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The 2020 NHL trade deadline is just a few days away—Monday at 3 p.m. ET—and the activity is beginning to pick up.
Another domino fell Wednesday, as the Vegas Golden Knights acquired defenseman Alec Martinez from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for 2020 and 2021 second-round draft picks.
Which players could be the next to move? Let’s examine some of the latest buzz.
Wayne Simmonds
Winger Wayne Simmonds was dealt just before last year’s deadline, going from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Nashville Predators. Now with the New Jersey Devils, Simmonds could be on the move again.
Simmonds is playing on a one-year contract, and moving him would make sense for the 22-27-10 Devils.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun believes that the Vancouver Canucks could try acquiring Simmonds; Vancouver is reportedly not on Simmond’s no-trade list.
“By the way, Simmons has an eight-team no-trade list but I’m told that Vancouver is clear of that,” LeBrun wrote. “And as I reported recently, the Canucks were runners-up for Simmonds last July before he signed in New Jersey.”
Vancouver acquired winger Tyler Toffoli from the Kings on Monday and recently announced that star forward Brock Boeser is out for the rest of the regular season because of a rib cartilage fracture.
Sami Vatanen
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Simmonds isn’t the only New Jersey player who could be on the move. Though he’s on injured reserve, defenseman Sami Vatanen could be dealt before the deadline, according to Chris Ryan of NJ.com.
“Plenty of defensemen have already been moved ahead of the deadline, and Vatanen is one of the best still on the market,” Ryan wrote. “Even though Vatanen hasn’t played since Feb. 1 due to a leg bruise from blocking a shot, teams still have interest in the veteran.”
Though Vatanen is on injured reserve, he’s there with an injury that isn’t believed to be overly serious.
“I don’t see it long term,” interim head coach Alain Nasreddine said in early February, per Ryan. It’s really day-to-day right now.”
If dealt, Vatanen should be healthy in time to help a contender before the postseason.
Chris Kreider
New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider continues to be one of the most notable names on the market. According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the Rangers are still working on an extension but could move Kreider at the deadline if a deal does not get done.
Kreider is in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent in the offseason if he fails to come to a new agreement with the Blueshirts.
According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, at least seven or eight teams could be interested in Kreider if he becomes available. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was a little more specific on the teams that could have interest.
“Teams I think are interested: Boston, Colorado, New York Islanders and St. Louis (there could be more, obviously),” Friedman wrote. “I think Washington GM Brian MacLellan made a stealth move to see if he could get in on Kreider, but the [Brenden] Dillon trade probably takes him out of it.”
Teams will be keeping an eye on New York’s negotiations with the left winger—who is just eight points shy of his career-record total of 53 after only 58 games this season—ahead of Monday’s deadline.
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