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NAPLES, FLA. — The NHL's 30 general managers had barely finished their official business Monday morning when a news bulletin put a lot more excitement into their unofficial business – trade talks.
When free-agent centre Peter Forsberg announced he has decided against a comeback, at least for this season, it gave a trio of sellers a huge advantage. Jay Feaster of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Don Waddell of the Atlanta Thrashers and Jacques Martin of the Florida Panthers have the best forwards available before the trade deadline on Feb. 26.
Some may think it also helps Toronto Maple Leafs interim GM Cliff Fletcher, who may or may not be trying to trade centre Mats Sundin. Sundin has refused to waive the no-trade clause in his contract, and Fletcher said Monday he had no significant trade talks on the first day of the meetings.
“This will break the logjam,” Feaster said of the effect the Forsberg news will have on the trade market.
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- Anaheim Ducks
- Atlanta Thrashers
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Florida Panthers
- Los Angeles Kings
- Minnesota Wild
- Ottawa Senators
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Vancouver Canucks
- Rob Blake
- Dan Boyle
- Peter Forsberg
- Marian Hossa
- Olli Jokinen
- Tomas Kaberle
- Brad Richards
- Mats Sundin
Feaster, who joined the ranks of the sellers after a key loss by the Lightning last Saturday, is shopping forwards Brad Richards and Vinny Prospal. Waddell is listening to offers for winger Marian Hossa, and Martin is doing the same for centre Olli Jokinen.
Prospal and Hossa can become unrestricted free agents on July 1, while Richards must waive a no-movement clause in his contract to be traded.
“Probably there will be some kind of domino effect,” said Brian Burke of the Anaheim Ducks, who is looking for a high-scoring centre, but was not part of the Forsberg hunt. “We were already informed by Mr. Baizley that we were not in the running [for Forsberg], so we're not going to buy any Kleenex and start crying.”
Don Baizley, Forsberg's agent, informed the teams on the player's short list Monday that his client was unlikely to play this season because of a chronic foot problem. Forsberg has had the problem for years and it kept him out of the NHL this season. This was bad news for the Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks, all of whom were in the running for Forsberg. But it was great news for Feaster, Waddell and Martin.
Feaster would not confirm or deny he is shopping Richards, who is having a subpar season with 49 points in 59 games, but is playing much better of late. In addition to the no-move clause, Richards also has three years left on his contract at a hefty $7.8-million (all currency U.S.) a year, which could scare off some teams.
The tipping point for Feaster was the Lightning's loss to Washington last Saturday. Their only chance to make the Eastern Conference playoffs was to win the Southeast Division title, but the loss left them eight points out of the division lead with 23 games to play.
By Monday, Feaster was talking like a seller. He said the Lightning have made the playoffs four years in a row and it is time to think about realizing something for players who are about to become unrestricted free agents. He has several in that category, including Prospal and defenceman Dan Boyle.
“I felt that was a really tough loss in terms of our hopes to win that division,” Feaster said. “I think we've reached the point if we're not getting guys signed, we have to look at trying to get assets back.”
However, Feaster is hoping to hang on to Boyle, even though he is coveted by other teams because of his ability to move the puck and run the power play. Feaster is talking about a new contract with Boyle and his agent and hopes Boyle's ties to the community will make a difference.
“He's engaged to a local lady and his agent told me regardless of what happens, he plans to build a home in Tampa,” Feaster said.
The most attractive forward, from a contract standpoint, is Jokinen, who has 59 points in 61 games. The Panthers' star has two years left on his contract at $5.25-million and $5.5-million, and he does not have a no-trade clause.
Two other high-profile players insisted Monday they will not go on the market. Defencemen Rob Blake of the Los Angeles Kings and Tomas Kaberle of the Maple Leafs said they have no intention of waiving their no-trade clauses.
Nothing concrete came out of the GMs' discussions about various league issues, from the size of goaltenders' equipment to establishing a research and development department. They discussed the issues in small groups and all 30 will meet today to try for a consensus on them.
