NHL Rumors: Latest Trade Talk for 2020 Draft Picks and Prospects

One name dominating talk of the 2020 NHL draft is Yaroslav Askarov.

The top-ranked goaltender prospect plays for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, and at 18, he's considered to be the real deal at the position and worthy of an early first-round selection.

Where he lands could be part of a ripple effect created by a combination of draft picks and trades.

Movement around the league has already started and will likely be hot and heavy ahead of and during the draft.

The Florida Panthers recently dealt defenseman Josh Brown to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a fourth-round pick. And on Sunday, in an effort to free cap space, the Chicago Blackhawks shipped defenseman Olli Maatta to the Los Angeles Kings for prospect Brad Morrison.

Here's a quick look at a few rumors to watch before the draft, which will run from Tuesday through Wednesday and be held virtually from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Boston Bruins Open to Trading Tuukka Rask

The harsh truth about professional sports is that just because a player is playing well or is expected to be a vital piece in the team's plans doesn't mean that they are immune to trade talks.

Turns out that's exactly the case for Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.

While the Bruins expect Rask to be their starter next season, they are still "listening" to offers.

According to TSN's Frank Seravalli, GM Don Sweeney has been quietly checking the value of Rask.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Boston is shopping its goalie because of the need to cut salary and questions about his dependability. The 33-year old opted not to finish this year's playoffs because of a family emergency, and the decision didn't sit well with some fans .

Still, Rask has one year left on his deal, worth $7 million against the cap, per CapFriendly, and with his modified no-trade clause, he will likely only want to be dealt to a contender such as the Colorado Avalanche or Carolina Hurricanes.

That shouldn't be hard, though, considering his second-placed finish in the Vezina Trophy voting.

Marc-Andre Fleury Out in Vegas?

When the Vegas Golden Knights signed goaltender Robin Lehner to a five-year, $25 million contract extension Saturday, the writing was on the wall for Marc-Andre Fleury.

Vegas' long-term investment in Lehner meant Fleury's days are numbered and trade talks were inevitable.

The 35-year-old still has two years left on his contract at $7 million AAV, per CapFriendly, but general manager Kelly McCrimmon is reportedly motivated to move their former franchise goaltender.

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Right now, it looks as though they will need a third team to be able to make the money work.

"I think one of the options that I think Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights have at least started to explore is whether they may be able to use an intermediary team as part of their three-way deal in which that team is the one that retains part of Fleury's salary in order to make this kind of transaction work," Sportsnet's Chris Johnston said.

According to The Athletic's Rob Rossi, Fleury hasn't ruled out a return to the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he began his career and played for 13 seasons.

Winnipeg Moving On from Patrik Laine?

The NHL offseason can be brutal, and this one could go that way again for the Winnipeg Jets.

After losing four of their top five blueliners in terms of ice time in 2019, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has suggested that star sniper Patrik Laine could be traded to reshape their roster for the future.

"So we're looking at all our options, including potentially trading different players," Cheveldayoff told Tim Campbell of NHL.com.

The 2016 No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft 63 points in 68 games this season and has one year left on a two-year, $13.5 million deal.

According to The Athletic's Craig Custance, Cheveldayoff wants to give his top-six forwards a different look, and the only untouchables up front are Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Laine is still a game-breaker, but the Jets need a No. 1 defenseman and a No. 2 center, so he may be the piece that gets moved to fill those positions.

"If you look at our team and what has happened to our team over the last little bit, we've got the Bryan Little situation and we're trying to understand what the long-term prognosis is going to be,"  Cheveldayoff told Campbell. He continued:

"Essentially a year ago now, Dustin decided to walk away from the game. Unfortunately, we lost our No. 1 defenseman, and our No. 2 center hasn't been able to be with us since Nov. 5 of last season, when he got hurt.

"And given the decisions we had to make during the summer last year, absent of knowing any of those things we were going to be facing, we have some holes that need to be filled in our organization. We have some prospects coming. Is it fair to everybody to say, 'We'll just put those guys in?' Some people may say that's the way to go. Some people may say not."

Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport. Team and player stats via NHL.com.