As American Thanksgiving approaches, the standings are starting to take form, and we have seen trades in the NHL that are Lou out of necessity as teams look to fill holes on their roster.
The Utah Hockey Club picked up Olli Maatta from the Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks. Even though there is a lot of chatter, making the moves is difficult this time of year because of the salary cap.
NHL Rumors: Could the NHL Salary Cap Have an Even Bigger Bump Next Season?
We have also seen the Pittsburgh Penguins sell off an asset in Lars Eller, trading him to the Washington Capitals for draft picks.
However, even though the trades have slowed down, that does not mean the chatter is stopping, as New Jersey Devils President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald told Jimmy Murphy and Pierre McGuire on the Sick Pod Eye Test.
Jimmy Murphy: “Fitz to the GM meetings where you are now. Are you starting and you don’t have to get into details or anything, but are you starting to hear more trade buzz, more trade talks as we get near American Thanksgiving?”
Tom Fitzgerald: “Yeah, I would say it’s, it’s pretty much the same every year. Like I think there are teams that know where they’re at, and where they’re going to finish, and then you just have a bunch of teams that aren’t sure where really where they’re at.”
NHL Rumors: Should the Edmonton Oilers Bring Back Cody Ceci?
That is what makes things so difficult outside of a couple of teams who are sellers. As we approach American Thanksgiving and the March NHL Trade Deadline, things are still being determined.
There is still a long way to go, but Fitzgerald did confirm what Pierre LeBrun of TSN and others have reported: there is a lot of trade buzz but not a lot of movement. Not yet, anyway. But teams are looking and inquiring for things down the road.
“What I had heard from other sources around the league is that no one is trying harder to make a trade right now than Kevyn Adams of the Buffalo Sabres. I asked him that point blank, and what he said was that he very much still had confidence in his team and his group, but yes, he’s making a lot of calls and trying to see what’s out there to see if he can make an upgrade.
Spoke with Nashville’s GM, Barry Trotz, and this has been out there, but I was good to confirm it with a GM, and he confirmed that he is looking for a center, but as he said, so are half the teams in the league, but he is looking for a center.
NHL Rumors: Nashville Predators Has Cap Space to Make Impactful Move
And finally, Lou Lamoriello and I asked Lamoriello if he was working the phones. You know that Lou’s careful with those answers, Jay, but what he did say was that, like a lot of teams, he’s making sure that he’s making those calls. So there you go. He did just shut me down. He actually gave, gave a very polite answer. The bottom line is, we know, from what we’re hearing elsewhere, that the Islanders are calling pretty aggressively as well, trying to upgrade their blue line with all those injuries.”
As confirmed by RG.org via Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy, he is on the prowl for upgrades to include a right-shot center and an age-appropriate player. But his hands are tied with one of his first-round picks tied up in the Sean Monahan deal.
NHL Rumors: The Coaching Hot Seats are Heating Up
However, good general managers around the league, like Lamoriello, Conroy, and Bill Armstrong in Utah, always want to upgrade their teams. Even Tom Fitzgerald in New Jersey wants to improve his club with a top-six scoring winger or a depth center.
Again, these trades are hard to come by right now, but it does not mean NHL general managers can’t lay the groundwork for a potential trade in the future.