As the Stanley Cup Final gets going, all eyes will be on Conn Smythe Trophy candidate Matthew Tkachuk, who has arguably established himself as the second-best player in the world during an incredible season.
He’s had the type of year that leaves fans and GMs wondering, “Why can’t we make a Matthew Tkachuk trade like the Florida Panthers did?” We’ve discussed the idea in this space that the NHL is a copycat league and that other teams might try to make a big splash like Florida did. Whether we think that’s realistic or not, let’s play along for this Roundtable:
If you’re trying to make your own ‘Matthew Tkachuk Trade’ this offseason, who are you targeting and why?I’d love to pick Andrei Svechnikov as a buy low, but with his long-term deal at an amazingly cost-efficient AAV, I can’t see Carolina moving him. So I’ll be more realistic and say, who happens to be from the same draft class as Tkachuk, chosen three picks earlier in 2016. Like Tkachuk a year ago, Dubois enters the summer as an unsigned RFA and rumored to be wanting a change of scenery.