NHL trade rumors are slow this time of year so here are a few that are floating around the internet.
Are the Leafs interested in Colton Parayko?
BETWEEN THE POSTS: Howard Berger reports a source told him the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues “have recently kicked trade tires.” The Leafs are looking “for a big-time defenseman” while the Blues are “in need of offence.” He said Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is trying to pry blueliner Colton Parayko out of St. Louis.
Berger doesn’t believe the Leafs would make William Nylander available to land Parayko. He instead proposes a package “that includes Jake Gardiner and Andreas Johnsson.
Will the Tampa Bay Lightning trade Tyler Johnson?
Tampa Bay has had their fingers in most of the NHL’s big-name honeypots in the past year. They grabbed Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller at the trade deadline, took a swing at John Tavares in free agency, and somehow came close to landing Erik Karlsson from the Senators. Throughout all of these ambitious moves, Tyler Johnson’s name has been bandied throughout as a surefire candidate to go the other way. Somehow, he’s remained a member of the Lightning, but how long will that be the case?
Johnson is an all-star centre, and would be an asset to any team, he’s certainly an asset on the Lightning. The problem for Johnson is that a top-heavy squad such as the Lightning can afford to replace players like Johnson, who would be worth gold to a team searching for centre depth. The undersized pivot has a friendly, $5-million cap hit and teams would line up if he were being actively shopped. However, as of July 1st, Johnson owns a no-trade clause allowing for him to submit a 20-team no-trade list, which could stifle a trade and possibly drop his name from the rumor mill altogether.
