5 Off-the-wall NHL Trade Predictions

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William
January 4, 2023 (2:37 PM)

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nhlrumors.com recently published five NHL trade predictions, which are purely speculation, but fun to discuss.

Here they are:

1) The Arizona Coyotes trade Jakob Chychrun to the Los Angeles Kings for Quinton Byfield... or Chychrun and Karel Vejmelka for Byfield and Cal Petersen.

The Chychrun trade rumors are getting old (because they are), he remains as an excellent choice for the Kings. They are doing quite well with a 22-13-6 record for 50 points. They are on track for over 100 points for the season. They still want to add a left-shooting defenceman and have an excess of right-shooting blueliners.

Whether the Kings want to unload the second overall pick from two years ago, is a good question. He only has five goals, 10 assists in 58 NHL games, he could really help the Coyotes rebuild. The Kings would need to throw in a first-round pick and perhaps another prospect to get GM Bill Armstrong's attention.

It would perhaps be a better trade for both teams if Chychrun and Vejmelka go to L.A. for Byfield and Cal Petersen. The Kings are hurting in net, and the Coyotes hopefully could get Petersen back on track as their starter.

2) The New York Rangers trade Alexis Lafreniere to the Vancouver Canucks � Lafreniere's former agent, Émilie Castonguay, is part of the Canucks management.

The Canucks need SOMETHING to get them out of their funk. Adding Lafreniere may just do it. The Canucks have several players they want to move, including forward Brock Boeser. Could Boeser be headed to New York?

3) The Carolina Hurricanes trade for either Bo Horvat or Ryan O'Reilly � either could be the last piece the Hurricanes need and could slide into the No. 2 center slot.

The Canes are looking better and better every game. They have surpassed the slumping New Jersey Devils and are atop of the Metro Division. Just imagining them adding players like O'Reilly or Horvat would put them in as Cup favorites.

4) The Chicago Blackhawks trade Jonathan Toews to the Winnipeg Jets for a draft pick and a prospect � May require someone, maybe Mark Scheifele, to play on the wing.

It seems that if Toews does move, it could very well be to his hometown of Winnipeg. He could really help the Jets with his leadership and excellent face-off percentage of 64.2 percent. Need a face-off won late in the game? Toews is your man.

5) The Anaheim Ducks trade their pending UFA defensemen � John Klingberg, while Kevin Shattenkirk and Dmitry Kulikov could also be moved. Klingberg has struggled in Anaheim so far, and at a $7 million cap hit, the Ducks will have to retain salary. The Toronto Maple Leafs could use a right-handed defenseman but would Klingberg be a good fit? If the Hurricanes can't add a No. 2 center, maybe they add someone like Klingberg to help their PP. If the St. Louis Blues get back in the race, Klingberg might make some sense. Former Blues defenseman Shattenkirk would cost less than Klingberg and could become an option for the Blues.

Lots of 'ifs', but teams will be looking for a move to help them as the season progresses.