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NHL Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz on Patrick Marleau, Phil Kessel and More
June 6, 2019
The St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins have reached Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, but the rest of the NHL is preparing for the offseason, which means the draft, free agency and trading season will be top of teams' minds.
The draft will be on tap first, getting underway June 21, and that usually also includes several trades as teams try to pick up veteran players or look to move along players if they can acquire draft picks.
Patrick Marleau may be on the move after playing the past two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs following a 19-year run with the San Jose Sharks.
During his career with the Sharks, he scored many goals against the Los Angeles Kings, and NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of the The Athletic and TSN reported the Los Angeles Kings and Leafs are talking about a trade for the 39-year-old.
That might seem a bit of a stretch because the Kings are clearly in need of some young and fast skaters, but Marleau played for new Los Angeles head coach Todd McLellan during his Sharks tenure.
The Canadian has a no-trade clause that he would have to waive, and the Kings would have to get rid of a contract or two to get him on board.
Marleau has scored 27 and 16 goals the past two seasons, and he has potted 541 goals during his career.
Kessel Deal with Wild May Make a Return
Phil Kessel's days with the Pittsburgh Penguins are apparently numbered, as the former Boston Bruin and Toronto Maple Leaf has requested a trade out of Pittsburgh, and the team is trying to accommodate him.
The Penguins and the Minnesota Wild appeared to come together on a deal that would have sent Kessel to Minnesota for Jason Zucker, but that move fell apart, according to The Hockey News.
Per Jonathan Bombulie of TribLIVE.com, TSN and NBC NHL insider Bob McKenzie said the deal between the Wild and the Penguins could still come to fruition:
"I wouldn't be surprised if, at some point, it gets done with Minnesota. Kessel's 'no' to Pittsburgh wasn't really a hard, 100 percent no so much as it was, 'Naw, I don't really want to go there. Maybe you could check with some other teams.' I think there is frustration on Kessel's part that the Penguins maybe aren't checking with other teams or aren't interested in doing deals with other teams where Kessel wants to go."
Jets Engaging in Trade Talks for Trouba
Winnipeg Jets restricted free agent Jacob Trouba is on the trade front, and the Jets have engaged in talks with multiple teams, according to TSN senior hockey reporter Frank Seravalli.
Trouba scored eight goals and put up 42 assists last season, and the Jets are likely to ask for a top-six forward or a top-four defenseman if they are going to make a trade.
The defenseman is one year away from unrestricted free agency, and he could remain with the Jets for one more season if they don't move him. However, the team can maximize its return by trading him in the offseason.
They could also trade him at next year's deadline, but they could get their best return if they trade him in the offseason, per Craig Custance of The Athletic.