NHL Rumors: Top Trade Buzz Surrounding Jacob Trouba, Nail Yakupov and More

Although the start of the 2016-17 NHL regular season is closing in, roster moves are still being made, and teams are still looking to make last-minute improvements in an effort to make a playoff push.

Most notably, there are several unsettled situations with regard to restricted free agents and players looking for new contracts. While there is still some time for agreements to be reached, trades could potentially be consummated in order to resolve those issues.

With the new NHL campaign on the horizon, here is a rundown of the hottest trade rumors making the rounds as teams prepare for games that count.

Jacob Trouba

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba is among the most highly touted young blueliners in the NHL, but the 22-year-old is ready to move on from the team that selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Trouba went public with his desire to be traded on Sept. 24, and he provided the following reasoning behind his decision, according to TSN (h/t NHL.com):

"

I want to play on the right side to realize my potential. That's not going to happen in Winnipeg. This has nothing to do with Winnipeg as a city. This is about me getting the chance to be the best player I can be. I've worked hard to get this far. I don't want to look back in 20 years and wish I hadn't just gone with the flow. Sometimes you have to put yourself first. This isn't an easy decision. But I want to play on the right side.

"

While the Jets haven't gone on record as saying that they intend to trade Trouba, TSN's Gary Lawless reported that the shopping process has begun:

Trouba is coming off a strong season for the Jets, as he appeared in a career-high 81 games in 2015-16.

Although his six goals and 21 points were career lows across his three NHL campaigns, he posted a personal-best plus-minus of plus-10 and developed into a workhorse by logging over 22 minutes of time on ice per game.

The up-and-coming American figures to get even better in 2016-17 and beyond, but he feels as though his growth has been stifled in Winnipeg.

There is likely no shortage of teams lining up to make a run at acquiring Trouba, and the Boston Bruins may well be at the forefront.

Per Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com, the Bruins considered signing Trouba to an offer sheet in June, and although they decided against it, their interest level still figures to be high due to their need for a top-four defenseman.

Boston has narrowly missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, but Trouba would fill a huge gap and could be precisely what it needs to get back in the postseason and Stanley Cup contention.

The Jets should have plenty of options should they decide to deal Trouba, so a calculated approach is best in order to ensure they receive the ideal package in return.

Nail Yakupov

The Edmonton Oilers are stacked with young talent up front, but one forward who has struggled to carve out a consistent role is former No. 1 overall draft pick Nail Yakupov.

In four NHL seasons, Yakupov has registered just 111 points in 252 games. He netted eight goals and 23 points in 60 contests last season, and it is a real possibility that he won't have a spot on Edmonton's top four lines to start the 2016-17 campaign.

While the Russian is undoubtedly brimming with talent, TSN's Darren Dreger (h/t Chris Nichols of Today's Slapshot) recently revealed that the Oilers have attempted to trade him dating back to last season's trade deadline, only for no market to emerge for his services.

Dreger suggested that Edmonton is asking for a third-round pick or less in exchange for Yakupov, which is seemingly a small price to pay for a player with his skill level.

The results haven't been there, though, as he has never put up more than 17 goals and 33 points in a single season. Yakupov has also been a disaster defensively with a career plus-minus rating of minus-88.

Yakupov isn't entirely to blame since there is a team-wide lack of defensive responsibility in Edmonton, which means a change of scenery could be precisely what he needs.

Even though it is possible that Yakupov is a bust who will never come close to reaching his potential, he is worth a second look by another team at the very least, especially since it doesn't figure to take much to acquire him.

Anaheim Ducks

Perhaps no team in the NHL is in a trickier salary-cap situation than the Anaheim Ducks, and that could necessitate some activity on the trade market prior to the start of the 2016-17 season.

According to TSN's Blake Price, NBC's Pierre McGuire reported that Anaheim is exploring trade possibilities to create space to sign restricted free agents Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell.

Although McGuire didn't single out a likely trade chip, defenseman Cam Fowler would make the most sense.

Fowler has just two years remaining on his contract, and he was rumored to be on the block over the summer, according to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period.

The Ducks are deep on defense with Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Kevin Bieksa and Simon Despres forming a strong top four even without Fowler, so Anaheim can afford to bite the bullet if it means keeping a couple of key contributors over the long haul.

Anaheim figures to be a top contender in the Western Conference regardless of what moves it makes, but ensuring that Lindholm and Rakell are in the lineup to start the season should be its top priority.

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