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Off The Radar Targets

By Luke Finlay

Potential trade targets for have been a hot topic as of late within the Tampa Bay Lightning community. So, I decided to take my own stab at it. Here are the players that I think would make sense for the Lightning to acquire from here to the trade deadline on February 26th, 2018. By the way, these aren’t meant to be looked at as league-wide-interest guys. These are meant to be looked at as off-the-radar players.

Offense

1. Jesper Fast: 

Jesper Fast is 26 years old, a right winger, and is currently on the 4th line for the New York Rangers. Fast has currently played in 36 games this season and has accumulated 7 goals and 10 assists for a total of 17 points. Fast is now on his first year of his 3 year contract with an AAV (annual average earnings) of $1,850,000. I’m surprised his name hasn’t come up more with discussions of potential trade targets for the 3rd line wing spot next to Yanni Gourde and Alex Killorn. Not to mention, he can kill penalties while also producing an effective rate for a bottom 6 forward role. I think his trade value is worth a B or C level prospect with an additional 3rd or 4th round pick. I think a trade like this could happen considering the Lightning have kept their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks for the next 3+ years, while also having one of the best prospect pools in the league.

2. Charles Hudon:

I know. This may seem like a weird one especially since no one has said his name, or that he’s not on a lot of people’s radars. But hold on a second and just listen. Charles Hudon is Yanni Gourde-like to me. He is very cheap, and so cheap in fact he is currently on a 2 year deal with an AAV (annual average earnings) of $650,000. They are both cheap players who make a rich impact on their teams. I was watching the Canadiens and Islanders game last night and I was very impressed with his efforts on the puck and body. He can kill penalties and is currently on the 2nd power play unit for the Canadiens. It’s tough to say what his trade value is worth considering he is under the radar, but he would be a very nice addition to the team. Also, he is 23 years old and is a LW, but he can also play as a RW.

3. Connor Brown

Now this one is probably my favorite offensive target to look at. Connor Brown is a 4th line RW who currently plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Last year, he accumulated 20 goals on the 4th line. Brown is 24, and is currently on his first year of a three year contract lasting until the 2019-2020 season, with an AAV of $2,100,000. He’s a cheap and effective player you can count on to produce and bring effort night in and night out. He seems like a valuable asset to the Maple Leafs so I would say a B+ level prospect and a 3rd round draft pick would be fair.

Now let’s take a look at off-the-radar defensemen.

Defense— 

Itwas hard to find off the radar guys.

1. Colin Miller

Colin Miller is a RHD, who is 25 years old, and plays for the Vegas Golden Knights. This might be a hard one to pull off but I think it could be done. He is a very solid two-way defenseman. He currently has 5 goals, and 16 assists for a total of 21 points in 42 GP. He is currently on his last year of his contract and will be an RFA at the end of the season. He currently has an AAV of an even $1,000,000. It’s tough for me to say what we would give up to get him, but he seems like a puck moving defenseman that the Lightning need at the moment.

2. Trevor Van Reimsdyk 

Trevor is currently on the last year of his contract and has an AAV of $825,000. He’s right handed and can have 20-or even 30-point seasons if he’s having a good year. He currently plays for the Carolina Hurricanes, and has 1 goal and 7 assists for a total of 8 points in 42 GP. He can be a nice fit for the Lightning to help add more depth to the blue line. Again, I’m probably going to say this for every defenseman, but it’s tough for me to see what we’d be willing to give up to get one of these guys.

3. Brendan Carlo

Carlo is 21, right handed, and an astonishing 6’5” and is 208 lbs. He’s been a solid defenseman for the Boston Bruins thus far and he’s a similar guy to TVR (previous defenseman) for me. He’s cheap and is currently on a contract lasting until the end of the 2020 season and has an AAV of $789,167. He’s big, young, and is on a cheap contract.

Ok, that’s it from me. I hope this intrigued you and made you go, “Ohhhhh yeah I forgot about these guys”. Also, it’s more likely as of late, for Yzerman to look internally to Syracuse for a call up on the offensive side of things. Thanks for reading.

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