What’s Going On in the NHL Trade Universe?

In an interview toward the end of the second day of the NHL Entry Draft, Elliotte Friedman shared that “trades are still moving, but the ground rules are shifting.” To review what was getting the most chatter, he talked about Zach Werenski, noting Columbus has told him there’s no guarantee of an extension once the next few years of his deal are up. Now it’s in Columbus’s hands and Werenski’s world where teams might start circling.

Friedman didn’t give a hard prediction on how likely a trade is, but he said once Columbus gives even a little opening, you can expect interest to pop up fast. He specifically named teams like Detroit and Philadelphia as ones you’d expect to push, and he also mentioned teams like Dallas as an ‘aggressive’ club that could get involved depending on how talks develop.

What’s the News About Jason Robertson and Connor Hellebuyck?

Next, Friedman talked about Jason Robertson. He said Dallas and Robertson were close enough to come up in trade talks because the Stars already agreed to a deal with Seattle (roughly “8 years at about $15 million” was referenced). But Robertson didn’t accept it, so Dallas still has him on the trade table and is trying to move him. One issue is that Robertson only has one year left. As a result, teams might be trading for a guy while not knowing if he’ll sign afterward. It means it becomes a bigger risk-reward question for whoever pulls the trigger.

Then, Friedman hit the Connor Hellebuyck/goalie market. He said there were people who thought Winnipeg and Buffalo were basically done yesterday. However, it wasn’t completed on Winnipeg’s terms. Then, Buffalo decided the price was too high. Friedman’s overall point was that teams think they’re close until they aren’t, and sometimes it just takes one price disagreement to blow things up.