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.
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…