The NHL Trade Deadline is less than a week away. Rumors are beginning to swirl as teams call about players. Along with this, multiple transactions have already gone down. Shoring up their blue line, the Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks. They sent back prospect Drew Helleson and a 2023 second-round pick. Anaheim also retained 50 percent of the $4.1 million AAV that Manson is owed.
Furthermore, Colorado also made one minor transaction. The franchise traded forward Tyson Jost to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Nico Sturm. Reportedly clearing cap space as they set up to make a more significant move, general manager Joe Sakic removed $1.275 million. Here are four more names who could find new homes by this time next week.
Make sure to check out our NHL Trade Deadline Previews.
Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames
Monahan is enjoying one of the worst seasons of his nine-year NHL career. A four-time 30 goal scorer, the 27-year-old has been demoted to the Flame’s fourth line. Formerly drafted sixth overall by the franchise in 2013, the Brampton Ontario native has seen his average ice time fall by nearly three minutes from a year ago. Currently carrying a $6.375 million cap hit, the team would likely prefer to keep him on the roster heading into the postseason.
However, Calgary has been rumored to be looking to upgrade on the blue line. Multiple defensemen on the market, including Ben Chiarot and John Klingberg, have been linked to them. In addition, Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau are both set to hit free agency at the end of the season. This means that general manager Brad Treliving will have some tough decisions to face, including one on the longtime forward.
Alexandar Georgiev, New York Rangers
Georgiev enjoyed a tough start to his 2021 campaign. He struggled during the first two months of the season. Then, the 26-year-old began to pick up his play after an injury to starter Igor Shesterkin. The former undrafted free agent is set to become an RFA at the end of the year. He currently carries a .893 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average.
Likely to want to keep their backup netminder for the stretch run, it would be smart business by general manager Chris Drury to shop him. A tough market around the league, multiple clubs are looking to shore up their depth in net. Carrying just a $2.42 million cap hit, the Bulgarian native would likely fetch a third-round pick or higher as compensation.
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are beginning to fall further and further down in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division. This has led general manager Steve Yzerman to call around the league and let other franchises know his club is open for business. The longtime executive is reportedly shopping all the players on his team outside of rookies Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.
Bertuzzi first saw his name pop up in trade rumors last summer. The 27-year-old is currently in the first year of a two-year extension he inked with the club in July. On pace to surpass his career highs, the Guelph Storm alumn has racked up 24 goals and 24 assists in 50 games. A physical forward with a scoring touch, he would be a substantial addition to any group.
Tyler Motte, Vancouver Canucks
Motte is the only pending unrestricted free agent on the Canucks roster. General manager Patrik Allvin will reportedly circle back with his camp this week as they try and work out an extension. For multiple seasons, the 27-year-old forward has been a staple in Vancouver’s bottom six. Off to a career-best start through 45 games, he has racked up seven goals and seven assists while playing over 14 minutes per night.
He has recorded up 26 takeaways while winning over 45 percent of his faceoffs. Capable of playing in any situation on the ice, he counts for just $1.2 million against the cap. Motte would supply depth on any club looking to make a run in the postseason.
Who is Most Likely to Move?
Taking a look at the list above, the name that is most likely to move is Monahan. One of the most longstanding players in the organization, he has fallen out of place in Calgary under new head coach Darryl Sutter. The Flames need to move him if they hope to clear the space up to acquire a defenseman by next Monday. In addition to this, Bertuzzi could also find himself in a new home. Enjoying a career year on the Red Wings top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Vladislav Namestnikov, he would provide scoring depth and a physical presence.
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