NHL Rumour Roundup: Blues' Brayden Schenn drawing trade interest

Less than a month remains until the NHL trade deadline arrives, and one team seemingly poised to be at the centre of the action is the St. Louis Blues.

It’s been a rough go for the Blues in 2024-25, the club currently sitting 24th in the league overall, with a few teams separating St. Louis from a wild-card spot. After missing the post-season the past two seasons, it appears GM Doug Armstrong could be looking to shuffle his roster before the March 7 deadline arrives — at the very least, he’s open to fielding some offers.

“You know, if you’ve been looking at some of the trade boards, including Sportsnet’s, they’re suddenly full of a lot of Blues players,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. “What it says to me is that Doug Armstrong has basically said, ‘You want to talk to me about my guys? Talk to me. Make me an offer, and I’ll think.’”

One name that’s continued to draw particular interest around the league is Blues captain Brayden Schenn. The 33-year-old has spent nearly a decade in St. Louis after stints with Philadelphia and Los Angeles, but with the club’s playoff hopes dwindling again, a move for the eight-time 20-goal-scorer is looking more likely.

“I think in Schenn’s particular case, when his name got out last week, there was a lot of interest. There were a number of teams that reached out. I don’t know specifics, but I heard that [Armstrong] asked a big price, and not only that, but I think there were some teams that were told, ‘You just don’t have what I want for him,’” Friedman said of the centreman. “They’re disappointed by the way they’ve played. It doesn’t mean [Armstrong’s] going to trade eight guys. But what it does mean is that he’s willing to listen on a lot of his guys.”

While a number of teams have been reported to be in the mix for Schenn’s services — the Toronto Maple Leafs among the landing spots that would seem to make sense — Friedman said a different contender stood out to him: the Vegas Golden Knights.

“I don’t know if they have what St. Louis wants, but the team that immediately jumped into my mind was Vegas,” he said. “Toronto, sure, because we know Toronto’s looking for a centre, and that’s a [Brad] Treliving kind of guy, but Vegas really jumped in my mind, because Brayden Schenn played for [Golden Knights GM] Kelly McCrimmon in the Western Hockey League.

“And you don’t underestimate Kelly McCrimmon — when he decides he wants someone, he will do what it takes to try and get that person.”

Could the Oilers bring in Gibson as their new No. 1?

Elsewhere out west, longtime Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson’s name is once again in the mix. The 31-year-old, who’s at times been considered among the game’s very best, has been plying his trade for nearly a decade in a Ducks sweater. And with a potential move once again on the table, it seems the Edmonton Oilers could be in the mix for the veteran’s services.

“One of the things I’d heard during the season was that Gibson’s preferences were Edmonton and Carolina,” Friedman told Kyle Bukauskas in Monday’s episode of their podcast. However, Friedman noted the exact fit in Alberta might not align with what Gibson is looking for in a new club. “The Edmonton thing is really interesting. Someone told me there was some talk about the Oilers and Gibson, and the one thing I heard was that Gibson wants a situation where he’s going to be the No. 1, and it’s sort of going to be his job. He wants to be The Guy. So, I don’t know if a Gibson-Skinner duo is going to work for him. … I think Gibson wants the chance to go on a run and prove he can be The Guy on a top team. So, if it’s the Gibson-Skinner combo, I’m not sure that’s going to appeal to him.”

With the Oilers fresh off a Stanley Cup Final appearance, and surely looking to get back there again in 2025, a move for Gibson would be an intriguing one. But per Friedman, the interest may have cooled at the moment, due to Stuart Skinner’s presence as the club’s current starter.

“I don’t know if it is still as likely as I thought it might have been early in the season, for that reason,” he said. “We’ll see how it all goes, but I heard that could potentially be a factor.”

Montreal may move Evans, Armia — but only if the price is right

Out east, another Canadian team is eyeing some movement before the deadline. Two Montreal Canadiens depth forwards have heard their names mentioned among the trade deadline chatter: 28-year-old Jake Evans and 31-year-old Joel Armia.

But according to Friedman, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes isn’t likely to deal either away simply for the sake of making a deal.

“So far, from Kent Hughes’ body of work, there’s a little bit of, ‘We set the price, and if you don’t meet the price, we’re not going to move [the player],’” Friedman explained. “He’s got a big price on Evans — probably I think a second-round pick is what he’d like to get — and I think the same goes for [Joel] Armia. Armia doesn’t get the same amount of attention, but there’s a few teams out there looking at him.” 

Playing out his sixth year in a Canadiens sweater, Evans has 11 goals and 27 points to his name so far this season. The veteran Armia, meanwhile, has 10 goals and 24 points in his seventh Canadiens campaign. Beyond the pair, it appears there could be other deals to be made for Montreal, too, as the organization looks to shift away from stockpiling futures and towards improving their current roster.

“I think we’re all focused on Montreal’s rentals, but I think they’re very interested in making hockey trades,” Friedman said of the Canadiens. “I think Montreal would like to do a little more, add a more impact player, but that obviously isn’t for a draft pick. That’s probably taking something valuable off their prospect pool — not [Ivan] Demidov or anything like that — or off their roster. … I think they’re interested in bigger hockey trades that can make them better, if they find a match.”

Veteran Tarasenko could be on the move yet again

After more than a decade in St. Louis, Vladimir Tarasenko has been on a tour of the big leagues recently, suiting up for the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings over the past few seasons. And 53 games into his Red Wings tenure, there’s talk of another potential move for the six-time 30-goal-scorer.

“If you look at how [the Red Wings] have gone, he’s sort of the one guy that has been the odd fit,” Friedman said of the 33-year-old winger. “He has a no-trade clause, so ultimately he has control. … As the team’s gotten better, and some players have started to play better, it has still been a bit of a square peg in a round hole for Tarasenko.”

In terms of potential landing spots, Friedman mentioned a return to the Panthers as one noteworthy possibility.

“You know, Florida doesn’t have a lot of flexibility, they don’t have a lot to deal, and they don’t have a lot of cap room. But they know the player,” he said. “I bet Tarasenko would love to go back there too. I don’t know where this is going to go, but I just think it’s safe to say there’s something going on there.

“I think there’s an understanding that this has been a harder fit than everybody expected. And I’ve been told by a couple of different places, ‘Don’t be surprised if something happens here.’”

Clarity coming on availability of Islanders’ Nelson

Longtime New York Islanders stalwart Brock Nelson has seen his name floated among the rumour mill of late, with the 33-year-old playing out the final year of the six-year, $36-million pact he signed back in 2019. 

A reliable depth scorer, who’s topped the 30-goal plateau in each of the past three seasons, there are surely a number of teams who would be interested in the big-bodied forward’s services. According to Friedman, we’ll soon find out whether he’s truly available to be moved, or whether he’ll be re-signing with the only NHL club he’s ever known.

“I do think this is the time that the Islanders are going to take their real run at it. Lou Lamoriello has told teams that they want to sign him,” Friedman said. “It’s so hard to know the truth with [Lamoriello]. … But I did hear from a couple places on Saturday that this is going to be crunch time for the Islanders to sign Nelson. And I think they want to do it. 

“I think we’ll get clarity over the next week or so on whether or not he’s going to be on the market, or there’s any chance of him staying.”

Aside from Nelson, there’s been plenty of chatter around young Islanders defender Noah Dobson, too — after a 70-point campaign from the back end just last season, there’s no question the list of suitors for the 25-year-old would be lengthy. But it doesn’t appear the Islanders are necessarily shopping their blue-line talisman.

“I had heard about six weeks ago that Dobson’s name had kind of been out there, and I just couldn’t find anything. I didn’t go anywhere with it, because I wasn’t sure that I was right,” Friedman said. “I don’t think he’s generally been out there — there’s too many teams who hadn’t heard it. So I’ll say this: if Dobson was discussed, it was discussed in a specific case, or two, or how many it was. That there was one specific team, or one specific player, that the Islanders were looking at, and if they had gone down the road on that trade, then Dobson might’ve been included. I think that’s the fairest way to look at all of this.”

Another Rantanen deal still possible with deadline looming

Without question, the biggest trade we’ve seen in the league so far this year is the one that sent longtime Colorado Avalanche leader Mikko Rantanen to Carolina, a stunning move that shook up both clubs.

Still, it appears there’s a chance the Hurricanes might not be Rantanen’s final landing spot when all is said and done. According to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos — who has kept Rantanen atop his Trade Board — much depends on whether a new contract can be inked for the veteran, who’s in line for a sizeable raise on the $9.25 million he’s earning at the moment, in the final year of his deal.

“The word I’m getting is that [the Hurricanes] were willing to make this trade, but I’m not sure they were willing to watch another top player walk out the door for nothing,” Kypreos said on Friday’s episode of Real Kyper & Bourne, referring to the Canes swinging big for Jake Guentzel at last year’s deadline, before watching him sign in Tampa Bay as a free agent soon after. “Especially when you consider that [Martin] Necas is a very good hockey player, who had another year at $6.5 million — that’s a heck of an asset with tremendous value. 

“So that’s the theory behind that. As of this week, my understanding is that there’s no significant ground, or talks, about Rantanen signing in Carolina just yet. Anything can change at any moment, but it’s going to take a big number for Carolina to lock this guy down.”