Five Possible Destinations For Timo Meier
Matt Larkin of the Daily Faceoff: The San Jose Sharks keep shopping Timo Meier around to various teams. Although there have been more intense rumored negotiations for other Sharks, Meier continues to be the key piece.
Carolina needs scoring, but do they need it from a power forward or a pivot that can drive scoring in multiple ways down the middle? Some within the Hurricanes even argue that the team is fine where they are or need goaltending depth more.
NHL Rumors: Sharks Timo Meier, and the Oilers Jesse Puljujarvi
That being said, the Max Pacioretty injury opened up options for the Hurricanes. Then, there are the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey’s time is drawing close. A complement to Jack Hughes would be great and the cost would be just as great. Do they surrender a first-round pick or wait?
New York (the Rangers) look to be out since they acquired Vladimir Tarasenko earlier this week. That even irked Patrick Kane, who seemingly wanted to go to New York. The Pittsburgh Penguins appear another team who could use a Meier but do not have the means for which to trade for the winger.
Finally, the Winnipeg Jets remain somewhat intriguing in the Meier mix. Unfortunately, the Pierre-Luc Dubois rumors persist for a reason. Winnipeg and attractive destination often do not appear in the same sentence. Would the Shark be enticed to sign a long-term deal there? Probably not.
Kevin Labanc A Trade Commodity Or Liability?
Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey NOW: So, what does Mike Grier do with Kevin Labanc? Can he dangle a carrot long enough to get a team to bite on the playmaker? Labanc is scoring again but that $4.725 million price tag for next year remains awfully daunting.
NHL Rumors: Ottawa Senators – Anton Forsberg, Nikita Zaitsev, Alex DeBrincat and Austin Watson
Now, even 50% retained money might not be enough. His offensive instincts are good but not great. Defense and the intangibles consistently are inconsistent. The problem is David Quinn has been benching the forward lately more than playing him.
If there was a trade, retention is almost a given and it would have to be a salary for salary move. Without a market or offset, Labanc is not going anywhere come March 3rd.
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