Hello, I thought something different I could write about was scouting out the possible noteworthy names that could dealt at the upcoming January 2017 trade deadline. What I'll do is, in descending order is decipher ten of the biggest game changers that given the right offer could be moved and list plausible destinations with ultimately deciding on where I think said player will land. I completely understand that every player on this list isn't guaranteed to be moved, in fact I suspect no more than four will but for fun will complete the list of ten.
10.Zach Sawchenko(Moose Jaw)
This is an interesting one. Sawchenko entered the Western Hockey League with high praise but has followed it up with inconsistent play. What would make this trade difficult for Tim Hunter and co is how do you sell to your fan base that you're serious about winning when you elect to ship away your soon to be nineteen year old goaltender. The emergence of Brody Wilms(.902 Save percentage) has opened up the possibility for a team that I was convinced would look to move Wilms in the pre-season.
Possible Destinations: Seattle, Medicine Hat, Kootenay,Spokane:
FINAL DESTINATION: Kootenay
Yes the Ice have Peyton Lee but beyond Lee don't have much in the stable, The acquisition of Sawchenko would provide stability beyond this year.
9.Devante Stephens(Kelowna)
Devante who I was very high on at the end of the last season has been in an out of Jason Smith's dog house. General Manager Bruce Hamilton made the peculiar transaction shipping out seventeen year old defenceman Jonathan Smart whilst bringing in fellow nineteen year old James Hilsendager. Stephens has been tremendous for a surging Kelowna team of late but with the decision to bring in another veteran defenceman, one would think Hamilton will look to replenish some younger assets for a middling team.
Possible Destinations:Medicine Hat, Seattle, Moose Jaw, Lethbridge.
FINAL DESTINATION: Moose Jaw
The player before Stephens was Sawchenko being traded away and now you're thinking why does he envision Moose Jaw acquiring a veteran after just shipping one out. Well, it speaks to the faith they have in Wilms and I honestly believe they're convinced they can compete with Regina in a playoff series.
8.Cam Hebig(Saskatoon)
There's been a bit of a mystery brewing around the state of Hebig's ailment but the fact of the matter when assessing the state of Saskatoon's overagers next year(Flodell,McCarty and Shmyr) one of these will naturally and even though I may or may not include Shmyr later, at the end of the day one will stay and one will likely go hense why in the opening I stated I'm not naive enough to expect more then four of these to actually be traded. If up to full health Cameron could conceivably reach the twenty goal plateau in the second half alone which makes him an intriguing asset.
Possible Destinations: Regina,Everett,Kamloops.
FINAL DESTINATION: Everett
The Zwerger transaction aside, the fact of the matter is they've only accumulated ninety three goals for. To legitimally contend they would need at least one more scoring forward.
7.Zak Zborosky(Kootenay)
Zborosky is almost certainly the league's biggest enigma. The question hovering around Cranbrook is has General Manager Jeff Chynoweth set the price tag too high on Zak. When you analyze the package that was returned for fellow twenty year old Ryan Graham you can only begin to speculate what the cost truly is, Working against Kootenay is the dwindling number of teams scouring over an impact twenty.
Possible Destinations:Tri-City, Swift Current
FINAL DESTINATION: Swift Current
I remain skeptical that Zborosky ends up getting moved but with the open overager spot in Speedy Creek that appears to be the one logical spot. Swift's direction is a little unknown, bringing in Zborosky would send a strong message across the rest of the league.
6.Braylon Shmyr(Saskatoon)
My comments about Braylon are applicable to those of Cam Hebig aside from Braylon not having that injury cloud hanging over this head. Braylon left Brandon hoping to receive an increased role and I would say his time in Saskatoon has been met with mixed results. Thirty-six points a year ago I construe majorly disappointing because while a member of the Wheat Kings I thought we were on the precipus of a budding superstar.
Possible Destinations:Everett,Tri-City, Kamloops,Regina
FINAL DESTINATION: Regina
At the end of the day I think Shmyr is the perfect fit for the third line winger position beside Jake Leschsyshyn. Everyone talks about Regina's spotty defence and goaltending and for good reason but what worries me more and this may come off as surprising due to the fact that they've scored a myriad goals is scoring consistency beyond the top two lines.
5.Adam Musil(Red Deer)
If you took my latest edition of the Power Rankings to heart, you'll easily grab onto the assertion that I'm not the biggest proponent of the direction of the Red Deer Rebels however am a huge proponent of Adam Musil the player. He's a rugged player who can succeed on a top line just as well as he could in a checking, grinding third line role. Being the captain of the Rebels, Head Coach and General Manager of the Rebels may have a difficult time delivering that phone call but unquestionably would be a welcome addition to a contending team.
Possible Destinations: Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Prince George
FINAL DESTINATION: Medicine Hat
Admittedly teams aren't generally too keen making in division trades but when I look at the Tigers what's the biggest detriment to their current nucleus? That would be their lack of grit and Musil would be an excellent compliment to the likes of Mason Shaw and Chad Butcher.
4.Aaron Irving(Edmonton)
I don't know if there's a more underrated defenceman in the Western Hockey League then Aaron Irving. Irving entered his "prime" at unfortunately the wrong time as his entire usefulness as a player has been marred in a lengthy Oil Kings re-tool coming off their 2013 Championship run. The obvious thing working against Edmonton in trade negotiations is his age, 20. Although Irving could admirably fit in to a lot of programs there are sadly not many teams who are in need of a twenty upgrade.
Possible Destinations: Swift Current,Tri-City,Lethbridge.
FINAL DESTINATION: Tri-City
For what it's worth, I'd give Aaron a 90% likelihood of not being dealt but when overlooking Tri-City's depth chart one wonders whether Aaron would be a tangible upgrade over Dalton Yorke which he would be in my estimation. The one question is though would Bob Tory stomach the thought of expending assets in a season where at the best case scenario they're the third best team in the U.S Division.
3.Tyler Benson(Vancouver)
Can Vancouver finally admit that the rebuild that was built around Benson has failed and the time has come to cut the cord? I don't quite know the answer but what I do know is because Benson has two years remaining the price tag would be extraordinate. I think there's a misconception about what kind of player Benson projects to be. He's not an individual who will carry the play with the puck always on his stick but the strengths of his game are his board work and willingness to drive the net. On a very good Western Hockey League team he's a second liner and I'm sure Tyler wouldn't be happy to hear that but such has been his slow career progression.
Possible Destinations: Regina, Seattle, Everett, Prince George
FINAL DESTINATION: Everett
If you would've asked me a month or two ago I probably would've sided towards Regina as being the paramount destination but after further consideration keep in mind that is an Everett organization that has yet to win a WHL title and with Carter Hart and Noah Juulsen in two, two cogs that expect to be major players for the Canadian World Junior entry the onus will be on the organization to give this real run an honest effort and what bigger splash could be made then the Benson acquisiton.
2.Ty Ronning(Vancouver)
If you watch tapes of his father Cliff and then revert to current video of son Ty, there's an uncanny resemblance for the way they conduct themselves. A lot "experts" will tell you that size works against Ty which it does but there's a certain level of grittiness that he plays with that makes him a valued commodity. He's a battler and with his goal scoring acumen widely celebrated,thirty one last season he will be a cheaper but important addition for most teams.
Possible Destinations: Swift Current, Prince George,Tri-City, Kamloops.
FINAL DESTINATIONS: Kamloops
This boils down to Kamloops wanting to make a splash without sacrificing many future assets. Collin Shirley, Rudolfs Balcers, and Matt Revel would be very happy to have Ty brought in to the fold to take some pressure off their respective shoulders.
1.Jake Bean(Calgary)
This has the making of being a very difficult trade to orchestrate because of a few different reasons. First and foremost Calgary will have a natural hesitance to trade away their franchise player because even though Calgary sits well back of a playoff spot, it's real wide open from the second wildcard spot and holding on to Bean could be enough to squeak in. However is just squeaking in enough for this proud franchise? And likely what will make this possible transaction near impossible is because he's a two year player he won't be sent away lightly. If you thought the value of Benson was going to be crazy, it would pale in comparison to what Jake could bring back. Due to all of these reasons listed, I'm just not sure a trade happens now even though it would have positive rippling effects for years to come.
Possible Destinations: Regina, Medicine Hat, Brandon, Seattle.
FINAL DESTINATION: Seattle
I don't think Russ Farwell is going to concern himself with the fact that he's a 1998 born player Farwell is well aware that if a banner is going to raised to the rafters in Kent, Washington the time is now to be all-in and even if that means exploring the possibility of trading Bean away again next trade deadline I think you do it.
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