NHL Trade Rumors: 5 names to watch

Nov 18, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty (67) watches the play during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

4 of 5

Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Should the Maple Leafs trade James van Riemsdyk?

Once again, the Maple Leafs might be in a situation where it would be beneficial to trade a very good forward. That forward? James van Riemsdyk. He’s different from Holland because he has far more value than him. JVR is one of the best wings in the NHL.

So why should Toronto trade him? Because he’s quickly becoming a bit obsolete with the Maple Leafs. This isn’t van Riemsdyk’s fault. It’s more due to the emergence of Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and other talented young forwards than anything else. Also, Toronto needs to add a top defenseman in order to take the next step forward in their rebuild. JVR is their best trade chip to get one. Sure, if they put Nylander on the market, they’d have teams lining up to trade for him. But trading him is clearly not the right thing to do.

JVR has a lot of value not just because he’s so good (296 career points in 469 regular season games). It’s because his contract is such a bargain. He’s due $5 million next season, though his cap hit is just $4.25 million. Granted, Toronto won’t get an elite defenseman for him. But they could get a very solid one.

The Islanders could make sense here. Though would they be willing to part with Travis Hamonic? Because he’s about the only defenseman there who makes sense in Toronto. Maybe the Predators would be willing to offer Ryan Ellis?

Home/NHL