After the Mikko Rantanen trade, who will be the next notable NHL player moved?
Last week’s Mikko Rantanen blockbuster has stirred up trade anticipation amongst NHL fans. And as the March 7 NHL trade deadline approaches, fans are left to ponder who could be the next notable name on the move.
On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Matt Larkin outlined possible trade targets, ultimately zeroing in on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Who will be the next big name to get moved? Obviously, the Mikko Rantanen news shocked the hockey world over the weekend. Now I am itching. I’m like an addict, give me another hit here. Give me another big move. The J.T. Miller rumors are not going anywhere. When Rantanen was getting moved, it started to pop up that, ‘Hey, the Canucks are still listening on Elias Pettersson, to some extent here.’ Last year, Elias Lindholm was one of the top targets on Frank’s board and he ended up getting moved on January 31. It’s January 28 today. The idea that some team could sit there and look to jump the market, either as an aggressive buyer or as an aggressive seller, it’s not that crazy of a thought when you look at some of the big names who are out there, like Miller, Pettersson, even someone like a Brock Nelson. Do you think there is a chance one of these teams jumps in and goes, ‘Let’s just make the move now’?
Matt Larkin: I do think so, especially because we are getting close to the 4 Nations break. It might make sense to make that deal, just for the player’s personal life to get their ducks in a row, if they’re not playing in the tournament, although Brock Nelson is playing in the tournament. To me, as I said before, I don’t know if [Nelson] is going to be the first one just because of Lou Lamoriello, even though he should be. The demand is so high league-wide for what he brings to the table. J.T. Miller, we know there is a true urgency in Vancouver. That situation is just so untenable, but that is a hard contract to figure out. It’s a complicated deal and he has so many years left. He’s 31 years old, he’s owed $8 million. I am looking at the Penguins right now. Maybe it doesn’t qualify as a big name – but impactful – defenseman Marcus Pettersson is the name I am looking at. I think we know now that the Penguins are cooked. There will be a market for Pettersson. He is 28 years old. He’s a good middle-six shutdown guy who can do a little bit of everything. Every team, almost every contender could use a guy like that. The only question is, at 28, could he still be part of the solution in Pittsburgh? He’s not that old. I think it comes down to whether Kyle Dubas wants to extend him, but if I’m the Penguins, admit defeat. You are absolutely cooked, and put him on the block.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here: