DFO Roundtable: Who is the 2022 trade deadline’s most intriguing player?
The months have whittled down to weeks and, now, just two days remain until the 2022 trade deadline.
Let’s go big-game hunting. Who is the most intriguing player to watch leading up to March 21 at 3:00 p.m. ET?
FRANK SERAVALLI: I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t fascinated to see whether Jakob Chychrun is moved after months on the market. But I’m really intrigued about Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings. He’s been an incredible player this season, and as one team mentioned this week: “incredibly annoying” to play against. They called him a “less skilled version of Brad Marchand.” He is eminently available in Detroit. Some teams believe he’s suggested a change of scenery might be in order to GM Steve Yzerman. Either way, given his very particular set of skills, skills that he has acquired over a long career – to quote Liam Neeson from Taken – he would be a great addition to a playoff contender. And on top of that, Yzerman is one of hockey’s biggest wild cards. Last year’s deadline trade of Anthony Mantha was a great reminder. More of that, please.
MIKE MCKENNA: I’m really intrigued to see where Tyler Motte lands – if anywhere. As Frank Seravalli reported on Thursday’s edition of the Daily Faceoff show, there hasn’t been any meaningful progress on a new contract between Motte’s camp and the Vancouver Canucks. I love the way Motte plays. He’s an absolute warrior. I think back to the bubble in 2020, when Motte excelled for the Canucks during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, especially against the Vegas Golden Knights. Motte is only 27 years old and capable of producing 20-25 points over the course of a full season. Teams are always looking for gritty depth at the trade deadline. I think Motte is one of the best bottom-six forwards available.
CHRIS GEAR: For me it’s Claude Giroux. He just played his 1,000th game in a Flyers uniform and will be traded before he plays his 1,001st. The raw and conflicting emotions of that reality make this truly compelling. The fact that he may be the best player we see traded and could be the missing piece for whoever lands him also adds to the intrigue. Finally, I’m curious to see the price paid by a team to acquire him, including the compensation they will need to give a third party to eat a portion of the $8.275-million cap hit, which a buyer likely won’t be able to afford even with 50 percent retained by the Flyers. High drama, indeed, and it will be exciting to see how it plays out.
SCOTT BURNSIDE: I guess I’m curious about Hampus Lindholm and how, if the talented defenseman does get moved, he will join a long, long list of promising young defenders the Ducks will have gone through in the last four or five years. New GM Pat Verbeek recently moved Josh Manson to Colorado, while under former GM Bob Murray, Brandon Montour, Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen all departed in recent years. If you rolled out a defensive corps of those five guys today, you’d feel pretty good about yourself I think. There is still lots to like about the Ducks, and I do like some of the young defensive talent in the system, some of which has arrived via trades for those other defensemen. But if Verbeek is going to move Lindholm, a pending UFA who was the sixth overall pick in 2012, it suddenly feels like more rebuild than reset at this point in Anaheim, which has to be disappointing for fans there. Also, on a personal note, if Lindholm does get traded, I may be able to resurrect a funny story he once told me about his father who is a funeral director in Sweden.
MATT LARKIN: For me, it’s Marc-Andre Fleury, hands-down. It’s obviously not a guarantee that he moves, as the reports and information from sources about whether he wants to leave Chicago seem to change every week, and we know he has a gentleman’s agreement that the Hawks will only trade him if he wants it. But IF Fleury goes, his impact on his new team will be significant. So many clubs’ seasons hinge on their goaltending at the moment, and adding Flower’s experience and winning personality to the fray could change everything. What would he do to the Stanley Cup odds of a team like Toronto? Edmonton? Minnesota? It’s a fascinating thought.