Ah, the NHL Trade Deadline. In Canada, it is somewhat of a national holiday. People all over the country tune in to Sportscentre all day long in anticipation of the trades that will be happening throughout the day. Some years there are so many that we can’t even keep our heads straight. Other years, not much goes on and we wait in boredom. I vividly remember skipping school in high school and just staying home watching “TradeCentre” as it is called in Canada. Good times!
This year we may have some big trades coming out of the NHL at trade deadline, ones that include Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux, Arizona defenseman Jakob Chychrun, and Chicago Blackhawks goalie Marc-André Fleury. These sound like players who could use a fresh start, as all three teams are nowhere near making the playoffs. But how about trades we as NHL fans would love t see happen, but are highly unlikely. Well, that is what this article is for.
Today I’ll be looking at three trades NHL fans would love to see at the NHL trade deadline but are highly unlikely. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
#3- Carey Price to the Canucks
We’re starting off with a doozy! Carey Price is the face of the Montreal Canadiens, no question about it. When he’s healthy, he is the best goaltender in the entire world. Just look at what he did last playoffs and how he singlehandedly carried the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final. This season, however, Price has been dealing with some injuries, and with the Montreal Canadiens entering a mini-rebuild, his $10 million dollar a year contract may be on its way out the door in the foreseeable future.
Price is a native of British Columbia, and trading him to the Vancouver Canucks, his hometown team would make the most sense as they are in need of solid goaltending. As I said earlier, when Price is healthy, he is the best goaltender in the world. This trade probably would only happen in the offseason, and even then, it’s a long shot, but a Habs fan can dream, right?
I think a fair return for Price would be Thatcher Demko, the young Canucks goalie who still hasn’t proven himself as a true #1 goaltender, and a defenceman. The Habs would need to eat up some of Price’s salary, but if the goaltending situation doesn’t get any better in Van-city, then they might not need to at all.
#2- Fleury to the Leafs
Marc-André Fleury is an NHL legend, but for some reason, he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Having been traded by the Vegas Golden Knight last offseason in an unceremonious fashion, it looks like Fleury might be on his way out once again, this time in Chicago. Now, Chicago would actually be doing the right thing here by trading Fleury because they would be allowing him to go somewhere to win instead of keeping him on a Blackhawks team that has no chance in hell of winning the Stanely Cup.
One team that could use a boost in goaltending is the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Jack Campbell faltering as of late, and Petr Mrazek not faring any better, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Leafs make a play for the NHL veteran Fleury. He would instantly provide a goaltending upgrade, and the Leafs management knowing they have a proven playoff performer now in the crease. Will this trade happen? Probably not. But it would make a whole lot of sense.
#1- Phil Kessel back to the Pens
The Pittsburgh Penguins are slotted nicely in a playoff spot and are looking to continue their great play heading into the final portion of the NHL season. The Penguins and Kessel have a history, as Kessel was one of the Penguin’s top scorers during his time in Pittsburgh, and helped the team from Pennsylvania capture two consecutive Stanley Cups.
Kessel seems to be on his way out the door of his current team, the Arizona Coyotes, mainly due to their rebuild. Kessel heading back to the Penguins is highly unlikely, due to the team’s cap restraints, but if they could find a way to finagle around that, then he would be a most welcome addition to the team, providing some amazing depth scoring and adding another weapon to their already deadly powerplay.
Will it happen, probably not, but as I’ve said before, it would make a boatload of sense.