NHL Trade 2015: As Deadline Nears, These Players Could be Traded

The 2015 NHL Trade concluded on March 2, with a number of notable players changing jerseys.

Yahoo! Sports reported that the trade speculations for 2015 do not involve big names compared to 2014 when players like Martin St. Louis were transferred.

The Florida Panthers acquired forward Jaromir Jagr from the New Jersey Devils. Jagr had 29 points in the season and will be a big help for the Panthers to improve their rankings from No. 9 in the Eastern Conference.

Jeff Petry of the Edmonton Oilers was bound to transfer, after the team failed to re-sign him. Edmonton may also be trading forwards Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall, considering its last placing in the Western Conference. The Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens are said to be interested in Petry.

Antoine Vermette of the Arizona Coyotes enters free agency after the season and is speculated to test other teams. In the same Yahoo! Sports report, the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers are said to be interested in the 32-year-old.

Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes is also expected to be traded back to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Staal was an asset to the Penguins when the team won the Stanley Cup by garnering 49 points and 22 goals.

Other players who are expected to be traded include Dennis Seidenberg of the Boston Bruins, Johnny Boychuk of the New York Islanders and Curtis Glencross of the Calgary Flames.

In another Yahoo! Sports report, Nathan Horton was traded to Toronto for David Clarkson. The Blue Jackets have enough cap space but is reportedly misspending their cash. Andrej Sekera was also traded to Los Angeles in exchange for Roland McKeown and a first round pick.

NHL.com reported that Erik Cole was traded by the Dallas Stars to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for defenseman Mattias Backman and center Mattias Janmark. Stars general manager Jim Nill shared his excitement over acquiring Backman in particular, saying that he moves the puck well and has good hockey sense.

Some NHL teams are being conservative and planning long term. Joe Sakic, general manager of the Colorado Avalanche, said that he will not move any core players, including center Ryan O'Reilly. The team does not intend to make any short-term adjustments before the NHL Trade Deadline.

Sakic said in the same NHL.com report, "We're in the thick of things right now. I've had a conversation with different teams. We've had teams inquire about some of our guys. We're not going to go out and try to acquire somebody for a run. I don't think we're in a position to give up draft picks or prospects just to try and make a run this year."