In today’s NHL rumors rundown, how serious are the Vancouver Canucks about trading Thatcher Demko? Meanwhile, what convinced the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers to pull the trigger on the Vladimir Tarasenko trade so quickly?
And how will this affect Patrick Kane, who wasn’t terribly happy to hear about the deal? Finally, is Timo Meier likely to be the next big name moved before the NHL Trade Deadline?
Canucks are Fielding Calls on Demko
According to Emily Kaplan of ESPN, the Canucks are taking trade calls on Thatcher Demko and there is interest. She writes, “Per sources, at least four teams have called Vancouver asking about Demko’s availability — and the Canucks haven’t said no to any of those teams.”
While Demko is out with an injury, if he gets back and plays well, the interest will only increase. Kaplan noted, “So it’s a situation to monitor, but not necessarily one that’s imminent.” The Canucks continue to be a team to watch as the deadline creeps closer. Names like Luke Schenn, Connor Garland, Brock Boeser, and Demko have all been circulating in the rumor mill.
Blues Will Shift Focus to Moving O’Reilly and Barbashev
As per Andy Strickland, now that Vladimir Tarasenko has been moved, the Blues will focus on moving other pieces, and selling on Tarasenko wasn’t just about keeping a promise to try and ship him out. Strickland writes, “Doug Armstrong got the most challenging trade behind him and can now solely focus on guys like Barabashev, O’Reilly, Acciari etc…. The others rumored to be moved don’t have any protection and don’t provide the same challenges he faced with Tarasenko.”
Pierre LeBrun writes in a recent article for The Athletic, “General manager Doug Armstrong signaled a few weeks ago to his GM colleagues around the league that he was open for business.” LeBrun adds that it was important the Blues do this now. He explains:
The other smart thing the Blues did here is getting a Tarasenko trade done as soon as possible. The added complication of having the player sign off on his no-trade is not something you want to stickhandle around March 3. So many things can go wrong that day. There have been potential trades undone by that very thing at past deadlines.
source – ‘LeBrun rumblings: Vladimir Tarasenko, Timo Meier and the NHL trade-deadline domino effect’ – Pierre LeBrun – The Athletic – 02/10/2023
He thinks a Ryan O’Reilly trade could run straight to the wire.
Kane Unhappy About Tarasenko Trade
Despite not having told the Chicago Blackhawks he was willing to be traded, Patrick Kane told the media he was unhappy to hear about the news Tarasenko was going to the Rangers. He said, “It’s not like the happiest I’ve been to hear about a trade. … If things are going to happen, that was a team I was definitely looking at. It seems like they kind of filled their void and went ahead and made a deal.” With the Rangers now out of the running, what will Kane consider?
Mark Lazerus adds, “Obviously you want to do right by the franchise, and the organization here has been amazing to me and given me so much. So you definitely want what’s best for both sides.” That seems to hint that he’ll look at other options to try and make it work for Chicago, but that he’ll be limited in who he considers.
Meier Could Be the Next Big Name to Move
LeBrun wonders if Timo Meier will be the next big trade name to come off the board. He writes, “There’s enough serious interest in Timo Meier that it’s possible that also isn’t a trade that waits until March 3, based on the current level of conversations between suitors and the Sharks (by the way, I don’t believe the Rangers were ever that involved here).”
He notes that it doesn’t make sense for interested teams to wait, especially given the possibility of that team wanting to work out an extension for the winger, who has the complication of a $10 million qualifying offer to retain his RFA rights. Once the Sharks grant teams permission to talk extension (which they have not yet done), trade talks should really heat up and a deal could come together quickly. LeBrun notes, “New Jersey and Carolina, as we previously reported, are keenly interested, but the reality is that several teams have expressed interest.”
