Free washer | Who will be the best sellers?

With a month to go before the NHL trade deadline, bottom teams will still want to take advantage of the greed of top clubs to secure draft picks and prospects to build their future.

Already, the Vancouver Canucks have made their first major trade this week by trading their captain Bo Horvat to the Islanders for a first-round pick, the young Aatu Räty and Anthony Beauvillier.

Here, in order, are the best-positioned teams to land valuable assets. Unfortunately, the Canadian does not make the top five due to injuries to his bait. Will the situation be more favorable to them in the coming weeks?

Chic Blackhawksago

Chicago has already been in demolition mode for a year. The team’s top three scorers, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Max Domi will become unrestricted free agents and will be traded if GM Kyle Davidson is able to do so. To everyone’s surprise, Domi is the best scorer of the trio with 35 points in 48 games, but that doesn’t take anything away from the value of Kane, obviously the most courted of the group.

A major hurdle though, Kane and Toews possess a no-move clause and must approve the trade. Their salaries also each occupy 10.5 million on mass. Capped teams will have a hard time integrating them into their organization even if Chicago agrees to withhold a portion of their salary.

Kane, 34, 34 points in 45 games, but 92 the previous season, will be able to earn at least a first-round pick and a prospect. With 28 points in 46 games, Toews, 34, is producing more than the previous season and remains extraordinarily efficient on faceoffs and is a great leader. Enough for a third-round pick?

You would almost have to offer a choice to a third club to also retain a third of Toews’ salary, as in the case of Kane elsewhere.

Domi cost the Carolina Hurricanes almost nothing at the trade deadline the previous season. His value may have gone up slightly, but not to the point of earning a first pick.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues didn’t believe they were in a position to sell this year after a 109-point season last year. But here they are already eight points from a playoff berth, with three fewer games to play than the Avalanche, and two notable potential unrestricted free agents in Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly.

The latter has expressed his desire to sign a contract extension with the Blues, but at 31, he is having an atrocious season offensively with 16 points in 37 games and he has a broken foot that cannot be returned for six weeks.

Like Toews, he remains very effective defensively and on faceoffs and his Conn-Smythe victory in a glorious playoff in 2019 is not that far away. GM Doug Armstrong needs to think about that before handing his captain a multi-year contract, but if he accepts a pay cut and a shorter contract, the Blues could be tempted to retain him.

Tarasenko has been demanding a trade for a year. He had 29 points in 34 games before getting injured. He returned to action, but has been shut out in four games since. St. Louis might get something interesting for him. Didn’t this 31-year-old striker get 82 points, including 34 goals, last year?

Another prospective unrestricted free agent forward, Ivan Barbashev, could earn a second- or third-round pick, or a Category B prospect. He has 24 points in 51 games after a surprising 60-point season last year.

Arizona Coyotes

Like the Blackhawks, the Coyotes began an aggressive rebuild more than a year ago. Their best player, defender Jakob Chychrun, is still on the market, despite his 24 years and a very affordable annual salary of 4.6 million for another two seasons. Chychrun has 25 points in 34 games. He could net at least a first-round pick, a top prospect and another coin.

Three unrestricted free agents, forwards Nick Ritchie and Nick Bjugstad, and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, will likely change sides as well. They’re not big point producers, but they’re on their way to a 30-point season and have good looks ahead of the playoffs.

Gostisbehere is having another strong offensive season. He even plays almost 23 minutes per game. Arizona had secured a second-round pick from the Flyers to take him in on his onerous contract. GM Bill Armstrong could receive a second second-round pick for him.

The Coyotes already have three third-round picks in the bank for 2023, three second-round picks and four third-round picks for 2024. More picks to come…

Sharks of San Jose

The Sharks don’t have any big unrestricted free agents available, but their top offensive scorer, 26-year-old Timo Meier, is on the market. Meier has 48 points, including 28 goals, in 51 games, and could bring a similar haul to Jakob Chychrun. The Devils would be among the courtiers. Meier will be entitled to partial autonomy due to his age, but the team that wants to retain his services after this season will have to submit a qualifying offer of 10 million to him, unless they negotiate a long-term agreement at a lower annual salary. . But Meier will want at least 8 million per season.

At 32, defender Erik Karlsson is enjoying a magnificent offensive season, the best of his career, en route, who knows, to a year of 100 points, but the many injuries suffered over the years and also, above all, a contract still valid for four years at an annual salary of 11.5 million makes it difficult to exchange despite his exploits.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets were hoping for a better season, especially with the acquisition of Johnny Gaudreau on the free agent market, but injuries and poor performance plagued their year. They find themselves in last place overall and in a position to liquidate, but they have very few unrestricted free agents.

The most attractive remains the defender Vladislav Gavrikov, 27, modest producer of points, but strong at will and the most used player in the Jackets in the absence of Zach Werenski. Gustav Nyqvist was the other, but he’s just been out of action for the rest of the season… Columbus is hoping to get at least a first-round pick for Gavrikov and ten clubs are said to be interested in his services.

Montreal Canadiens

Injuries complicate the work of Kent Hughes. It’s still unclear when Sean Monahan, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, will return to action. Monahan had amassed 17 points in 25 games in early December when he fell in action.

Defender Joel Edmundson is also on the market, although he is still under contract for another season at a very reasonable annual salary of 3.5 million, but he too has just been injured and the teams know he is in pain. chronic back pain.

The value of potential unrestricted free agents Jonathan Drouin and Evgenii Dadonov is close to nil. Just like that of Mike Hoffman, still under contract for another season at 4.5 million.

Josh Anderson, under contract for another four years at 5.5 million annually, could probably earn at least a first-round pick because of his speed, his toughness and his ability to score twenty goals. Let’s see what the offers will be.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks, like the Blue Jackets, did well in the free agent market last year, but they’re still bad. Defender John Klingberg was hired for just one year at seven million; he is having an atrocious season. It will be difficult to pass to another club because of his poor performance and his salary. Kevin Shattenkirk is barely better. The Ducks don’t have much to offer, but they got plenty last year for defenseman Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell. It’s better than nothing.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks hit their big time this week with Bo Horvat. The other big unrestricted free agent, defenseman Luke Schenn, 33, is having a surprising season and could interest some clubs looking for a tough right-handed defenseman, but not at any price.

We are also trying to trade unwanted winger Brock Boeser despite his 30 points in 41 games and only 25 years old. Boeser will receive 6.6 million annually for two more seasons, an amount too high for management’s taste. Boeser and his clan were even given permission to talk with other organizations to foster an exchange. Defender Tyler Myers is also on the market, but with another year of contract at 6 million per season, it will be almost impossible to find a buyer for this 6-foot-8 giant.

A slap in the face for the Blackhawks

In their wrecking business last summer, the Hawks not only traded Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat, but refused to re-sign 25-year-old Dylan Strome, even though he was still tied to the organization at the restricted free agent title and had produced in an interesting way with 48 points in 69 games.

Washington jumped at the chance and offered him a one-year deal for just $3.5 million. This third overall pick in 2015 has done well this season, 36 points in 52 games, and we even promoted him to the first line with Alex Ovechkin.

And Friday morning, the Capitals granted him a five-year contract extension, for 25 million. Very poor management of the assets of the GM of the Hawks, Kyle Davidson, who loses a young quality player without getting anything in return…