NHL Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz Following Stanley Cup Final 2015

The Chicago Blackhawks are just beginning to enjoy the Stanley Cup after wrapping up the 2015 NHL playoffs in a six-game series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the building blocks have been moving toward next season for quite some time for certain teams.  

Whether it's teams hoping to streamline their rebuilding efforts or a squad coming off playoff shortcomings and needing to bolster its units, front offices around the NHL are very busy this time of year. While it's now time for players to kick their feet up and enjoy the offseason, it's among the most stressful times of the year for general managers.

Trade buzz is already floating around the league, so take a look at some of the latest rumors to circulate.

Patrick Sharp

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Well, that didn't last long.

Patrick Sharp may have just helped the Chicago Blackhawks to win a Stanley Cup for the third time in his career, but the celebrations could be tempered this time around for the 33-year-old. That's because his future in the Windy City seems to be very much in jeopardy.

Of course, it's not his play that has the Blackhawks expecting to say goodbye, but rather financial restrictions. Chicago is about to face a salary-cap conundrum, having already committed $64 million in 2015-16, per Spotrac, with re-signings on the horizon. 

With a Stanley Cup pedigree, however, there are no shortage of suitors lining up for Sharp, as Mark Lazerus of Chicago Sun-Times reported:

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That leaves Sharp ($5.9 million), Bryan Bickell ($4 million) and Kris Versteeg ($2.2 million) as the likeliest to be dealt. Multiple sources say teams have been circling around Sharp since last spring, and he’s almost certain to be traded to clear up cap space. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are among the interested teams.

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There haven't been many more integral pieces to Chicago's recent run of success than Sharp, and his playoff caliber has undoubtedly impressed teams like Pittsburgh and Washington—who have recently targeted such players.

It's becoming increasingly apparent that Sharp's days with the Blackhawks are over, but at least he got to go out a winner.

Phil Kessel

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

A long-standing feud between Phil Kessel and many around the Toronto Maple Leafs could be coming to a fitting end this offseason.

The longtime trade chip looks to be more or less gone with the arrival of head coach Mike Babcock, who has a handful of veteran players to offer. None of them—save for maybe Dion Phaneuf—carries the weight and trade value of Kessel, however.

As reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie, Kessel has a limited no-trade clause that is believed to include eight teams—the Boston Bruins, Chicago, the Los Angeles Kings, the Minnesota Wild, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh. Kessel can amend that list by June 30 of this year, per McKenzie.

The Maple Leafs' pursuit of trade partners hasn't just taken place in the media, as general manager Kyle Dubas himself said, per NHL.com, that they "need to be acquiring as many draft pick assets as we can." It's safe to say a handful of those contending teams on Kessel's list wouldn't mind turning a few picks into a perennial 30-goal scorer.

Of course, it will likely take more than just a few picks to pry Kessel away from Toronto. 

Anthony Mantha

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

It's not often that you see a club willing to field offers on one of its sterling prospects, but that's just what the Detroit Red Wings seem interested in doing with Anthony Mantha.

The former 2013 first-round pick is just 20 years old and has yet to make the transition to the NHL in what has been a slow development. The 6'5" winger with a massive 215-pound frame has all of the potential in the world, but Sportsnet's Damian Cox still reported that Detroit is willing to move Mantha along with its 2015 first-round pick.

In fact, Cox even revealed that Toronto previously proposed a trade that would have included Mantha, but Detroit was dead set on keeping him. That, as previously mentioned, has seemingly changed:

Should the Maple Leafs be the target trade partner this time again, it's easy to see how the Red Wings could envision getting a coup off of it. Mantha is turning into more and more of a risk as time goes along, while getting a game-changing blueliner like Dion Phaneuf could take the Red Wings to the next level.

With young wingers like Tomas Tatar already settling in with Detroit, Mantha is becoming more expendable, and the Red Wings may take advantage while his stock is still high.