from Matt Larkin of The Hockey News,
It’s a virtual guarantee some marquee names move next week in Buffalo, with all 30 GMs scurrying around the First Niagara Center’s floor. Who are the top 10 draft-day trade candidates? Ponder these players, ranked from least to most likely.
1. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
Every Matt Murray playoff start pounded a nail into the coffin of Fleury’s Pittsburgh tenure. Switching back to Murray after Fleury took the reins during the Eastern Conference final was the ultimate vote of confidence for Pittsburgh’s freshman netminder, and winning a Cup with Murray etched his name alongside Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and Cam Ward in great rookie champion lore. There’s just no way the Penguins can reinstall Fleury in their crease next season as long as Murray plays for them – not even after Fleury’s best regular season in years, not even if he’s healthy, and not even when he leads the franchise in all-time wins.
The expansion draft dilemma makes the decision even easier for GM Jim Rutherford. A goaltender will have to go, Fleury’s limited no-trade clause does not protect him, he carries a $5.75-million cap hit for three more seasons, and a goalie almost 10 years his junior just took Pittsburgh to the Cup. A Fleury trade will happen, and he should welcome it. He’s only 31, with many good years left, and he’s already 18th on the NHL’s all-time wins list with 357. He has a chance to crack the NHL’s top two all-time. He trails Roy by 194 wins, meaning Fleury could pass him by averaging roughly 32 wins for six more seasons. If I’m Fleury, I want to my waive no-trade. Both parties should work to make this deal happen. How about on draft day? Jim Nill and Brad Treliving should be all ears.
nine more names plus honorable mentions...
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