NHL Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Tyler Johnson, Braydon Coburn, More

After a quiet first weekend of the NHL free agency following last week's draft, the league's trade market still offers plenty of talent. 

Matt Murray has gone from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Ottawa Senators, and Ryan Donato has been dealt from the Minnesota Wild to the San Jose Sharks. On Saturday, the Chicago Blackhawks continued moving toward a rebuild when they moved Brandon Saad and Dennis Gilbert to Colorado in exchange for Nikita Zadorov and Anton Lindholm. 

Here are three players to keep an eye on as the offseason continues.

Tyler Johnson, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The veteran center cleared waivers after Tampa Bay requested them Friday on the two-time Stanley Cup champion, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2011. 

Joe Smith of The Athletic reported that the Lightning were just $3 million under the league's mandated $81.5 million salary cap, but they only had 18 players signed as of Friday. Johnson is on a four-year deal with an average annual value of $5 million that includes a no-trade clause. 

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period and NHL Network Radio said Saturday that there are teams interested in the 30-year-old, but that the Lightning would need to throw something into the mix to repay them for carrying the load of Johnson's contract, which is worth $17.75 million.

Teams remain interested in Johnson after he cleared waivers, according to TSN and The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, and draft picks will be the way to go for Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois if he wants to get teams to bite. 

"Tyler Johnson's a good player, but this is more about the fact that this market is absolutely paralyzed by the difficulty in moving money," LeBrun said. 

LeBrun also reported that Johnson's trade list grew from three teams to "seven or eight" during the process.

Though he hasn't been much of an impact player as of late, Johnson's record of 13 playoff goals from the 2015 postseason held up until his teammate Brayden Point scored 14 en route to the championship. 

Braydon Coburn, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

With the Lightning trying to sneak under their salary cap, TSN's Frank Seravalli reported there is also a market for Braydon Coburn, who is owed $1.7 million heading into the last year of his contract. The 35-year-old also has a no-trade clause. 

Coburn was dealt to the Lightning in 2015 after nearly nine seasons in Philadelphia. His production has dipped in recent years, with an average of 14:03 minutes on ice as the Lightning won the Stanley Cup—his first. It was his least amount of ice since the 2005-06 season, when he appeared in just nine games in his first season. He logged just 44:35 on the ice in the postseason over three games in Tampa Bay's five-game series with Boston in the second round. 

Before winning the Cup, he told Joe Fordyce of NBC Sports Philadelphia that he was leaning into his off-ice responsibilities:

"[In 2010] and [2015], I was playing a bunch. I've been in a way different role for this run. I haven't played in [the Final] so far. For me, it's been mostly about supporting the guys. Passing on any wisdom, just keeping myself ready. Making sure physically and mentally when I get my chance, if I get my chance, I'm ready to go."

A departure for Coburn would create a bigger hole in the Lightning defense, as Tampa Bay lost Kevin Shattenkirk when he signed a three-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks. 

David Savard, D, Columbus Blue Jackets

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

In dealing with a backlog of defenders, the Blue Jackets are looking to trade David Savard, according to Fox Sports Midwest's Andy Strickland. 

It's a tactic Columbus has already been employing this offseason, having dealt Markus Nutivaara and Ryan Murray to the Florida Panthers and the New Jersey Devils (respectively) on Thursday, adding $7.3 million in cap space. 

The 6-foot-2, 229-pound defender is tied for the third-most games in Blue Jackets history with 557 since being drafted in the fourth round and making his debut in the 2011 season. He did not score a goal despite having 97 shots on target through 70 games but collected 11 assists. 

Teammate Nick Foligno, who is also tied for third-most games played in franchise history, spoke highly of Savard in talking with BlueJackets.com's Jeff Svoboda: "He's quietly been a guy that everyone looks to. He plays hard minutes. He's gone from being an offensive defenseman to now being in more of a shutdown role and handled that as much of a pro as anyone, and he still has the flair to score some big goals and make some big plays for us."

Savard has one year remaining on his contract, which carries a $4.25 million price tag. The 29-year-old is a solid option for teams that need to add defenders but aren't able to spend a lot of money in an effort to stay under the salary cap. That could include the Vancouver Canucks, who lost Troy Stecher in free agency, or the Philadelphia Flyers, who are looking for a replacement for the retired Matt Niskanen.