NHL Trade Buzz: Predators may make another big move

Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are 18 days remaining until the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. ET and the buzz is picking up. Will the Boston Bruins find answers to scoring depth questions from within or through trade? Did owner Eugene Melnyk provide clues as to whether the Ottawa Senators will sign or trade forwards Matt Duchene and Mark Stone before the deadline?

Nashville Predators

The Predators will remain in the market for an upgrade in scoring production unless the return of center Kyle Turris and improvement from left wing Kevin Fiala yields the necessary returns, general manager David Poile said on "The Midday 180" on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville on Thursday.
Turris, who has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 30 games this season, is expected to return to the Predators lineup against the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, FS-SW, NHL.TV). He has missed the past 17 games with a lower-body injury.
Fiala has one point, a goal, in seven games since Jan. 17. He has 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 55 games this season.
"If those guys can do it, we're probably not making any more moves," Poile said.
Short of that, Poile said he'd be willing to do anything he feels will make the Predators better, even if it means parting with some of their top prospects, including forward Eeli Tolvanen, the No. 30 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
"Nothing is out of the realm of possibilities," Poile said when asked specifically if he would use Tolvanen as a trade chip to improve the current roster. "It's a little bit of an arms race these couple weeks before the trade deadline and I don't want to say I would react to what another team does. I mean, first and foremost, you've got to take care of your own team, but I'm not saying no to anything right now. … I'm making calls. I'm receiving calls. I'm just looking for an opportunity to improve our team. If that comes our way between now and Feb. 25, I'm all in."
The Predators acquired rugged forwards Brian Boyle and Cody McLeod in separate trades Wednesday,
Poile said he's not sure how many teams will be selling assets the Predators might want before the deadline because of how close the playoff races are, especially in the Western Conference.
He cited the improvement of the St. Louis Blues, who are one point out of a playoff spot after a 7-2-1 run since Jan. 10, and the Chicago Blackhawks, who have won five in a row to move within three points of a playoff spot.
"I don't think these big deals are going to happen right away," Poile said. "I might have to eat my words on that, but the standings are so close. … I think everybody is in a wait-and-see mode."

Boston Bruins

A reconfigured first line could provide an internal solution to some of the depth issues the Bruins face.
Coach Bruce Cassidy saw immediate results from line changes aimed at creating more balance up front during a 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
In the second period, Cassidy put Danton Heinen at right wing on the top line with center Patrice Bergeron and left wing Brad Marchand, and moved David Pastrnak to play right wing on the second line with center David Krejci and left wing Peter Cehlarik.
Heinen scored on his second shift on the top line with a deflection of a shot from the point by defenseman Matt Grzelcyk at 10:37 of the second period. Pastrnak scored 72 seconds later on a one-timer off a pass from Krejci.
Cassidy also demoted slumping Jake DeBrusk, who hasn't scored in 11 games since Jan. 10, to the third line to play with Trent Frederic and Joakim Nordstrom.
Cassidy said he has wanted to put Pastrnak with Krejci for a while, but felt the Bruins needed to be healthy before making such a move. They're healthy now and considering they were sluggish in the first 25 minutes against the Rangers, he figured the time was right to try it.
He might stick with the change for a while.
"We tend to go back to our groups, but this is something we've talked about looking at for a while so it's something we may have to think about here the next couple of days," Cassidy said. "I thought the balance was good."
Balance is key for the Bruins because they haven't been getting much production beyond Bergeron, Marchand, Pastrnak and Krejci. Those four have accounted for 50 percent of Boston's goals in the past 26 games (41 of 82). It's why general manager Don Sweeney is likely making calls in an effort to see if he can acquire another top-six forward.
However, if Heinen, who has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 50 games, can mesh with Bergeron and Marchand and find his scoring touch, it would make it easier for Cassidy to keep Pastrnak with Krejci, thereby giving the Bruins two scoring lines.
The other consideration is how it impacts the third line. Putting DeBrusk, who has 19 points (14 goals, five assists), on it gives the third line more credibility as a scoring threat.
The Bruins still must determine if they like Frederic as third-line center or if they feel they need an upgrade. If an upgrade is necessary, it makes it easier to focus on that position, as opposed to finding a third-line center and another top-six forward.

Ottawa Senators

Matt Duchene and Mark Stone remain among the biggest question marks heading into the trade deadline.
Each can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. But, the Senators are trying to re-sign each of the forwards before the deadline.
Stone leads the Senators with 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 53 games. Duchene has 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists) in 44 games.
Owner Eugene Melnyk may have given a hint at the future during a corporate sponsor event in Toronto on Tuesday.
In a summary of his remarks, released by the team, Melnyk said he expects the Senators rebuilding plan to take another season or two, but when the foundation is in place and the team is ready to compete, the Senators plan to spend close to the NHL's salary cap to foster a sustained run of success.
Melnyk said that run will be from 2021-25 and reiterated that the current rebuild is a blueprint for how to bring the Stanley Cup to Ottawa.
What this means for this season and the decisions about Duchene and Stone remains to be seen.
If neither has signed a new contract before the deadline, the expectation is that they will be traded. And if Melnyk feels the team is two years away from spending big money, it's plausible to think trades are more likely.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild's performance during the next two weeks will determine what general manager Paul Fenton does before the trade deadline.
The Wild lost center Mikko Koivu to a season-ending knee injury on Wednesday. It's a significant blow to a team that occupies the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with a four-point cushion, but Fenton wants to give his team time to gel without its captain before doing anything.
"Let's see how we play for the next little bit," Fenton said in this
story from Jessi Pierce
detailing the Wild's reaction to Koivu's injury.
Considering the Wild's history -- they've made the playoffs in six straight seasons but lost in the Western Conference First Round in each of the past three -- Fenton must decide if he thinks the Wild are good enough to win in the playoffs should they make it this season.
Losing Koivu muddies the picture, which is why he wants to give it more time. However, if Fenton is still on the fence in two weeks, there's a chance he could become a seller, even if the Wild are in a playoff spot or within a few points of one.
Eric Staal, who is in the last season of a three-year, $10.5 million contract he signed with the Wild, would be Fenton's best chip in the rental market. The 37-year-old forward has 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) in 52 games this season after scoring 76 points (42 goals, 34 assists) in 82 games last season.
Forwards Eric Fehr and Matt Hendricks, and defensemen Brad Hunt and Anthony Bitetto are also pending UFAs. Fenton traded for Hunt and Bitetto this season for depth purposes.

New Jersey Devils

The door to a contract extension for left wing Taylor Hall may have swung open Thursday, when Darren Ferris, the agent for the Hart Trophy winner, said the plan is to talk with Devils general manager Ray Shero after the season.
Ferris spoke on the Stellick & Simmer in the Morning show on Sirius/XM Radio.
Mike M. Morreale has the details
.
Hall, who is on injured reserve, has one year remaining on a seven-year, $42 million contract he signed with the Edmonton Oilers. He can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2020. He has 37 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 33 games this season.
The Devils are last in the Metropolitan Division and 14 points out of a playoff spot.
They traded forward Brian Boyle to the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft on Wednesday. Shero could do more selling before the deadline, especially with forwards Marcus Johansson and Drew Stafford, defenseman Ben Lovejoy and goalie Keith Kinkaid set to become unrestricted free agents after the season.
Re-signing Hall before he goes into the final year of his contract would be significant for New Jersey's future. It would allow Shero to have cost certainty with the Devils best player and could help attract other pending UFAs.
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