NHL Trade Rumors leads to two deals by New Jersey
The New Jersey Devils aren’t waiting as they make two deals, each within their own Conference. First they traded their captain Andy Greene to the Islanders and then Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Devils Deal
It began with Andy Greene who is a UFA rental being sent to the Islanders who needed help defense. It is unlikely Greene will resign on the Island. Then a bigger deal moving Blake Coleman to Tampa for Nolan Foote and a pick.
Coleman is 28 years old and having a decent season with 21 goals and 31 points in 57 games. He also has 1 year left on his deal that carries a low AAV of 1.8M.
Impact
This does take a rental defenseman off the market and helps the Tampa add some depth up front. Maybe even gives them leverage to make additional moves. The ball has now started to roll and we can expect to see more deals done, leading to an anticlimactic deadline day.
Joe Thornton to Colorado or Boston
Joe Thornton is a talked about commodity that hasn’t even waived his clause, but it really is no surprise that teams are interested in him anyway.
Bruce Garrioch believes San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson will attempt to move as many pieces as possible before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. Defenseman Brenden Dillon is expected to be traded, but there will be a lot of attention on veteran Sharks center Joe Thornton. He has a full no-movement clause, but there’s a belief he could waive it to join a Stanley Cup contender. Garrioch thinks the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche are good fits.
Spector’s Hockey
More About:New York Rangers Rumors New York Rangers Features New York Rangers News NHL News and Rumors