Dreger's trade thoughts on Flyers, Rangers, Stars, Pens
/Darren Dreger was on TSN 1290 Wednesday afternoon.
On if the trade market will heat up after the 20-game mark:
“Well, that’s traditionally when teams really start to assess what their wants and needs are and what they can part with from an organizational standpoint. Until then, you might see one or two smaller deals. But again, usually around that 20-game mark you start to see some of the buyers versus the sellers.
“Philadelphia for me fits into that category. There’s been so much trade speculation talk of Brayden Schenn being available. Not sure I buy into it entirely. But the Philadelphia Flyers have some needs defensively. They know that they’ve got to be better and that’s an area they feel they’re going to have to improve on.
“The New York Rangers are getting healthier. I don’t think that they’re going to do a ton. We know Tomas Kaberle is going in, probably will skate with the Rangers as early as Friday. But no guarantee that they’re going to offer or sign him to a contract. Klein skated today, as we know. John Moore will come off his suspension next week. Sounds like Dan Boyle, guys, could be good to go as early as late next week. So the Rangers are a team that’s probably just going to ride it out.
“As far as the Capitals are concerned, maybe a little bit of Barry Trotz tough love is all that’s needed to get that team snapped back into line.”
On the goaltending of the Dallas Stars:
“I reached out to Nill earlier today to find out if he was kicking tires on some of the unrestricted free agent goalies that are still hovering out there, and he said no, he wasn’t. Not to say that’s not an area of concern for the Dallas Stars.
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“You look at Anaheim in the Western Conference with the injury problems they now have with John Gibson on the shelf for several weeks. They talked about six. It could be longer than that. Are they in the market for something?
“So again, as you creep closer to that 20-game mark, you know – these are the opportunities that veteran goalies like Martin Brodeur were hoping for. I don’t think his phone is ringing yet, but that was the prediction. That you get into late October, early November, and perhaps an opportunity would arise.”
On the Pittsburgh Penguins:
“Keep in mind, that as good as this Penguins team is right now, Jim Rutherford wants to improve. He’s still looking for a top-six forward. He’s going to be patient. He may until the March 2 trade deadline or perhaps there’s not a deal that makes sense at all, but he’s still hunting and this city is still hungry for another championship.”
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Source: TSN 1290/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey