Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Trade A Forward?

06/25/2018 at 7:54am EDT

Ansar Khan of Mlive answers questions from the fans...

Q. By taking two forwards in the first round, does this pave the way to trade a winger like Athanasiou or Svechnikov for a defenseman?

A. I think so. Athanasiou remains the most likely candidate and might just be a matter of when. I think they’ll give him one more season (or most of it) to show he can be more engaged on a consistent basis before looking to move him. It would be risky, since it's not easy to find someone with his combination of blazing speed and finishing ability.

Some might suggest moving Svechnikov to Carolina where he can play with his brother, Andrei, selected second overall on Friday, but I highly doubt the organization is ready to give up on him after a bad second season with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk is rumored to be on the trading block. He’s 26, has two years remaining on his contract at a $4.8 million cap hit and shoots right. The Hurricanes, however, have only five defensemen on their roster and four of them shoot right. It’s a weak free-agent class on defense, so if Carolina moves Faulk they might want a left-shooting defenseman in return.

In any event, I think Zadina will make the team in the fall. Since they were able to land Zadina, I don't think they'll purse Thomas Vanek in free agency, which they planned to do if they had selected a defenseman at No. 6 (Evan Bouchard would have been their choice if Zadina had been off the board).

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