Report: Significant trades WILL TAKE PLACE in the next 5 days!

The holiday trade freeze runs from December 19 to the 27th this year, and it seems like a lot trades will take place before the break. NHL insider Bob McKenzie was on a Friday morning radio hit with Montreal’s TSN 690, and gave additional details on his report from the prior evening on TSN’s Insider Trading.

“Well, there’s actually an incredible amount of trade talk going on,” revealed McKenzie. “I’ve talked to some general managers over the past week and they all say the same thing, that for the week before the freeze there’s a lot more talk than there usually is.

“And I think that’s a function of as close as things are in the National Hockey League, it doesn’t feel so close for the L.A. Kings or the St. Louis Blues or the Chicago Blackhawks or the Philadelphia Flyers. Those four teams in particular, but not exclusive to them, that’s driving a lot of trade talk.

“There’s some major strategy shifts going to happen here with teams. The L.A. Kings did not expect - not even close did they think they would be one of the worst teams in the league. So this necessitates Rob Blake and his entire management team and ownership in coming up with a plan for the rest of the year, for the next few years."

McKenzie isn't the only insider in the league to report that trades appear to be on the verge of taking place as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Chris Johnston and Nick Kypreos, all expect to see a deal announced very soon.

Friedman believes the majority of the NHL's GMs are currently in serious discussions to try to improve their rosters and many could move imminently. He notes that the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings are particularly worth watching before the holiday freeze kicks off... 

Pierre LeBrun of TSN also reported that the Hurricanes had a deal in place to acquire a top-six striker from a Western team but he said the transaction was aborted at the last minute. We must therefore expect to see them aggressive in the coming days.

According to Ducks general manager Bob Murray, the market was handcuffed in recent weeks as everyone in the league was waiting to see how the impasse between the William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs would be settled before making a move of their own. Now that they know what's is in place, the market will suddenly explode. 

Let's keep watching!