NHL Trade Rumors: Top 10 trade candidates after free agency
By Simon Vacca
Now that NHL free agent frenzy has been set into motion, let’s explore the top ten players who could be moved over the course of the weeks ahead.
July 1st came and went, and the structural basis of the National Hockey League was fundamentally altered. Expensive contracts were signed, dynamic-altering moves materialized and the line between Stanley Cup contender and pretender grew increasingly thin.
All in all, a productive day in the world of hockey.
Our June 11th overview of the current trade market focused on 15 candidates. Of those players, eight — Nikita Zaitsev, Patrick Marleau, J.T. Miller, Connor Brown, Colin Miller, P.K. Subban, Phil Kessel and Jacob Trouba — have been moved to new organizations. For the remaining seven, the prospect of being shipped out remains an all too realistic possibility.
With that in mind, let’s explore ten players who will be key trade candidates going forward.
10. Chris Kreider
Age: 28
Position: LW
Current Team: New York Rangers
The New York Rangers became one of the league’s most intriguing teams over the course of recent weeks, landing three pieces of the head-turning variety. The club selected Kaapo Kakko second overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, traded for Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Jacob Trouba and landed the top UFA of this year’s class in Artemi Panarin, signing him to a seven-year, $81.5 million contract (worth an annual average of $11.642 million).
Consequently, New York’s rebuild — introduced on Feb. 8, 2018 — has been accelerated, as recent acquisitions coupled with smart trading will place the organization in a prime position to contend sooner than many may have initially expected.
Chris Kreider has been a staple of trade circles for quite some time, but the prospect of the Rangers opting to deal the 28-year-old becomes all the more unclear in light of the aforementioned changes to the franchise’s roster. There is little doubt that the talented winger would fetch a favorable return, but his presence on the team’s front end certainly renders New York that much more of a competitive club than they would be if he were to depart. Expect GM Jeff Gorton to weigh the pros and cons of what a move of this nature would entail as the summer advances.