The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported last week that the Nashville Predators were still getting calls about Ryan O’Reilly ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
The 34-year-old center has two more years on his contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million. He lacks no-trade protection, but management is handling him as though he has. The Hockey News’ Jonathan Bailey wrote in January that O’Reilly’s trade value is still toward the higher side.
LeBrun indicated the Predators aren’t shopping O’Reilly, but they are willing to listen to offers. He followed up on Monday, claiming the asking price is a good young player who can step into their lineup immediately.
Meanwhile, The Tennessean’s Alex Daugherty listed defenseman Luke Schenn and forwards Michael McCarron and Colton Sissons as the Predators most likely to become trade candidates. The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau listed Schenn as one of 10 defensemen who could be trade assets by Friday.
The Seattle Kraken are expected to be among the sellers as the trade deadline draws near. On Monday, Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times listed Brandon Tanev, Jamie Oleksiak, Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand as the most likely trade candidates. Yanni Gourde has also been a topic of trade speculation. He recorded an assist on Tuesday in his first game since Jan. 2.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently reported Tanev had drawn interest from playoff clubs and bubble teams. The 33-year-old left winger carries a $3.5-million cap hit and a 10-team no-trade list. He wants to play for what LeBrun called an “upper-echelon contender.” The Kraken are willing to retain half of his cap hit to facilitate a trade.
The Vegas Golden Knights could be a suitor. Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal believes they could target an affordable depth forward, such as Tanev or Chicago’s Ryan Donato.
NHL Trade Deadline Central 2025: Trade Tracker, Analysis, Speculation, Lists And More One of the most anticipated times on the hockey calendar is here with NHL trade deadline week.
Turning to the New York Rangers, they’ve been among the busiest teams in this season’s NHL trade market. Since Dec. 6, they shipped Jacob Trouba to Anaheim, sent Kaapo Kakko to Seattle for Will Borgen, acquired J.T. Miller from Vancouver in a multi-player deal and last weekend, sent Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche.
Following the Lindgren and Vesey move, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple speculated that right winger Reilly Smith could be next on the trade block. Sure enough, the Rangers made him a healthy scratch from their last two games for “roster management purposes,” which is code for, “We’re attempting to trade this guy, and we don’t want him to get injured.”
The Hockey News’ Remy Mastey cited Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli saying the Maple Leafs would make the most sense for Smith. Mastey noted Smith has a valuable veteran presence and upside as a bottom-six forward despite having 29 points in 58 games.
Keep an eye on the Tampa Bay Lightning as the deadline approaches. GM Julien BriseBois has a well-deserved reputation for wheeling and dealing at this point in the season.
Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times noted the Lightning have over $6 million in projected trade deadline cap space. He believes BriseBois will seek a depth forward to take some pressure off his top six forwards.
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