NHL Rumor Mill – December 16, 2022

by | Dec 16, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – December 16, 2022

Check out the latest on Ryan O’Reilly, Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Jakob Chychrun, Patrick Kane, and more in today’s NHL rumor mill.

NOTE: The NHL’s annual holiday roster freeze begins at 11:59 pm ET on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, and expires at 12:01 am ET on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. 

THE ATHLETIC (subscription required): published the first installment of their 2022-23 NHL trade board featuring 25 potential trade candidates. Among the notable tidbits:

St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly (NHL Images)

Pierre LeBrun believes the St. Louis Blues could start listening to offers in the new year for center Ryan O’Reilly. LeBrun thinks the Toronto Maple Leafs have talked internally about the Blues pending UFA captain. He also believes the Colorado Avalanche would be a sensible destination.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues could listen to offers but I think they’d like to re-sign O’Reilly. There will be plenty of interest if he hits the trade block. Whether the Leafs can win a bidding war for his services is another matter. However, Vladimir Tarasenko seems the most likely to be dealt by the Blues, though his full no-trade clause gives him control over where he could go.

The Colorado Avalanche could be a fit for Bo Horvat if the Vancouver Canucks decide to trade their captain before the March 3 trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: TSN’s Darren Dreger believes the Canucks want to free up salary cap space if they move Horvat or winger Brock Boeser. However, they’d also like to add a young NHL centerman and a young NHL defenseman.

Speaking of Boeser, LeBrun claimed the Minnesota Wild have spoken to the Canucks about the 25-year-old winger. Cap space, however, is an issue and the Canucks don’t want to retain any salary. They could take back a contract in return but clearing maximum cap space in a Boeser trade is important to them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, they’ll take back a salary that is considerably less than Boeser’s $6.65 million average annual value on a contract that extends past this season. It’s also been previously reported that they might take on an expiring contract depending on what else is included in the return.

LeBrun considers the Ottawa Senators as the destination that makes the most sense to him for defenseman Jakob Chychrun. However, he’s not sure they’ll pay the Arizona Coyotes’ high asking price. He also wondered if the Los Angeles Kings might be a fit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chychrun continues playing well since his return from offseason wrist surgery with nine points in 11 games and a plus-minus of plus-five. Someone will step up before the trade deadline and meet the Coyotes’ asking price if he stays healthy and maintains that level of performance. Whether it’s the Senators or Kings remains to be seen.

The New York Rangers will have to improve if they hope to be an enticing destination for Patrick Kane, assuming the Chicago Blackhawks star agrees to be traded.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s also assuming the Rangers can afford the Blackhawks’ asking price. They’ll likely want at least a first-round pick plus a top prospect or a good young NHL player as part of the return.

Michael Russo reported there’s chatter the Edmonton Oilers could be interested in Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Klingberg.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Appearing on TSN’s “Insider Trading” on Thursday, Pierre LeBrun reported the Oilers have been internally discussing the merits of Klingberg and of Montreal Canadiens blueliner Joel Edmundson. He said the Canadiens aren’t looking to move Edmundson but could be willing to listen to offers.

Russo also believes the Florida Panthers don’t want to trade Anthony Duclair but might not have much choice if they can’t clear sufficient cap space for the winger’s return from a torn Achilles tendon.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 15, 2022

by | Dec 15, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 15, 2022

Recaps of Wednesday games, the Rangers once again top Forbes’ annual franchise value rankings, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Second-period goals by Shane Pinto, Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk enabled the Ottawa Senators to hold off the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Alex DeBrincat assisted on all three Senators’ goals as they’ve won seven of their last 10 games and improved to 13-14-2. Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak replied for the Canadiens, who sit at 14-13-2.

Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators learned earlier in the day that center Tim Stutzle will be sidelined for at least a week by a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, winger Alex Formenton will play this season in Switzerland after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Senators by the Dec. 1 deadline. He is ineligible to play in the NHL for the remainder of this season.

As for the Canadiens, Jonathan Drouin returned to the lineup after missing 13 games with an upper-body injury.

The Vancouver Canucks blew a 2-0 lead, rallied to tie the game at 3 and went on to defeat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on a shootout goal by Andrei Kuzmenko. Bo Horvat scored his 21st goal of the season while Spencer Martin kicked out 35 shots for the Canucks, who’ve won four of their last five and risen to 13-13-3. Dillon Dube collected two assists for the 13-11-6 Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks winger Brock Boeser missed this game with a non-COVID-related illness.

Minnesota Wild center Frederick Gaudreau scored twice in a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Wild winger Mats Zuccarello scored to extend his points streak to eight games for the 16-11-4 Wild. The Wings (13-10-6) dropped their fourth straight game and lost defenseman Filip Hronek to an upper-body injury after a thunderous hit by Wild winger Ryan Reaves.

HEADLINES

FORBES: The New York Rangers top Forbes’ annual ranking of NHL franchises for the eighth straight year.

The Rangers are valued at $2.2 billion, up 10 percent from last season. The Toronto Maple Leafs ($2 billion), Montreal Canadiens ($1.85 billion), Chicago Blackhawks ($1.5 billion) and Boston Bruins ($1.4 billion) round out the top five as 14 teams are valued at $1 billion or higher.

Sitting at the bottom of the list is the Arizona Coyotes ($450 million), with the Florida Panthers ($550 million), Buffalo Sabres ($610 million), Columbus Blue Jackets ($620 million), and Carolina Hurricanes ($640 million) round out the bottom five. The Winnipeg Jets are the lowest-valued Canadian franchise at $650 million.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins winger Jason Zucker is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The oft-injured Zucker was off to a good start to this season with 20 points in 27 games before his latest mishap.

CBS SPORTS: The Anaheim Ducks moved goaltender Anthony Stolarz (lower body) to injury reserve.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg will be enshrined in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame. Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy during the Red Wings’ 2008 Stanley Cup championship. He also helped Sweden win gold at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2006 IIHF World Championship. Zetterberg retired in 2018 due to a back injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A well-deserved honor for one of Sweden’s greatest players.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 13, 2022

by | Dec 13, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 13, 2022

Evgeni Malkin achieves a Penguins franchise milestone, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington reach career milestones, the three stars of the week are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin scored with 35 seconds left in the third period to down the Dallas Stars by a score of 2-1. It was Malkin’s 79th career game-winner, moving him past Jaromir Jagr into second place on the all-time franchise list. Sidney Crosby is the current leader with 83 game-winning goals. Pierre-Olivier Joseph also scored for the Penguins (17-8-4) while Roope Hintz tallied for the 16-8-5 Stars.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (NHL Images).

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 20 shots while Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Fleury recorded his 18th season with at least 10 wins, making him the fourth goaltender in NHL history to achieve that feat. Zach Hyman replied for the Oilers (16-13-0) as Connor McDavid’s points streak ended at seven games. The Wild improved their record to 15-11-2.

St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington turned in a 25-save shutout for his 100th career victory in a 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators. Brayden Schenn tallied the winner in overtime as the Blues improved to 13-15-1. The Predators have lost three straight and fall to 12-11-3.

An overtime goal by Filip Chytil lifted the New York Rangers over the New Jersey Devils 4-3. Third-period goals by Vincent Trocheck and Kaapo Kakko seven seconds apart rallied the Rangers (15-10-5) and set the stage for Chytil’s game-winner. Dawson Mercer had two points for the Devils (21-5-2), giving them 44 points. They sit one point behind the first-overall Boston Bruins.

Shootout goals by Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach gave the Montreal Canadiens a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. Josh Anderson scored the game-tying goal for the Canadiens as they move to 14-12-2. Jonathan Huberdeau opened the scoring for the Flames (13-11-5) and also tallied in the shootout.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Injuries took a toll on both teams in this game. Canadiens winger Cole Caufield left this contest in the second period with an upper-body injury following a hit from Calgary’s Trevor Lewis while Flames defenseman Chris Tanev was struck in the head by a Suzuki slap shot while killing a penalty. The Flames were also without forward Elias Lindholm (upper-body injury) and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (non-COVID-related illness).

Ottawa Senators goaltender Cam Talbot kicked out 32 shots to blank the Anaheim Ducks 3-0. Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Parker Kelly also scored for the Senators (12-14-2). The Ducks fall to 7-19-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ottawa center Tim Stutzle left this game in the first period with an upper-body injury following a collision with the Ducks’ Brett Leason. Senators forward Tyler Motte was also sidelined by an upper-body injury in the first period. Before the game, the Senators formally inducted former defenseman Wade Redden into their Ring of Honour.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson and Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Dec. 11, 2022.

TSN: The Vegas Golden Knights placed center Jack Eichel on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and placed defenseman Zach Whitecloud (lower body) on long-term injured reserve.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken claimed winger Eeli Tolvanen off waivers from the Nashville Predators.

ESPN.COM: Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said his team won’t rebuild with Alex Ovechkin on the roster. He said he promised his captain that the club will remain competitive while the winger chases Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894. Ovechkin currently has 797 career goals. The Capitals have just 10 players under contract for 2023-24 with John Carlsson as the only defenseman signed beyond this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise there. Leonsis wants to ensure Ovechkin has the roster support to help him reach the record. The Capitals captain’s contract expires in 2026, after which he’ll likely retire. The club could then commence a rebuild depending on the caliber of younger players they bring into the roster through trades and the draft.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: The Sharks activated goaltender James Reimer off injured reserve. He’d been sidelined since Nov. 25.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi received 50-100 stitches after being struck in the face by the skate of Winnipeg Jets forward Michael Eyssimont on Friday. He returned to that game in the second period wearing a face shield.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators settled a lawsuit launched by Capitals Sports Management Inc against former partners in the LeBreton Flats arena project. League sources said the lawsuit would not affect the sale of the Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Recent reports indicate there is considerable interest among several groups in purchasing the club.










NHL Rumor Mill – December 12, 2022

by | Dec 12, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – December 12, 2022

Examining potential trade destinations for Brock Boeser, Jakob Chychrun and Timo Meier in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE SCORE: John Matisz recently looked at some possible trade destinations for Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun and San Jose Sharks winger Timo Meier.

Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser (NHL Images).

Matisz suggested the Minnesota Wild for Boeser, with the Wild flipping Matt Dumba or a draft pick for the Minnesota native. Dumba’s on an expiring contract with a $6 million cap hit that is comparable to Boeser’s $6.65 million. He believes the Canucks would choose the draft pick over Dumba because they need the cap space.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: How about the draft pick and Dumba? The Canucks are said to be willing to take on a player with a contract that expires at the end of this season. They need the cap space beyond this season.

Reports out of Minnesota suggest the Wild could move Dumba before the March 3 trade deadline. However, that comes with the risk of lacking a suitable replacement for him on their blueline down the stretch.

The New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings are two other clubs that have the cap space and assets plus a need for a shoot-first winger. If they’re okay with Boeser’s cap hit, Matisz speculated they could get him for a second or third-round pick.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders could be the more interested of the two. General manager Lou Lamoriello attempted to acquire Boeser’s teammate J.T. Miller during the opening round of this year’s draft. He’s also believed to have made failed bids to sign Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri in the free-agent market.

Turning to Chychrun, Matisz cites reports listing the Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers as potential suitors for the Coyotes defenseman.

Matisz considers the Sabres and Kings as two clubs with depth in promising assets to outbid the others. He also noted Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t afraid to chase the big fish and his club needs blueline depth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I agree with Matisz’s take on the front-runners for Chychrun. I’d also include the Senators as they’ve spoken with the Coyotes but reports out of Ottawa claim they couldn’t reach an agreement on a deal. Maybe that changes if the Senators become more desperate as the season rolls along.

GOPHNX.com’s Craig Morgan recently reported GM Bill Armstong isn’t budging off his high asking price. Morgan believes it could include two first-round draft picks and either a second-rounder or a top prospect. Given Chychrun’s strong start since returning from offseason wrist surgery, somebody is likely to pay what Armstrong wants.

Matisz noted that Meier’s agent Claude Lemieux claims his client is willing to re-sign with the Sharks. However, it’ll cost the Sharks $10 million just to qualify his rights plus he has arbitration right next summer.

Meier could be the Sharks’ best trade chip at the deadline. They desperately need to restock their prospect cupboard and add some early-round draft picks. Matisz suggested the Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken and the Blue Jackets as clubs that could meet those needs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’m not sure how keen Sharks GM Mike Grier would be to trade Meier to another California-based club. The Kraken are building rapidly and having someone like Meier alongside young centers like Matty Beniers or Shane Wright could give them a significant offensive boost.

The Jackets, however, already have two star wingers in Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine. If they were to pursue a forward, I think they’d be more interested in a center.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 11, 2022

by | Dec 11, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 11, 2022

Kris Letang returns to the Penguins following a stroke, the Leafs and Mitch Marner continue their streaks, the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos extends his points streak, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 as defenseman Kris Letang returned to their lineup for the first time since suffering a minor stroke 12 days ago. Letang was held pointless but played a team-leading 22:14 of ice time while Sidney Crosby scored two goals and collected an assist for the Penguins, who’ve won five straight and improved their record to 16-8-4. Peyton Krebs replied for the Sabres as they dropped to 12-14-2.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres played without winger Jeff Skinner. He’s serving a three-game suspension for cross-checking Penguins winger Jake Guentzel in the face during their game on Friday.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner extended his franchise-record points streak to 22 games in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames. Marner scored the game-winner and collected an assist on one of William Nylander’s two goals as the latter reached a single-game personal best of five points. The Leafs (18-5-6) are unbeaten in their last 14 games (11-0-3). Noah Hanifin tallied twice for the Flames as they slipped to 13-11-4.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs (42 points) are one point behind the league-leading Boston Bruins. Before the game, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said forward Nick Robertson could miss six-to-eight weeks with a shoulder injury. He is not expected to undergo surgery.

Three unanswered third-period goals by Brayden Point, Mikhail Sergachev and Steven Stamkos lifted the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Florida Panthers 4-1. Stamkos extended his points streak to 13 games while the Lightning boosted their record to 17-9-1. The Panthers dropped to 13-11-4.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 35 saves to shut out the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 3-0. Matt Boldy, Connor Dewar and Sam Steel were the goal scorers as Minnesota sits at 14-11-2. Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov was held scoreless, bringing his 14-game points streak to an end. The Canucks dropped to 12-13-3.

Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron scored in his 1,000th career NHL game but his club dropped a 3-2 decision to the Dallas Stars. Nils Lundkvist got the winner in overtime as the Stars improved to 16-7-5 while the Wings sit at 13-8-6.

The Carolina Hurricanes blanked the New York Islanders 3-0 on a 16-save shutout by Pyotr Kochetkov. Paul Stastny, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes (15-6-6) while the Islanders are 17-12-0 on the season.

First-period goals by Anze Kopitar and Viktor Arvidsson 19 seconds apart enabled the Los Angeles Kings to double up the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 and improve their record to 15-11-4. Cole Caufield tallied his 16th goal of the season for the Canadiens (13-12-2) as they’ve dropped three of their last four contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Canadiens moved sidelined winger Brendan Gallagher to injured reserve. Winger Mike Hoffman returned to the Habs lineup after missing eight games with a lower-body injury.

The Ottawa Senators got third-period goals by Alex DeBrincat and Drake Batherson to hold off the Nashville Predators by a score of 3-2. The Senators improve to 11-14-2 while the Predators slide to 12-11-2.

HEADLINES

SPORTSNET: Former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa still had more to say about former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara claiming the Canucks were practicing passing around the Stanley Cup before Game 3 of the 2011 Cup Final between the two clubs. Chara made that claim recently on the “Games with Names” podcast.

Now a Hockey Night in Canada analyst, Bieksa previously told colleague Jeff Marek that the incident never happened nor did the Canucks contact the league to ask how many family members would be allowed on the ice when they won the Cup.

During Saturday’s HNiC telecast, Bieksa called Chara’s comments “one of the dumbest things we’ve ever heard.” He pointed to the fact that there was no record of this supposed incident despite the plethora of media coverage of that series.

Bieksa also noted that Chara seemed to walk back his comments during the podcast. He believed the former Bruins captain was showing a lack of respect toward the Canucks and their leaders at the time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bieska made a valid point about the lack of substantiation of Chara’s claims. So far, there’s been no response from the former Bruins star.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak received a three-game suspension by the NHL department of player safety for a hit to the head of Washington Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek hopes to return to the lineup on Tuesday to face the Capitals. He’s missed the last three games with a minor groin injury.

THE SCORE: The Edmonton Oilers will host the Calgary Flames at the 2023 Heritage Classic.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Former NHL player Chris Therien has released a book chronicling his life and career, including his struggle with alcoholism and his subsequent decade of sobriety.










NHL Rumor Mill – December 9, 2022

by | Dec 9, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – December 9, 2022

A look at several proposed trade destinations for Canucks winger Brock Boeser plus the latest Blackhawks speculation in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

PROPOSED TRADE DESTINATIONS FOR BROCK BOESER

DAILY FACEOFF: Matt Larkin listed the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins as his proposed trade destinations for Brock Boeser. The Vancouver Canucks have allowed the 25-year-old winger’s agent to speak with other clubs about a potential trade.

Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser (NHL Images).

Given the Canucks willingness to take on some salary, Larkin suggested the Stars offer up Denis Gurianov as he could use a fresh start. Boeser would be a good fit playing in his home state of Minnesota with the Wild but their limited cap space beyond this season could make that move difficult to pull off.

Boeser could fill the power-play trigger man role for the Devils, who have plenty of mid-range forwards (such as Andreas Johnsson and Miles Wood) they could offer up as part of the return. He could also be a consistent scoring threat for the Islanders, who could offer up Anthony Beauvillier.

The Rangers need a scoring winger and Boeser could be a more affordable option than the Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane. Larkin wondered if Canucks general manager Jim Rutherford might attempt to leverage his relationship with his former club into a deal for Boeser.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Boeser’s $6.65 million annual salary through 2024-25 remains the major stumbling block in the path to a trade. Cap-strapped clubs like the Wild would have to get creative to acquire him, especially given the Canucks’ unwillingness to retain a portion of his salary.

I think the Islanders and Rangers could become serious suitors. Isles GM Lou Lamoriello tried in vain during the offseason to sign Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri and reportedly attempted to acquire Boeser’s teammate J.T. Miller during the first round of this year’s draft. The Rangers’ need for a reliable scoring right winger has been well-documented this season.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman wondered if the Washington Capitals will get into the bidding for Boeser. He suggested they offer up forward Anthony Mantha, pointing out his salary is slightly lesser than Boeser’s and he has one fewer year on his contract.

TORONTO STAR: Nick Kypreos pondered the possibility of the Calgary Flames making a pitch for Boeser. He believes the Canucks will have difficulty moving him without withholding 20 to 30 percent of his contract. Kypreos wondered if the Flames would take on Boeser’s full contract in exchange for Milan Lucic’s expiring one.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mantha lacks no-trade protection but he also comes with a long injury history. Washington Hockey Now’s Sammi Silber doesn’t think the Capitals are in the market for a trade right now as they battle for a wild-card berth following a slow start to the season.

It will take more than Lucic to tempt the Canucks into trading Boeser to a division rival. I think the Flames would have to sweeten that package with a first-round pick and a top prospect to tempt Rutherford. Lucic is a Vancouver native but he could be reluctant to become a part of the Canucks’ drama this season.

LATEST ON THE BLACKHAWKS

THE ATHLETIC: Scott Powers recently reported Patrick Kane intends to speak with his agent Pat Brisson and Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson about his future plans. The 34-year-old winger is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

The Blackhawks could shop Kane and fellow UFA Jonathan Toews but it doesn’t sound like the front office is convinced those two want to be traded. Management isn’t going to pressure them into making a decision. Of the two, the belief is Kane is the more likely to be moved.

Management would love to get high draft picks, even first-rounders, for pending UFA forwards Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou. However, the market isn’t there yet. A Western Conference executive believes Domi and Athanasiou could fetch third or fourth-round picks but acknowledged other teams could get desperate.

Other trade possibilities include pending UFAs Jack Johnson and Jujhar Khaira. Connor Murphy was mentioned but that seems unlikely as he has three seasons remaining on his contract.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Domi and Athanasiou topped Adam Proteau’s list of Blackhawks other than Kane and Toews who could become trade bait this season. He also included Murphy, Jason Dickinson and Seth Jones, though he considered the latter a long shot to be moved given his hefty contract and a full no-movement clause.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Davidson will be a seller this season but he’ll likely wait until closer to the March 3 trade deadline to maximize the value of his trade chips. We’ll likely know by January whether Kane and/or Toews will finish the season in Chicago or ask to be moved to a contender.

I agree that Domi and Athanasiou won’t fetch much beyond third-rounders right now. However, that value will rise as the deadline approaches, especially for Domi, who’s on pace for a 65-point performance this season.