It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours as we close in on the March 8 trade deadline. Some teams are ready punt to next year and continue their retooling. The are a number of players that could be had at the deadline according to previous NHL rumours. However, will it be a buyers market or a sellers market? Today’s NHL rumours is a West Coast bias edition. We’ll focus on the San Jose Sharks and the Seattle Kraken in this edition.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
San Jose Sharks
Rumour: Sharks veteran forward Anthony Duclair appears on The Daily Faceoff’s trade bait board. He’s listed as 19th on the list.
Will all three Flames on the Trade Bait board be dealt by the deadline? @CraigJButton has more: https://t.co/rwDVx9SeQi pic.twitter.com/MvCACBEpWO
— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) February 22, 2024
Analysis: San Jose has shown some improvement in the last couple of months. However, the Sharks dreadful start has doomed them to also-ran status. Duclair is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season that makes $3 million per season.
The 28-year-old forward can be a useful depth player to a contending team. He’s been hot-and-cold this season with the Sharks with 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points in 50 games. San Jose general manager Mike Grier acquired the Pointe-Claire, Quebec native as a flippable asset at the upcoming deadline.
Duclair had a 31-goal campaign in the 2021-22 season, but has yet to recapture that form. However, he could benefit from a change of scenery. The veteran forward seemingly bounced back from an Achilles injury and helped the Florida Panthers out in a massive way last post-season.
His low price tag makes him an attractive option for a team that needs some extra forward help. The $3 million cap hit won’t break the bank and could get the Sharks some sort of decent return. Grier knows that Duclair can be a valuable asset that he can move in the next couple of weeks.
Seattle Kraken
Rumour: TSN released its most-recent trade bait board and Kraken forward Alexander Wennberg appears on the list. He’s currently listed at number 22 on the big board.
FIVE UNDER THE RADAR TRADE ACQUISITIONS to consider before the 2024 deadline:
The list from @SEllisHockey includes Nick Seeler of the #LetsGoFlyers, Arthur Kaliyev of the #GoKingsGo and more.
Story:https://t.co/rbH5ZUxDIo
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 23, 2024
Analysis: Seattle is three points off the final Western Conference Stanley Cup Playoff spot at this time. General manager Ron Francis seems to be in a sort of no-man’s land at this time. Does he cut bait and retool for next season? Or will Francis push for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot?
The Kraken’s management team has been pretty shrewd about going for assets. They won’t trade off assets like the Vegas Golden Knights will. Francis seems to have a plan and will build the team slowly.
This means that Wennberg could be on the block this upcoming deadline. The 29-year-old centre is in the final year of his contract that sees him make $4.5 million per season. That cap number may scare some people off, but Seattle could always retain some salary to make a deal more palpable. The Swede has eight goals in 56 games this season, but he could help out on the bottom-part of the lineup. A contending team might roll the dice on the pivot and give him a shot at the deadline.
Fellow Seattle teammate Jordan Eberle has come up in previous editions of our NHL trade rumours. However, the Kraken are leaning more towards re-signing him instead of trading him at the deadline. Seattle does have some priority players that they need to re-sign in the upcoming off-season.
Matthew Beniers is a restricted free agent at the end of the season and clearing out Wennberg’s contract would do wonders to making an extension happen. Other players like Justin Schultz and Eberle are UFAs at the end of the season for Seattle.
Main photo by: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
