NHL Players on Alert for Trades as Four Nations Face-Off Begins, Per Elliotte Friedman
Despite the fact that the NHL is on pause for nearly two weeks during the 4 Nations Face-Off, it's expected that trades will go on and players could be dealt.
Speculation has been that trade activity across the NHL will really start to heat up during the Four Nations Face-Off break, and recent developments would suggest that speculation is well-founded.
On Sunday evening, Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans spoke to the media in a way that certainly sounded like he was done with the Canadiens.
His referencing of his time with the team in the past tense set off instantaneous speculation that Evans was about to be traded.
"As of now that makes it more likely Evans gets dealt before the March 7 deadline."
- Pierre LeBrun
Elliotte Friedman believes several trades will happen during the break
Then on Monday morning, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that a player had called him with a feeling he'd be moved during the tournament. Further calls to other players gave the sense that big roster moves might be afoot.
"I had one player who told me... he thinks he's gonna get traded over the Four Nations," revealed Friedman during the 32 Thoughts podcast.
"I guess some players have been told, I don't know if by their teams or their agents or who it is, but they think there is gonna be action," revealed Friedman.
It would appear some players have already played their last game with their current teams, returning from the break in a different jersey.
"There certainly is that feeling around there that some guys will not return to where they are," concluded Friedman.
Evans seems to be one of them, and as the tournament heads toward its conclusion, it will be interesting to see who else finds themselves on the move.
POLL |
FEVRIER 10 | 302 ANSWERS NHL Players on Alert for Trades as Four Nations Face-Off Begins, Per Elliotte Friedman Will there be a lot of trades during the 4 Nations break? |
Yes | 145 | 48 % |
No | 157 | 52 % |
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