THREE FORWARDS AMONG NEXT RENTAL TARGETS

TORONTO, ON – The Taylor Hall sweepstakes have ended, and the teams that refused to ante up for the 2018 NHL MVP, or lost out on him by going in a different direction with their offers, are now shifting their focus to the rest of the market.

As we know, several teams kicked the tires on Hall, with some extending offers that came up short. The Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers and New York Islanders were three teams that presented the New Jersey Devils with offers for Hall – I’m not sure what the Isles presented, but the Flames and Panthers deals supposedly included less ‘future’ and more ‘now’ type pieces.

There are even some whispers the Panthers offered a prominent roster player as part of their deal, had they been able to get Hall locked up to an extension – and that wasn’t part of the initial equation.

The Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers also expressed various levels of interest in Hall, among others (and there were more teams that picked up the phone), but none of these teams were willing to part with key pieces in order to get a deal done for a rental player – the Blues weren’t moving Vince Dunn, and the Oilers weren’t about to part with Evan Bouchard or their first-round pick.

Two things became visibly clear throughout the entire Hall trade process: 1) Hall is now a Coyote, and 2) there are plenty of buyers looking for extra fire power up front.

With numerous teams on the lookout for a scoring forward – add Pittsburgh, Montreal, Boston and Nashville to the seven, that we know of, that missed out on Hall – there may not be enough players to go around.

We’re already starting to hear some names tossed around, led by Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers and Tyler Toffoli of the Los Angeles Kings, both of whom can become unrestricted free agents July 1.

The Rangers will take a stab at re-signing Kreider, but if the two sides can’t agree to an extension, there’s a good chance he’ll be moved prior to the Feb. 24 trade deadline. Teams have asked about Kreider over the years, but the Rangers have held tight. Could this be the year, in a contract year, that he’s dealt?

Toffoli was almost traded prior to last year’s deadline – it’s believed the Bruins were zeroing in on him, but they picked up Marcus Johansson from New Jersey instead. Los Angeles hasn’t had any significant contract discussions with Toffoli’s camp, to date, and as it currently stands, all signs point to him being dealt by this season’s D-Day.

After rocky season last year, where he only tallied 13 goals and 34 points, Toffoli has rebounded nicely this season. He has done himself and the Kings a favour with his recent play that’s elevated his projected point production to 50 points over a full season, which is five more than Kreider’s currently on pace to hit.

The Kings will be active this season, as pending UFA forwards Trevor Lewis and Kyle Clifford and defenceman Ben Hutton will draw interest, though the Kings are expected to try and retain Clifford. Veteran blueliner Alec Martinez had a few teams, including the Habs, hot on his trail prior to injuring his right wrist last month. He’ll be back in late-January or early-February, as is the hope, and with one year left on his contract beyond this season, could generate a solid return for the Kings.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, a pending UFA, is another player a bunch of teams are looking at. It’s unclear if the Ottawa Senators will try to re-sign him – I’d be surprised if an attempt wasn’t made – and teams are hoping that’s not the case. Pageau’s on pace for 37 goals and 56 points; couple that with the spark he brings to the ice every night and there will be a lineup of GMs trying to acquire him.

Like the Kings, the Senators have several players on expiring contracts up for grabs. In fact, they have more.

In addition to Pageau, forwards Mikkel Boedker, Tyler Ennis and Vladislav Namestnikov, defencemen Ron Hainsey, Dylan DeMelo and Mark Borowiecki, and goalie Craig Anderson need new deals. We believe Ottawa will try to re-sign Borowiecki and Namestnikov, but the rest may be available.

There will be more players tossed around as the trade winds pick up closer to the deadline. A bunch of teams with soon-to-be UFAs are either at the top of the standings or battling for a spot. If they drop off, will those players become available? Surely, those teams will at least listen.

As far as potential rentals go, Kreider, Toffoli and Pageau currently lead the forward pack.

Nicklas Backstrom will eventually re-sign with the Washington Capitals, as is the plan, so forget about him. Hall’s clearly off the block. And I’m not sure the Panthers look to move Evgeni Dadonov or Mike Hoffman unless they replace them or fall out of the playoff race – Dadonov has a 10-team trade list and Hoffman has a 10-team no-trade list.

We got teased with a big trade before the halfway mark of the season. It will be interesting to see who’s next.