2017 NHL trade rumors: Yzerman Industries is continuing business
General Manager Steve Yzerman is working the phones this trade deadline to find buyers for Braydon Coburn, Jason Garrison, and Valtteri Filppula.
It seems that Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman is not done working the phones this trade deadline.
Yzerman Industries wide open for business. Shopping both Coburn and Garrison - both have full NTC. Stevie appears to be a man on a mission
— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) March 1, 2017
It should be noted that it is a bit odd that Coburn is being shopped, considering his extension is barely a year old and he has not been terrible this season. It is entirely possible that Yzerman is just working his options to try and maximize a return, but if a deal does go through then management is effectively saying, “the Coburn deal was a bad move.”
Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith highlights the fact that their No-Movement Clauses (NMCs) could complicate things.
Other than Filppula, moving Garrison/Coburn could create cap flexibility. Both have NTC so not easy. #tblightning. https://t.co/Q1oDFjuq2t
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) March 1, 2017
Moving Filppula makes sense. The Lightning are a bit crammed at the center position, and he has been pushed down the lineup by Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point. He’s expendable at this moment, but not because he has played poorly; Filppula has consistently been the team’s best faceoff man and one of their better penalty killers, however, his offensive production has slid while Johnson and Point have risen to supplement his offensive drop.
The speculation on Coburn and Garrison makes sense. We can see what the veteran defensemen can fetch, and hopefully free up some cap space in the process. Coburn could fetch at most a third-round pick, though a fourth or lower is more realistic for a third-pairing defender. Garrison might be harder to shop, he has had a rough season and would primarily be viewed as a power-play specialist with his hard shot. Anything from a sixth-round pick or higher would be considered a win in my eyes.
To recap the trades Yzerman has made over the past few days:
Traded Ben Bishop and a fifth-round pick (2017) to Los Angeles for Peter Budaj, Erik Cernak, a seventh-round pick (2017), and a conditional pick that is tied to LA’s playoff performance.
Traded Brian Boyle to Toronto for Byron Froese and a second-round pick (2017). The second-round pick will be will be the highest of the three second-round picks that Toronto owns.
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