With the 2018 NHL Draft coming soon, here are the 5 players that could be traded:
- Erik Karlsson: Karlsson is the obvious top trade candidate for multiple reasons. First off, he’s the most coveted commodity on the market by a mile. Karlsson almost got moved to Vegas at the 2018 NHL trade deadline, but the terms weren’t quite right.
- All the Carolina Hurricanes: Take your pick. Justin Faulk. Noah Hanifin. Jeff Skinner. Under new owner Tom Dundon, new GM Don Waddell and new head coach Rod Brind’Amour, no player is safe, as the brain trust has spoken openly about wanting to change the culture of a team riding a nine-season playoff drought.
- Ryan O’Reilly: O’Reilly seems to want out. His depressing end-of-season rants are becoming somewhat of a trademark in Buffalo. If right-shot defensemen come at the biggest premium nowadays, big-minute centers like O’Reilly are a close second. Many teams could use his services, most notably the Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens.
- Philipp Grubauer: A trade makes too much sense, and Grubauer is an appealing goalie for someone else to take a chance on. He’s just 26, with plenty of plausible upside left, and the 2018 UFA market is quite weak in goal. Grubauer would be a lovely fit for a team like the New York Islanders, wouldn’t he? But would the Capitals be willing to trade within their division?
- Max Domi: His situation screams for a “change of scenery” type of trade, especially since the Coyotes are building up a pretty good group of young forwards with or without Domi. At 23, he’s young enough to turn his career around in the right situation
Other trade candidates to watch at the 2018 NHL draft: Max Pacioretty, Phil Kessel, Nino Niederreiter, Alex Galchenyuk, Jake Gardiner, Rasmus Ristolainen, Oscar Klefbom, Jake Muzzin
Source: The Hockey News
