NHL Trade Rumors heating up before Christmas trade freeze

The NHL trade market is reaching a boiling point before the Christmas trade freeze, more so then previous years with several key names on the market.

It’s not quite the NHL trade deadline just yet, but that hasn’t stopped an avalanche of trade rumors from surfacing over the past several days. The Christmas trade freeze comes into affect this coming Wednesday, and as a result the trade market has begun to really wake up, with plenty of franchise shaking trades potentially in the works.

The big headline at this point of the season is St. Louis Blues star forward Vladamir Tarasenko, and if the Blues would be willing to move him in an attempt to rebuild after a horrendous start to the season that has them towards the bottom of the league. Nick Kypereos reported on Sportsnet’s Headlines that several teams around the league are keeping a close eye on the direction the Blues plan on going in, and if that would include trading the 27 year old winger.

Tarasenko has a no trade clause that would kick in on July 1st, so if the Blues do plan to go ahead with a rebuild and trade their top player, it would have to be before that date. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is also reported to be on the market for the Blues, and could have a bidding war after him for multiple teams in need of high end defense, especially the Toronto Maple Leafs who have been connected to him.

Honestly, I have no idea why the Blues would want to go ahead with a full on rebuild right now, even with this horrible start. What they need is a locker room shake up and a consistent goalie to get back on track, not trading their star player for a bunch of lottery tickets. I still don’t believe that they’re a bad team, they just can’t put it together right now, and that’s not reason enough to tear everything down.

Andre Burakovsky of the Washington Capitals is another name that has surfaced on trade market of late, as the 23 year old winger has struggled to get a consistent amount of ice time for the defending champions. Last Saturday, he sat out his third consecutive game as a healthy scratch, not for a lack of performance with two goals in his previous five, but seemingly because he’s fallen out of favor with head coach Todd Reirden and the coaching staff.

With TJ Oshie and Tom Wilson returning from injury and back into the lineup, Burakovsky was forced out of the lineup because according to Reirden “he hasn’t taken advantage of his opportunities”. With five goals and three assists in 29 games this season, Burakovsky is certainly producing below expectations in a contract season, and with the team preparing for a serious salary cap crunch, he might have to be a sacrifice if he can’t prove to be a part of the teams future.

The Vancouver Canucks are the team reported to be calling in the most on Burakovsky, among others. As a young team on the cusp of being ready for playoff contention, adding a low-risk, high-reward young player with a low trade value like Burakovsky would seem to be a no lose situation.

It doesn’t sound as though the Capitals are ready to give up on Burakovsky however. Teams “calling” about a player hardly means a trade is imminent, and obviously it would be foolish to move a young and talented forward like Burakovsky without assurance that you are getting better right now. Without Burakovsky, the Capitals in all likelihood will find themselves with a lack of wing depth for the rest of this season and in the future with a lack of top tier offensive prospects to replace him.

It’s a difficult situation for the Capitals and Burakovsky. It’s clear that a change of scenery might be the best option for the both sides, but the Capitals are such a tight knit group and Burakovsky is a close friend of several players in the locker room, and could moving him interrupt the chemistry that was such a crucial part of their Stanley Cup run last June. It might be worth just sticking with Burakovsky for the remainder of the season and re-evaluating the situation in the off-season.

Jeff Carter of the Los Angeles Kings was another name that is reported to be on the trade market with the Kings looking to start fresh as they sit towards the bottom of the league. The 33 year old Jeff Carter would make sense to be moved from the Kings to clear cap space in the future, and still has four years including this season left on his contract at a $5,272,727 cap hit.

Plenty of teams will be in the market for a center, though no teams have officially been connected to be in talks with the Kings about Carter yet. At an older age and still with several years left on the contract it’s unlikely that a trade for Carter would be the usual “first round pick and prospect” trade usually seen at the trade deadline, and the Kings would likely have to retain salary to get another club to bite. In 34 games this season, Carter has 9 goals and six assists.

Elliotte Freidman also reported on Headlines the potential roadblocks that would take place if a deal for Jeff Carter were to take place.

“In 2011 you’ll remember [Carter] was traded to Columbus and it didn’t go well,” said Friedman. “He was unhappy, it didn’t work. I think teams who are interested in him with the Kings are being told, ‘If you want to acquire Jeff Carter you’re going to have to work with him to make sure he’s happy with the situation.’

“I don’t think his family wants to leave California, so anyone who is interested is going to have to work with him and make sure he’s happy with the fit to make sure it’s going to work.”

Obviously the trade freeze is far from the trade deadline, and all these talks may not even be acted upon until the Febuary 25th trade deadline, if at all. But regardless, November and December are usually dead zones in terms of trade rumors, and the fact that any credible rumors are coming out at all could mean we could see plenty of moves before the deadline.