The market had been quiet — and Zito had been patient waiting for the right deal, which he found on Wednesday by trading for perhaps the best available blueliner, Ben Chiarot.
Because of the perks of living in South Florida plus the winning culture they’re building, they want to be a place players seek out — like their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He’d give them a forward group that’d rival that of Colorado and Calgary, on a team that already has the fifth best offense in the NHL.
At some point between playing his 1,000th game in Philadelphia on Thursday and the deadline Monday, Giroux will be dealt to the Panthers — who already lead the league in averaging 4.10 goals per game.
Mind you, this prediction felt a little bolder before the Panthers sent Frank Vatrano to the New York Rangers on Wednesday, though they did lose some cap space by acquiring Chiarot.
Naturally, the player and team have been tied already in trade rumors, and Fleury’s no-move clause means he’s got final say on any destination outside Chicago.
Let’s just say Fleury agrees to be a Maple Leaf — the complementary moves Toronto would have to make to pull this off would likely go beyond just bold to straight-up audacious.
That certainly could be something said in public with different opinions being expressed behind closed doors, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Leafs stay put between the pipes.
Or perhaps the options are not tantalizing enough for the Buds — Marc-Andre Fleury is 37 and a free agent this summer; other rumored trade-bait names such as Alexandar Georgiev, Semyon Varlamov and Joonas Korpisalo will not significantly level them up in net.
Just ask Petr Mrazek, who one might guess from social media feeds is accused of crimes far more heinous than not playing so great in net.
It’s simply not worth it, when there are softer landing spots with near-equal, if not better, opportunities to advance through the postseason.
The Boston Bruins have been looking to move him in a hockey deal — for another “change in scenery” type — to no avail.
Yzerman made the Jakub Vrana-for-Anthony Mantha swap last season with Washington, and this year he’ll do something even bigger to keep setting Detroit up for an increasingly bright future.
I wouldn’t have bet on it two weeks ago, when it sounded like Hertl and San Jose weren’t close on an extension.
Myers becomes a heck of a lot more moveable after July 1, when his full no-trade clause becomes a limited one.
Given the limited goalie market at the deadline, the Canucks could probably snag a decent return for him, but there’s little motivation for Halak to uproot his life unless it’s for a solid Cup contender.
Sure, Vancouver is rocketing up the standings and there’s a lot to like about the direction it is headed this season.
The Canucks don’t seem convinced Boeser is worth all that, but for the right price there are other teams that might.
You could argue this is a slightly less bold prediction given the injury-plagued Chychrun is once again sidelined by a lower body ailment for two to four weeks.
