NHL Trade Deadline: Player likely on the move, but is Filip Forsberg one of them?
Anthony Scultore
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The NHL Trade Deadline set for the March 21st and the countdown is on as we get set to turn the calendar. In our latest Trade Bait Tracker we ranked 30 players rumored to be on the move.
Yesterday, we focused in on the Top 5 out of 10 biggest names in the rumor mill. Today, we will look at the latest info regarding players 6-10 on the list and determine if they will be traded by the deadline or not.
Let’s dive in.
NHL Trade Deadline Top 10
| Rank | Player (Team) | POS | AGE | STATUS/AAV | LINKED TO: |
| 1 | Jakob Chychrun (ARI) | D | 23 | 3 YEARS/$4.6M | ANA, LAK, NYI |
| 2 | Claude Giroux (PHI) | C | 34 | UFA/$8.275M | COL, STL, FLA |
| 3 | J.T. Miller (VAN) | F | 29 | 1 YEAR/$5.25M | NYR, CAR, TOR |
| 4 | Tomas Hertl (SJS) | C | 28 | UFA/$5.625M | MIN, BOS, NYR |
| 5 | John Klingberg (DAL) | D | 29 | UFA/$4.25M | CAR, TOR, FLA |
| 6 | Marc-Andre Fleury (CHI) | G | 37 | UFA/$7M | WSH, COL, PIT |
| 7 | Filip Forsberg (NSH) | F | 26 | UFA/$6M | TBD |
| 8 | Ben Chiarot (MTL) | D | 30 | UFA/$3.5M | STL, NYR, FLA |
| 9 | Phil Kessel (ARI) | RW | 34 | UFA/$6.8M | PIT, BOS, NYR |
| 10 | Mark Giordano (SEA) | D | 38 | UFA/$6.75M | CGY, FLA, NYR |
Marc-Andre Fleury
Fleury is a pending UFA this summer, and will be a valuable trade chip for Chicago to bring in younger assets for the future. “I would love a chance to win,” Fleury said in February. “That’s what I play for and that’s what I love. But like I said, it’s still a big if at this point.” The 37 year-old is 16-19-4 with a .911 SV% and a GAA of 2.83.
NHL Trade Deadline Verdict: YES! Fleury is going to opt to waive his no-move clause and take a Cup run with a contender. Keep an eye on the Oilers and Capitals. That being said, don’t sleep on the Maple Leafs or Avalanche.
Filip Forsberg
Forsberg is in the final year of a six-year contract agreed to in 2016-17. That deal was for $6M AAV against the cap and his next one is expected to be much higher. This season, he’s scored 45 points through 40 games. There were reports that he was being “actively shopped“, but so was Mattias Ekholm and he stayed with the Predators.
NHL Trade Deadline Verdict: NO! The reports of being actively shopped are just due diligence by the Preds. He’s staying in Nashville.
Ben Chiarot
Chiarot, 30, was recently on IR with a lower-body issue. He has 12 points in 48 games and could play top four minutes on the left side for a playoff team. Montreal opted to put him back on the market despite the risk of an injury.
NHL Trade Deadline Verdict: YES! The Canadiens are rebuilding and will absolutely be trading the pending UFA.
Phil Kessel
Phil Kessel, 34, is a pending UFA and has been available since last season. He is still a productive player with 33 points in 53 games for the lowly Coyotes. He would be a nice fit on several teams’ top two lines at an affordable price, which is said to be just a second round pick.
NHL Trade Deadline Verdict: YES! The only question is why teams waited until the trade deadline to acquire the veteran.
Mark Giordano
Giordano, 38, has 23 points in 49 games for the expansion Seattle Kraken. He is exactly what contending teams will be looking for at the deadline “You definitely realize time is ticking when you get to my age,” Giordano told The Athletic recently. “You only have so many more cracks at winning the Cup. That’s my goal from here on out in my career. It’s not about anything else but that.”
NHL Trade Deadline Verdict: YES! And I’m fairly confident Ron Francis will probably send him home to Calgary (if the Flames are interested in a reunion). The Flames have recently soared up the NHL Power Rankings to #1.
Read More: Check out the latest NHL Power Rankings.