the tightened cap has teams nervous about term, and he’s got three years remaining with a $4.2M hit. He’s had a rough year and a change of scenery benefits everyone. What do potential trade partners see in him? If it’s a No. 2 centre, that cap number is reasonable. If a No. 3, it’s high. But this is a move Toronto is trying to make.

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There's also the question of what Bozak will be when you take Phil Kessel away from him, which Adam Gretz of CBS Sports pointed out:

When you have a player near 30 who struggles to generate offense on his own, has a plus-minus rating of minus-16 and is owed a significant amount of money, sometimes the best tactic is to simply dump them for whatever deal comes along. 

While that doesn't exactly help the Maple Leafs rebuild in a direct way, the cap space created by trading Bozak will give them a boost. Even a late-round draft pick would be worth it for Toronto to pull the string on a deal. 

Tyler Myers To Be Dealt Twice?

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The Winnipeg Jets got a nice boost to their roster after acquiring Tyler Myers from Buffalo on Feb. 11, but that doesn't mean he should start unpacking his suitcases just yet. 

According to Darren Dreger of TSN (via Brandon Schlager of Sporting News) Myers isn't an ideal fit in Winnipeg's current situation:

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While Myers provides an upgrade to the Jets' defense, essentially replacing Evander Kane with Drew Stafford (the second main piece in the trade) doesn't help the forward corps. In that vein, Winnipeg is looking to acquire another top-nine forward in order to keep pace in the playoff race, according to Dreger's report. To do that, they could consider flipping Myers to another team. Teams have been calling Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff about taking Myers off his hands.

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The Jets are currently in the playoffs, tied with San Jose for fifth in the Western Conference, but offense has been an issue for the team. They rank 20th with 2.6 goals per game, though the defense has been able to carry the load with Michael Hutchinson allowing 2.18 goals per game. 

Myers remains one of the league's most frustrating players, as he's never capitalized on the success he had as a rookie. This year has been particularly poor with just 13 points and a plus-minus rating of minus-15, which is currently his second-worst single-season mark. 

Sam Page of Sports Illustrated noted that Myers fails at his position as a defenseman because of a timid approach:

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The trick to being a defenseman is building a series of complex reflexes and learning to trust them. When young blueliners play a totally unthinking game before they’ve developed their reflexes, smarter forwards draw them out of position with clever passing and stick handling. Conversely, if a young defenseman has to actually sit there and think, “What comes next?” he will get caught flat-footed almost every time. 

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When you have a player who has flashed the potential that Myers once did, even if his best season was six years ago, teams will continue to take chances on you with the belief that they can unlock that potential. 

One thing going in Myers' favor is that he just turned 25, so time is still on his side. The Jets don't need to make a rash decision since they are in the playoff race, and they can see if anything changes in the next 10-14 days before coming to a conclusion. 

 Hurricanes Moving Potential Free Agents

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Just as Toronto is resigned to the fact it's not going anywhere fast, the Carolina Hurricanes are poised to accrue whatever assets they can for their impending free agents. 

According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the Hurricanes' failed contract negotiations with Jiri Tlusty and Jay McClement have made them expendable:

Even though the Hurricanes are hurting for talent, which is what happens when you own the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, this is hardly the worst thing to come of a disastrous season. 

McClement is 31 years old and hasn't done much of anything in his limited role for anyone over the last six years. He's got a shooting percentage of 4.4 this season, the worst of his career in a season with more than 50 games played. 

Plus, as Chip Alexander of The News & Observer wrote, McClement's role when he signed with the Hurricanes last summer was basically to serve as a veteran mentor.

"That is, to kill penalties, win faceoffs, play a physical brand of hockey," Alexander wrote. "He'll likely be replacing Manny Malhotra as the Canes' fourth-line center and like Malhotra is an experienced, older player who can help some younger players develop."

When you aren't going to make the playoffs, there's really no point in keeping a player like McClement around anymore. 

Tlusty is a different story—he's just 26 years old and does have some scoring prowess with 20 points on the year—but there's only so much a team can do with a player who doesn't want to re-sign. 

The Hurricanes shouldn't be overpaying to keep a player like Tlusty, who is a decent winger but not a franchise cornerstone, so if they are able to flip him for a future asset, there's no reason to think twice about it. 

Stats via ESPN.com.