NHL trade rumors: Top 10 trade candidates in 2020-21
By Simon Vacca
With the future of the 2019-20 NHL campaign caught in a state of uncertainty, let’s look ahead to what next season’s trade board has to offer.
Surreal times call for surreal measures.
Per Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, the current directive ushered forth by the NHL to its players is simple: Go home, to any country, but self-quarantine until the end of March.
Since the NHL’s instruction was made public, other changes have come to light.
Two Ottawa Senators players have tested positive for COVID-19. Commissioner Gary Bettman has stated that “everything is on the table” with regard to the future of hockey. Players, owners and organizations have stepped up — in varying capacities — to help support the needs of team staff members. And the 2020 NHL Entry Draft continues to be discussed with a high degree of uncertainty.
In short, the hockey world as we know it is up in the air. But what remains apparent is the need for fans to bask in the spirit of community — to escape the overwhelming nature of the present moment and to share a common passion for all things NHL.
With that in mind, let’s consider the league’s top 10 trade candidates for the upcoming season.
10. Kasperi Kapanen
Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Position: RW
Age: 23
The way in which Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas opts to fix the team’s blue line will likely serve as one of the top stories of the NHL offseason.
Throughout the 2019-20 campaign, Toronto was the sport’s foremost Jekyll and Hyde club. The only constant for the organization was that of a quality of inconstancy, as the team’s record remained impossible to predict on a recurring basis.
The belief among many is that the Maple Leafs shall look to acquire a high-end defender — almost certainly one who plays on the right side — during the upcoming summer. Given that it is particularly difficult to envision a scenario in which the franchise moves one of its “big four” pieces in John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner or William Nylander, the clouds of speculation shall likely loom large over the rest of the team.
It is probable that Kapanen will be at the forefront of public rumination over the course of the months ahead. The speedy winger tallied 13 goals and 36 points in 69 games — the majority of which were played while his name was discussed under the umbrella of conjecture. You can bet that a similar reflective aura shall run rampant as NHL fans await Dubas’ next move.