Bruins, Leafs, 'Hawks most likely to be dealing
Heading into the NHL Entry Draft, there have already been several notable trades this week, leading to speculation much more could be in store.
The most significant deal saw the Chicago Blackhawks make what many consider the first of their cost-cutting trades, shipping playoff hero Dustin Byfuglien to the Atlanta Thrashers in a multi-player deal.
It’s believed the Blackhawks might still make another deal soon, with winger Kris Versteeg mentioned as the likely trade candidate.
Earlier in the week the Boston Bruins made a big splash by shipping defenseman Dennis Wideman to the Florida Panthers for forwards Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell, but in shoring up their depth at forward the Bruins now appear in need of a puck-moving defenseman.
That’s led to talk of the Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs revisiting their failed effort at last year’s entry draft to move defenseman Tomas Kaberle to Boston, but Leafs GM Brian Burke squashed that talk by claiming he’s had no discussions with Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli.
It remains to be seen if the Bruins will trade or sign a defenseman to replace the departed Wideman. One move they won’t make is trading the second overall pick, which they got from the Leafs last fall in the Phil Kessel trade, especially after shipping their own pick (15th overall) to the Panthers along with Wideman.
It was also recently reported the Bruins might be shopping veteran goalie Tim Thomas, with the San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers considered potential suitors.
Thomas, who has a “no-trade” clause and a $4 million per season contract, won’t be easy to move. San Jose might be a more likely destination than Philadelphia as the latter is pressed for cap space.
The Sharks are believed in the market for an experienced starter since they announced they wouldn’t re-sign pending unrestricted free agent Evgeni Nabokov.
They could look toward a possible trade, but it’s expected they’ll pursue a goaltender via the free agent market, where notables like Marty Turco and Chris Mason are available.
Speaking of Kaberle, the Leafs can move him to any NHL team without his permission from June 25 to August 1, after which his “no-trade” clause goes back into effect.
Leafs management reportedly received several offers for the veteran defenseman but thus far nothing has convinced them to ship him out during the draft weekend.
It’s possible this could drag on into July as the Leafs wait out for teams who miss out on landing quality defensemen in the free agent market to come calling.
Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza also remains a fixture in the rumor mill. One rather wild rumor which originated on a message board had Spezza being dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets but that was quickly dismissed by the respective general managers.
Spezza is due a $4 million bonus July 1, plus his “no-trade” clause kicks in on that date, although Senators GM Bryan Murray claimed Spezza told him earlier this spring he wouldn’t object to a trade.
Still, Murray said he’s not going to just give Spezza away or trade him simply for the sake of doing a deal, and recently told ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun he definitely won’t move the center if he ends up paying him that $4 million bonus.
