How will the center market unfold this summer?
For four teams, all eyes are on the Conference Finals stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs — others, however, already have had their eye on next season for weeks, if not months, as they look for further success when the puck drops again in the fall.
With the coaching carousel in full swing and several new general managers, the needs for each team are slowly coming together ahead of the official season’s end, with July 1 and NHL Free Agency looming in just over a month.
On a recent episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, NHL insider David Pagnotta joined co-hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to break down what the center market could be this summer, as well as other aspects of free agency.
Carter Hutton: There’s not a lot of center depth, right? What do you make of that market, where, when we’re watching teams right now, we watch the Minnesota Wild and their lack of depth at center and with other teams, where we know a center can be a factor to push you over the top of the playoffs.
David Pagnotta: I think that’s what’s going to lead to, because a lot of teams have holes, I think this is going to lead to a lot more. I know we’re all hopeful that there’s going to be more trades and more activity around the draft, and even around July, but there does seem to be more urgency, more motivation to make trades because of just how shallow the pool is.
There’s not much, and none of those guys, all due respect to them, they’re not first-line centers, not really second-line centers. So you know, there can be players who are very valuable to their teams, but for teams that are looking to make those types of adjustments and add to their top six, they’re going to have to fish in the trade pool, and that’s why you’re going to hear certain names pop up like Vincent Trocheck. One of the reasons the New York Rangers held him before the NHL Trade Deadline was that teams weren’t meeting their price, but they felt they’d get that price, if not a little bit more, when the summer came around. Based on how things are trending, it seems like a decent move right now, depending on what the ultimate deal is, but he’s still available. That’s just one example of a centerman who is probably bound for a team that wants to make that move, and is probably going to go in the trade direction to bolster your roster that way.
You can catch the full free agency breakdown and the rest of the recent episode here…