Countdown to TradeCentre: Coyotes, Sabres to be... buyers?

The NHL's Mar. 21 Trade Deadline is approaching and teams are making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out today's trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TradeCentre on TSN and TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates.

Unlikely Suspects

The Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes have combined for just one playoff appearance in the past nine years and are set to take part in the draft lottery once again this season.

And while both teams are expected to ship off roster players this month, they may also look to do some buying of their own ahead of the trade deadline. 

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported Thursday the Sabres are shopping for a top-end defenceman to pair with 2021 No. 1 pick Owen Power when he arrives from the University of Michigan next season.

"Kevyn Adams - the general manager for the Buffalo Sabres - has let other general managers know that he is in the market for a top-end defenceman, somebody who can partner with Owen Power in the NHL, but also a character player who can help mentor him along, show him some of the ropes," Dreger said on Insider Trading. "There's not a high level of urgency here. They'd like to get something done between now and the deadline, but if they don't, then they are comfortable testing the unrestricted free agent market in the summer.

In Arizona, meanwhile, the Coyotes may be shopping for a different reason. Dreger reports the Coyotes, with less than $38 million committed in salary for next season, are looking for deals to help them reach the cap floor for the 2022-23 season.

"The cap is always going to be a hindrance, that's just the norm this time of year. But there are also budget teams out there that are more worried about the cash payout than they are about the actual cap hit. I think of the Arizona Coyotes as an example," Dreger said. "Maybe it's going to be a bit of an issue for the Coyotes to get to the floor for next season, so they're looking for bigger cap hits.

"Here's a player of interest, plays for the New Jersey Devils - Andreas Johnsson. He's in the third year of a four-year deal originally signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Signing bonus money of well over $8 million, but his final year pays a hard salary of $750,000. Now there is the signing bonus of $1.75 million but with a $3.4 million cap hit, that could help a team like Arizona with the cap, but also help them with a lower cash payout."

Johnsson, 27, acquired by the Devils from the Maple Leafs in 2020, has 11 goals and 28 points in 54 games this season. 

Staying with the Coyotes, one player they could be looking to move this month is rookie goaltender Karel Vejmelka. TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports the team has opened talks with the pending restricted free agent, but may look to trade him if they can't reach a deal before March 21.

"With (Marc-Andre) Fleury not guaranteed to be on the move, it actually shapes up as a rather thin goaltending market when we look towards the trade deadline and that could leave the Arizona Coyotes with a decision on a goaltender they like. That's Karel Vejmelka," Johnston said. "He's in his first NHL season this year. He's been one of the feel good stories for the Coyotes. As I mentioned, they like the player.

"They've engaged in extension talks on a new contract with his agent, but if they don't get a new deal leading up to the deadline, they are going to have to look at potentially moving him because he has less than a $900,000 cap hit and he's also one year away from potential unrestricted free agency, his arbitration rights as well. So that's a contract situation to watch because if he's not signed, he could be dealt."

The 25-year-old has a 9-21-1 record this season with a .904 save percentage and a 3.38 goals-against average after spending the past nine years in the Czech Republic League. 

Vejmelka, selected in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators, joined the Coyotes as a free agent last spring.

Room to Add?

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said Friday he'd like to add to his forward group, though finding the cap space to do so may prove difficult. 

"I feel pretty good about the depth of our team. Would we like to add a little bit up front? Yeah, that would be a fair statement," Hextall said. "I feel good, I don't feel like I have to do anything, but if we can get better I am going to try."

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports Hextall is hoping to land a top-six winger with term and would prefer to make a 'hockey deal' with a roster player moving out, if possible. 

Hextall's comments came after president of hockey operations Brian Burke said earlier this he was not expecting the team to make any major moves due to cap constraints.

“We're probably not going to be able to do much,” Burke told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We're capped out. I can't imagine we're going to do something big or noisy at the deadline.”

Burke dismissed the idea of sending money out, specifically for those who have pointed to dealing defenceman Michael Matheson and his $4.875 million cap hit to clear space.

“Some would say, well, we could move Mike Matheson,” Burke said. “We have no intention of moving Mike Matheson. We like him as a player. We like him as a person. We haven't even talked about Mike Matheson because we love the guy.”

The Penguins are currently over the salary cap, eating into the relief provided with winger Jason Zucker on injured reserve.

Burke dismissed the idea of keeping Zucker sidelined or looking to deal defenceman Marcus Pettersson (signed at just over $4 million) for the sake for freeing space.

“And we love both those guys,” Burke said. “Jason Zucker has been a really important player on our team,” Burke continued. “His production [six goals in 31 games] is not as high as his money. People might point at that and say, 'Well, given his production, he's expensive.' But he's a quality person. He's an important teammate on our team. He works his ass off.”

Pittsburgh currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division and would meet the New York Rangers in the first round if the playoffs started today.

Tuning it Out

Listed at No. 19 on the TSN Hockey Trade Bait Board, Ottawa Senators pending unrestricted free agent Nick Paul said Thursday he is tuning out the trade speculation ahead of March 21.

The 26-year-old forward has a career-high 10 goals already this season with 22 points in 56 games. He said last month he believed the uncertainty of his future did affect his play early in the year.

“Early on in the season I was more focused on trying to get points and trying to do that for my contract but all that did was make my play worse,” Paul said in February.

“I just kind of ignored everything and just decided to go with the flow. Not really pay attention to anything and let my agent handle that stuff. I don’t talk to him too much. I’m just playing hockey, trying to win and trying to make the team better. That’s all I’m really focused on right now.”

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has previously said his team will be seller again this deadline day, though TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger believes the team will only move Paul once they're sure an extension can't be reached.