NHL Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Jack Eichel, Tyler Bertuzzi and More

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Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

There are a lot of important dates coming up on the NHL calendar. Now that the offseason is here, things are going to be moving quickly over the next few weeks.

The expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken is set for July 21. Then, the 2021 NHL draft will take place July 23-24. Not long after that, free agency gets underway on July 28. So teams’ rosters could begin to greatly change before the end of the month.

There’s also the potential for trades to take place. And at this point, plenty of rumors regarding potential deals are continuing to circulate.

Here’s some of the latest buzz from around the NHL.

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Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

Will the Buffalo Sabres soon be trading Jack Eichel, whose name has been featured in trade rumors for quite some time? If they decide to deal the 24-year-old center, it may not be too soon.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, it’s looking “more likely” that Eichel won’t be traded until after the expansion draft on July 21. But there’s still a possibility that Eichel is going to be deal, and Friedman gave an idea of which teams may be interested in acquiring him.

“My guess is Anaheim, Calgary, Minnesota and Vegas, with Boston, the Rangers and possibly Los Angeles on the periphery,” Friedman wrote.

Eichel has spent his first six NHL seasons with the Sabres, and the team hasn’t experienced much success during that time. Buffalo has yet to make the playoffs since it took Eichel with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft.

This past season, Eichel was limited to 21 games due to a herniated disk in his neck. He’ll be looking to bounce back strong, even if he’s not still in Buffalo when he returns to the ice.

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Jeffrey McWhorter/Associated Press

Tyler Bertuzzi played only nine games during the 2020-21 season, as he suffered a back injury that eventually required him to undergo surgery in April. However, that isn’t stopping teams from showing interest in the 26-year-old forward on the trade market.

The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta recently reported that teams have reached out to the Detroit Red Wings about Bertuzzi and that the team is “not against moving him.” Among those “believed to have interest” are the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings.

Before this season, Bertuzzi was developing into a solid scoring option in Detroit. He had 47 points (21 goals and 26 assists) in 73 games in 2018-19, then recorded a career-high 48 points (21 goals and 27 assists) in 71 games in 2019-20.

Bertuzzi doesn’t currently have a contract for next season, as he’s set to be a restricted free agent. So it will be interesting to see whether that impacts if the Red Wings want to trade him or potentially keep the ability to re-sign him and bring him back to Detroit.

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Nick Wass/Associated Press

After 10 seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Jakub Voracek could be on the move for the first time in a decade. Because it appears the team and the 31-year-old forward may both want to part ways this offseason.

According to Friedman, Voracek and the Flyers have “discussed that it might be time for a change.” Plus, it’s expected he’ll be left unprotected for the expansion draft. If that’s the case, then Voracek could be heading to Seattle to join that franchise for its inaugural season.

If that doesn’t happen, there will still be a “legit attempt to move him” by Philadelphia, Friedman reported. Voracek still has three years remaining on his contract and will be an $8.25 million cap hit each of those three seasons, so interested teams could potentially get him for multiple years.

Voracek is a 13-year NHL veteran (spending his first three seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets), and he’s proven that he can still play at a high level. This past season, he had nine goals and 34 assists in 53 games.