It recently became known that the Columbus Blue Jackets are set to lose Mike Reilly to free agency, as the Minnesota native has decommitted from the Golden Gophers program and let Jackets management know he intends to test the market. First reported by Bob McKenzie, it was also mentioned that Reilly says Columbus is still a “possibility”, but the odds are not in the Blue Jackets’ favour at this point.
Shortly after, Elliote Friedman tweeted that Columbus is making it known that top prospect Kerby Rychel, is in play for immediate blueline help. This is not surprising – Rychel is possibly NHL-ready, but with a wealth of forward depth, is unlikely to stick with the pro team any time soon. The Jackets are also obviously in dire need of defensive help. Voila, the marriage of convenience is born.
One thing to keep in mind with any trade possibility is the internal cap of the Blue Jackets. Yes, the team has about $10 million in cap space with a nearly full roster and only Mark Letestu and Matt Calvert to re-sign, but they are not a salary cap team. It’s plausible to assume that whatever salary comes in via a trade, a similar amount would then be shunted off. Rene Bourque could be a prime candidate for a salary dump deal, but outside of the relatively unmovable David Clarkson, there aren’t too many “dead weight” contracts on the team.
Looking around the league, the suitors for a prospect-for-defense trade aren’t plentiful. Most teams fall into one of two categories: they’ve either got the forward depth already, and likely would not risk weakening their top four for a prospect, or they may really need the forward depth but either do not have a top four defender ready to trade, or just cannot stand losing one.
Once you filter out all of these teams, it leaves us with a bit of slim-pickings. Here are six teams that may fit the bill.
MONTREAL
It’s been rumoured by Elliotte Friedman that the Habs are interested in Rychel (item number 20). Their blueline is crowded already, even when you don’t factor in impending UFA Jeff Petry, who the team is interested in re-signing. Montreal has a bit of cap space to play with, but also has a few notable RFAs – including Alex Galchenyuk, who is likely due a fairly considerable raise. While they could likely afford to re-sign their RFAs and remain under the cap, it would make sense that they’re looking to create a bit of roster space and salary flexibility by shipping out an excess defender. Alexei Emelin is really the only roster player who qualifies, but Andrew Berkshire writes at Habs Eyes on the Prize that his salary may be too high for Columbus to consider. Even if it wasn’t, Emelin shouldn’t be an appealing player. He’s known as a physical defensive defender, but provides nothing in the way of offense. Could he be a key piece in helping to stabilize a Jackets blueline known for their defensive gaffes? No, not really. Much higher on the intrigue scale are young guys like Jarred Tinordi (also mentioned in the above Berkshire piece) or Nathan Beaulieu. Both have spent the last couple of seasons fighting to climb over veterans to earn blueline spots, with the 22 year old Beaulieu earning consistent play this season. Beaulieu is a very solid two-way option and could slot right into top four minutes on the Jackets’ left side at an affordable pricetag. Tinordi is more along the lines of Emelin’s skill set, however he is more mobile, with better passing ability, is six years younger than Emelin and is still improving. Asking him to jump into top four minutes may be a stretch, but he’s probably better cut out for it than Emelin is.
NEW JERSEY
HockeyBuzz’s Todd Cordell summised that the Devils have quite a few sensible trade options. Rychel would give immediate help to a rag-tag group of anonymous forwards, especially when considering that the team is losing veterans Michael Ryder, Scott Gomez, Steve Bernier and Martin Havlat to free agency, and have no stand-out in-house replacements. The Devils also have a solid group of young defenders, in Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill, Eric Gelinas and Damon Severson. Yes, the Devils young defenders make up the majority of their current core, but it’s certainly possible to fill a couple of bottom-two defense spots with cheap UFA signings, and run with a top four of three of those four youngsters, plus Andy Greene. A guy like Larsson, heralded as a potential top pairing defender, but who has only recently begun putting it all together, would be the biggest “get” possible from the Devils. Larsson is young (22), plays right defense, is affordable (he’s an RFA but shouldn’t break the bank to re-sign), and is very close to taking the next step to becoming the star defender that many were hoping he’d be. Rychel alone probably doesn’t get this trade done. An additional return of a roster defender and draft pick may sweeten the pot a little bit. Any of the other three defenders may be cheaper, and while they could all be reasonable top four options, save maybe Gelinas, who’s more of a work in progress, none are on the same level as Larsson at this point.
OTTAWA
The Senators have a deep blueline, with no fewer than eight NHL defenders signed for next season, making them a prime trade partner. Kerby Rychel may not be someone who breaks camp with the team, as their forward group is young and deep, but he would provide a very solid first call-up option in Binghamton, and give them much-needed non-NHL depth. The prime cut on that blueline would be Patrick Wiercioch, who was rumoured to be moved at the trade deadline before playing himself into a top-four role during the final part of the season. Wiercioch has been maligned as brainfart-prone in the defensive end, but has a real talent for moving the puck up ice. His style of play may not “fit” in Todd Richards’ system, but he’s easily the highest impact target on that blueline. Another lesser target is Jared Cowen, the man who Wiercioch essentially replaced. Cowen is not very good and is signed for two more seasons for far too much money, but he’s still only 24 and could potentially be not-awful forever. Cowen has never been fast, and has lost what little footspeed he had after blowing out his knee a couple seasons ago. He’s not a particularly adept passer, doesn’t have a great shot, and his hockey sense isn’t really up-to-par with a top four dman. However, his current standing and current salary within the perpetually cash-strapped organization would lend credibility to the idea of moving him to a team where he can have a “fresh start” under new coaching.
PHILADELPHIA
The Flyers have a defensive group which is… underwhelming, to say the least. Their blueline is made up of old guys on bad contracts, so it would make sense that they’re hoping to maybe get rid of a couple players for some younger talent. Mark Streit is their best defenseman, but he’s also 37 and has two years remaining on his deal, making him a less than ideal target. Next on their list would be a guy like Michael Del Zotto, a good player with a bad reputation, who is not known for his defensive stability, and has already played himself off of two (far better) teams in Nashville and New York. Luke Schenn is probably the most intriguing option, as he’s a big dude with a (largely unearned) reputation as a physical defensive defenseman. He’s not the fleetest of foot, but is arguably the best Flyer at breaking out from the back end. He is a 2016 UFA, however, and hasn’t really stood out as much beyond a number four defender on a relatively weak blueline, so trading Rychel for him seems like an overpayment.
TAMPA BAY
Tampa Bay would be a fascinating trade partner. While they’ve got a glut of talent up front already, with 11 roster forwards signed, and only one RFA (Vladdy Namestnikov), adding a guy like Rychel, who could immediately see action on the team’s fourth line, would surely give the team even more flexibility. Tampa also has a wave of defensive talent, with six NHLers signed for next year, plus Mark Barberio and Andrej Sustr as RFAs, and prospects like Slater Koekkoek and OHL defenseman of the year Anthony DeAngelo knocking on the door. Tampa’s close to the cap, even with no big RFAs to re-sign, and they may be looking to move out salary. Matt Carle or Jason Garrison stand out as a potential targets, both veteran left-shooting top-four guys with big game experience. They also carry fairly lengthy salaries, expiring after the 2017/18 season, which would provide some cap relief for the potential re-signing of 2016 UFA Steven Stamkos, and some contract stability for the Jackets.
WINNIPEG
Fresh from their first play-off berth since moving to Winnipeg, the Jets are in dire need of forwards, as eight of their roster forwards are UFAs this off-season, including mainstay Michal Frolik. They do have some potential reinforcements arriving in the form of prospects like Nik Ehlers, but it’s going to take some re-tooling to fill out the line-up. Winnipeg also has seven defensemen under contract next year, with three more RFAs who have arguably earned roster spots, and prospect Josh Morrissey close to being NHL-ready. It would be awesome to dream on a Tobias Enstrom or a Jacob Trouba, but these players are all but untouchable. The most interesting possibility? Dustin Byfuglien. His perceived value likely drastically exceeds that of Rychel in a one-for-one trade, but as a 2016 UFA, his actual value could be lowered considerably. He plays a position of need (RD) and, though he suffers from defensive breakdowns due to his roving style of play, his over-all contribution to a team’s success is very high. He would join the Blue Jackets as the top defenseman by a significant margin. Pairing him with a guy like Ryan Murray or Fedor Tyutin gives the team a higher-end defensive pair that could produce points immediately. However, Byfuglien’s defensive zone play is inconsistent, so it may not be a realistic option for the current CBJ coaching staff.
In the end, it should certainly be possible to get a well-regarded defenseman for Kerby Rychel, but with so few teams having an excess of capable top four dmen, finding a willing partner may be trickier than you’d imagine, especially if salary is an issue. Most of these “available” top four defenders come with a large cap hit, and the ones that don’t will carry expiring contracts, or are young and unproven in large roles. Are they still cheaper deals than signing a big name UFA like Mike Green or Cody Franson? Marginally, yes, but perhaps not when you consider the asset being given up in return. Columbus management needs to get a bit creative in order to make a trade work, or they may end up gambling on a younger prospect or high-risk, high-reward young blueliner in return.
Salary information courtesy of General Fanager and Hockey’s Cap.
– Jeremy Crowe
Follow me on twitter, @307x.
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