2021 Top 10: #10 — SERAVALLI: Trade Targets: All eyes on Jack Eichel & Seth Jones
Welcome to the annual wrap-up of the most read articles of the last year!
Ah, July… It’s a fun time in the NHL where there’s nothing short of wild rumors and massive trades.
The 10th most read article on Daily Faceoff belonged to Frank Seravalli, who took a look at the 30 players most likely to be traded. Seventeen of them ended up being moved. Here’s what Frank wrote about the top five:
1. @Jack Eichel
Center, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 24
Contract: 5 years remaining at $10 million AAV
Scoop: The asking price for Eichel seems to be “fantastical” by all accounts. Teams are on high alert in the hours leading up to the first round of the NHL Draft. The Rangers, for one, were calling around to teams inquiring about a pick inside the Top 10 – believed to be part of the ask from Buffalo to get into the Eichel ballpark. Buffalo wants a futures-type transaction with multiple picks and prospects. It’s still difficult to imagine a scenario in which Eichel returns to the Sabres next season, but this weekend should be a strong indicator of the odds on that.
2. @Seth Jones – TRADED TO CHICAGO ✅
Right Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 26
Contract: 1 year remaining at $5.4 million AAV
Scoop: There is no doubt the Chicago Blackhawks are working hard to pry Jones loose from Columbus. The belief is Chicago is not willing to part with either Alex DeBrincat or Kirby Dach in a deal. The leverage Chicago has is there are few markets where Jones is willing to sign long-term – and that have the ability or interest in trading for him. Chicago is one of them. The difficulty for Columbus is teams do not want to pay twice, both the acquisition cost to get him, then the cost to sign him.
3. @Conor Garland – TRADED TO VANCOUVER ✅
Right Wing, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 25
Contract: RFA (Arbitration Eligible)
Scoop: There’s been very little update since this info on June 28 – The Coyotes have not treated Garland like the player who was the heartbeat of their team. Garland’s camp, led by agent Peter Cooney, submitted two contract proposals (as requested by the club) on May 20 and there has been zero communication or dialogue since. “We’re just looking for Conor to be paid respectfully like the core player he was for the Coyotes,” Cooney told Daily Faceoff on Tuesday. It appears that will be elsewhere, which is no real shock given that Arizona nearly moved Garland in the days prior to April’s trade deadline.
4. @Vladimir Tarasenko
Right Wing, St. Louis Blues
Age: 29
Contract: 2 years remaining at $7.5 million AAV
Scoop: Blues GM Doug Armstrong said Thursday that he could envision a scenario in which Tarasenko is in St. Louis to start next season. Really, what else was he supposed to say? In requesting a trade, Tarasenko holds the cards with a full “no-trade” clause, but we’re told that isn’t an issue in this case. He’s willing to play almost anywhere. And with a recent report from The Athletic that offered further clarity on his health situation, it certainly seems like that shoulder should not be an issue that prevents Tarasenko from getting back to his usual 35-goal self.
5. @Darcy Kuemper – TRADED TO COLORADO ✅
Goaltender, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 31
Contract: 1 year remaining at $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: Kuemper has emerged as the premier goaltender available on the market. At least three teams have expressed interest in the veteran, including the Colorado Avalanche, Seattle Kraken and Toronto Maple Leafs, all of whom viewed him as a primary target in net. The Kuemper camp has made it clear to Arizona that he will not be signing an extension in the desert. The ask from Arizona has been a first-round pick, but GM Bill Armstrong will likely be forced to readjust those expectations based on the return for a younger, less expensive Alex Nedeljkovic, who was under team control and doesn’t have the same injury history. Nedeljkovic only brought back a third-round pick plus pending UFA veteran Jonathan Bernier.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.