Could the trade market include several goaltenders? Here’s a recap of this week in NHL trade rumors.
The NHL trade rumors market is starting to pick up in the month of December. Teams are getting bold and are willing to trade some interesting players. Perhaps motivated by the expansion draft and free agency, several goaltenders could be on the move, as could a surprising young defenseman.
Could the Pittsburgh Penguins move both Marc-Andre Fleury and Derrick Pouliot? What’s up with Karri Ramo? Might the Tampa Bay Lightning be willing to trade Ben Bishop and what could they get in return? What’s the latest on Ryan Spooner? Here’s a recap of the names to watch this week in trade rumors.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
5. Could the Penguins trade Derrick Pouliot?
The Pittsburgh Penguins are on a roll — since Nov. 23, no team has more goals. Much of that success is owed to their impressive blue line. When things are going well, you don’t want to change anything. This creates a bit of an issue for the Penguins with young defenseman Derrick Pouliot returning soon. Pittsburgh knows he needs playing time, but it won’t be easy to give it to him, and even Pouliot knows his future with the Penguins is up in the air.
“I’m not too sure (of what the future holds),” Pouliot said, via Post-Gazette. “We’ll have to see where things go down the road here. Trades happen. You never know what could unfold.”
The expansion draft could play into this because the Penguins have to protect him. There’s a very good chance the Vegas Golden Knights would choose him. At worst, they’re certainly going to consider it. Here’s the Catch-22. How do you get a young defenseman playing time when he can’t crack the lineup? Granted, they could send him down to the AHL. But that’s not a long-term solution.
Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
4. Where will Karri Ramo play?
Karri Ramo could be an interesting commodity. Coming off an ACL injury last season, the former Calgary Flames goaltender has a try out agreement with the Toronto Marlies. While Ramo’s playing for them, technically he’s still a free agent. Considering the Toronto Maple Leafs put Jhonas Enroth on waivers earlier this week, he’s an obvious fit for them.
However, there are some other teams out there looking for goaltending. Pierre LeBrun of ESPN believes the Los Angeles Kings could sign him. This would make a lot of sense given the Kings need to shore up their goaltending with Jonathan Quick out. Jeff Zatkoff has not been impressive, so Ramo is a great fit for them.
The weird part is several teams might be interested in him at the trade deadline, but not necessarily because of his ability. Ramo could draw interest from teams like the Penguins and Montreal Canadiens thanks to the expansion draft. A goaltender from each franchise must be exposed. And there are rules about playing time and contract situation. There are some easy solutions, but Ramo could prove to be one, especially for the Canadiens and Penguins. They would have to extend him for a year, but they could always hide him in the AHL or ECHL for the 2017-18 season.
Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
3. Update on Ryan Spooner
Earlier this season, Boston Bruins forward Ryan Spooner found himself involved in NHL trade rumors. The Bruins wanted to move him for a defenseman. Now, according to CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty, they’re looking to move him for a forward.
Spooner might not be a fit for Boston. He is a fourth line wing for them and with Frank Vatrano coming back soon, he might not have a spot in the lineup. Haggerty reports the Bruins are looking to trade him for a top six forward. Obviously, there would have to be more in the package for this to happen. But he could be the centerpiece of a deal for someone.
The Bruins would still be better off trading Spooner with a draft pick for a defenseman. Someone like Kevin Shattenkirk could make a lot of sense. So would Tyler Myers of the Winnipeg Jets. Apparently, one of the teams interested in Spooner is the Vancouver Canucks. They probably don’t have what the Bruins want as far as immediate help, though.
Through his first 25 games of the season, Spooner has nine points. He clearly has value, but will the Bruins be selling low on him? They could get a great player if they play their cards right, but they’d also be giving out a potentially great player in Spooner.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
2. What about Marc-Andre Fleury?
Going into the offseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins had a difficult decision to make. After Matt Murray emerged as the starting goaltender and led the Pens to their fourth Stanley Cup, they had to make a decision on Marc-Andre Fleury. Pittsburgh decided to keep him as insurance. At first, it looked smart thanks to an injury to Murray. Now, not so much. He has an 8-5-3 record with a .900 save percentage, the lowest of his career since the 2005-06 season. Fleury’s 3.42 GAA is his highest since his rookie season in 2003-04.
The Penguins have to solve this problem. He has a limited no-movement clause, so Fleury might not be able to be exposed at the expansion draft. Pittsburgh’s goaltender could, however, waive it. And he would have reason to do so. With Murray as the starter, Fleury might want a fresh new start.
Of course, the Penguins would lose him for nothing. So trading him is an option. However, if they trade him, they’d need to trade for another goaltender because of the expansion draft rules. As stated earlier, Karri Ramo makes sense for them. Keep in mind the Penguins don’t have any other goaltenders eligible for the expansion draft. How Pittsburgh handles Fleury from here on out will dictate their expansion draft strategy.
Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
1. Ben Bishop on the move?
The Tampa Bay Lightning faced a very similar situation to the Pittsburgh Penguins this offseason. They already had Ben Bishop, but they also had promising young netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who replaced Bishop in the playoffs. Much like the Penguins, the Lightning could regret not selling high on their goaltender.
Matt Larkin of The Hockey News believes Tampa Bay should trade the 2015-16 Vezina Trophy finalist. The Lightning, as Larkin points out, need to trade for some talent. They have a surplus of talent at goalie. He also points out Vasilevskiy is ready to be the number one goaltender. It’s a small sample size, but so far this season, Vasilevskiy (.930 save percentage in 10 games) is outplaying Bishop (.910 save percentage in 18 games).
Unlike Fleury, the Lightning’s goaltender is a free agent after this season. So just like Pittsburgh, Tampa could lose a very good player for nothing. While a trade probably isn’t imminent, keep an eye on the Lightning. If Vasilevskiy continues to outperform Bishop and prove he’s ready to handle a starting role, Tampa Bay could decide to make a change. And it will most likely involve Bishop. Teams like the Dallas Stars or a team needing goaltending (Winnipeg Jets, perhaps?) will definitely show interest.
More from FanSided
This article originally appeared on 
