Available Rentals
from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star,
Rentals, as usual, are likely to generate the most action. Along with Giroux, the rental group may include Arizona winger Phil Kessel, Chicago goalie Marc-André Fleury, Dallas centre Joe Pavelski and defenceman John Klingberg, New Jersey blue-liner P.K. Subban, Anaheim forward Max Comtois and Ducks defencemen Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson, Montreal rearguard Ben Chiarot, Detroit blue-liner Nick Leddy, Seattle defenceman Mark Giordano and San Jose forward Tomas Hertl.
Roster shuffling continued on Sunday, with Florida creating room for another contract by losing defenceman Olli Juolevi on waivers to Detroit. The Panthers have some cap dollars to play with, and some believe that’s where Giroux could be heading if he waives his no-trade clause.
If there’s a team that could go either way and become a seller or a buyer, it’s Vancouver. Pumping five goals past Jack Campbell on Saturday pushed the Canucks to within striking distance of a Western Conference playoff berth, unthinkable by most when Bruce Boudreau took over from Travis Green as head coach. At the same time, cap considerations have generated speculation that one or both of J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser could be moved. You can expect GM Jim Rutherford and his intriguing new front office will wait until the final hours on March 21 to know exactly where the team stands before making any big moves.
It certainly feels like the NHL is finally returning to the regular rhythms of seasons before COVID. If that, in turn, results in a crazy deadline day and heightened chatter in the league’s biggest centres, recovery from one of the most difficult periods in league history could get a serious boost.
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