As the Stanley Cup Final gets going, all eyes will be on Conn Smythe Trophy candidate Matthew Tkachuk, who has arguably established himself as the second-best player in the world during an incredible season.
He’s had the type of year that leaves fans and GMs wondering, “Why can’t we make a Matthew Tkachuk trade like the Florida Panthers did?”
We’ve discussed the idea in this space that the NHL is a copycat league and that other teams might try to make a big splash like Florida did. Whether we think that’s realistic or not, let’s play along for this Roundtable:
If you’re trying to make your own ‘Matthew Tkachuk trade’ this offseason, who are you targeting and why?
MATT LARKIN: I’d love to pick Andrei Svechnikov as a buy low, but with his long-term deal at an amazingly cost-efficient AAV, I can’t see Carolina moving him. So I’ll be more realistic and say, Pierre-Luc Dubois, who happens to be from the same draft class as Tkachuk, chose three picks earlier in 2016. Like Tkachuk a year ago, Dubois enters the summer (a) as an unsigned RFA and (b) rumored to be wanting a change of scenery. Also like Tkachuk, Dubois brings the type of heavy, snarling game teams crave in the postseason. He’s coming off a career-high 63 points, but if he wants out of Winnipeg, maybe that keeps the acquisition cost reasonable.
NICK ALBERGA: I’ll go with Tom Wilson. For the record, I’m not comparing him to Matthew Tkachuk, nor am I putting him in the same ballpark. That said, if healthy, I think Wilson, who’s entering a contract year, can be a big-time difference-maker for a perennial Stanley Cup contender. He’s physical, tough, heavy, and most importantly, he can keep up out there. Of course, his health is a massive concern. The 29-year-old was limited to just 33 games this past season following knee surgery last spring. Bottom line: I believe in contract year Tom Wilson. For the right price, I do think he could be pried out of Washington.
MIKE McKENNA: Every NHL team in the market for a goaltender should be checking in with Winnipeg about Connor Hellebuyck. With one year left before he hits free agency, and with the Jets in need of a retool, moving on from Hellebuyck would make plenty of sense. But he’s not my target. I think the biggest fish in the pond—that could be attainable with the right package—is Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks. Yeah, last year sucked for the California-raised netminder. He battled through injury along with an incredibly porous defense. But I still believe Demko can be—and is—one of the top goaltenders in hockey. At 27 years of age, and with three years left on his $5 million cap-hit contract, Demko is a unicorn. Teams want cost certainty, and they don’t want to pay more than $5 million for goaltenders—especially in free agency. Demko ticks all the boxes. And Vancouver has 22-year-old netminder Arturs Silovs coming through the pipeline. The Latvian backstop was recently named the IIHF World Championship MVP, and he’s coming off an outstanding season with the Canuck’s AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, BC. So why not move on from Demko? Vancouver is in cap hell—a problem they created all on their own with several dumb trades and overly optimistic signings. If the Canucks were to package Demko with another high-priced contract, they could shave the cap off some cap hit and obtain a quality player in return.
STEVEN ELLIS: Staying on the goaltender train, what about Boston’s Linus Ullmark? He’s coming off a wild season, but given the nature of goaltending, can we expect to see that again? The Bruins have two good young goaltenders in Jeremy Swayman and Brandon Bussi. Swayman, in particular, looked good with Boston and is capable of being a No. 1. The Bruins have eight UFAs this year, including some notable ones in Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Bertuzzi, David Krejci and Dmitry Orlov with just $4.937 million in projected cap space. Ullmark is worth $5 million for two more years, so that would give them some extra cap space, especially since Swayman and Bussi need new deals this summer. I’m not saying Boston should trade him, but there’s an opportunity to capitalize on the highest value Ullmark has ever had, here.
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