NHL Trade Talk Weekend Rumors: Rangers, Oilers, Hurricanes

NHL Trade Talk weekend rumors: Rangers hold out Reilly Smith, Oilers shopping Evander Kane, Hurricanes have to make a decision on Rantanen.

In our NHL Trade Talk weekend rumors report, the New York Rangers are about to trade Reilly Smith, so they’ve pulled him from the roster ahead of a potential trade. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are shopping Evander Kane around to the 16 teams on his trade list ahead of the deadline. Finally, are the Carolina Hurricanes ready to make a tough decision on Mikko Rantanen? It doesn’t sound like he’s going to give the team a heads-up about his plans.

Rangers Pull Reilly Smith in Anticipation of Trade

NHL Trade Talk Weekend Rumors: Rangers, Oilers, Hurricanes - NHL Trade Talk

The New York Rangers are holding forward Reilly Smith out of Sunday’s game against the Nashville Predators for “trade-related reasons,” fueling speculation that the veteran winger could be moved before the NHL trade deadline on Friday. Mollie Walker first reported the news, which was confirmed by a few other sources quickly thereafter.

Dan Rosen of NHL.com writes, “A trade will be coming. We just don’t know when yet. The Rangers are not in a position to let pending UFAs walk for nothing.”

Rantanen Situation in Hurricanes’ Court

Elliotte Friedman noted during Saturday’s Headlines report that the Carolina Hurricanes have to make a decision over the next few days on Mikko Rantanen, because he’s not likely to. It is expected that Rantanen won’t commit either way to staying or leaving by Friday’s trade deadline. As such, the Hurricanes will have to decide if they want to risk the superstar forward leaving for no return.

NHL Trade Talk Weekend Rumors: Islanders, Rangers, Oilers - NHL Trade Talk

“So it appears, at this time, unlikely that he will make any kind of commitment by Friday. So it’s Carolina’s decision they’re going to have to make, and that is, do they want to go forward, or do they want to consider flipping them. And I think we’ll have a better picture on that in the next couple of days, but I think the ball is in Carolina’s court with what they want to do.”

Oilers Exploring Evander Kane Trade

Evander Kane’s full no-trade clause moved to a partial no-trade on Friday. The Oilers are checking the market on teams he can get traded to so they can open up cap space. This does not mean the Oilers are trying to trade Kane, but they want to know if they’ll be able to if he’s adamant about returning before the playoffs start.

Evander Kane is being shopped by the Oilers: NHL Trade Talk rumors

Edmonton prioritizes flexibility over anything else, and there is speculation that Kane is pushing to return at some point in the regular season. Kane has played three seasons with the Oilers, tallying 62 goals and 49 assists for 111

Who is coach Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers' unlikely season savior?

points over 161 regular-season games. He has added 20 goals and 10 assists over 47 playoff outings. It’s interesting to hear that the Oilers might be considering moving Kane, as if he’s not going to be a big help for them and they would potentially prefer a different player.