Blue Line Buzz: On the Move

On Monday, it will be exactly one month until March 2, the NHL's trade deadline and also Canada's unofficial national holiday. The sellers have already identified themselves, such as Arizona and Carolina, but none more so than Buffalo, losers of 14 straight who just played an entire month without earning a single point.

Defensemen have been a hot commodity all season. Of the 21 trades consummated this season, 14 have involved defensemen. It should be more of the same going forward with already a few big names being thrown around, including Buffalo's Tyler Myers, who has been a staple in the rumor mill this season.

Over the past few seasons, depth on defense has been vital for Stanley Cup contenders. Los Angeles' two wins in the past three years can be attributed to their deep defense corps, and their depth took big hits with the suspension of Slava Voynov and departure of Willie Mitchell via free agency. That's certainly one reason why the team has struggled this season. Chicago had Nick Leddy in 2013, who is now a top-pairing defenseman on Long Island, and both Boston and Vancouver made the final dance in 2011 with lots of help from their blue line.

Anaheim is a buyer, having been linked to Myers recently, and so are the Kings, presumably, after reports surfaced that they were in talks to acquire Dion Phaneuf. Montreal is testing the waters, Dallas might be looking for another right-handed defenseman and Vancouver might just be whetting their appetite after acquiring Adam Clendening. Fantasy owners will be watching the rumor mill like hawks because a change of scenery, and perhaps a subsequent boost of production, may make or break a season.

Around the League

St. Louis' Shatty Situation

Sunday's win over Washington extended St. Louis' winning streak to five games and keeps them in contention for the Central division title, but, oh, did it ever come at a cost. Kevin Shattenkirk, the NHL's second-highest scoring defenseman with 40 points in 49 games, left in the first period after colliding with Alex Ovechkin, who has been on a tear of late, becoming the first player to hit the 30-goal plateau this season, and also the fifth player in NHL history to score at least 30 goals in each of his first 10 seasons.

Long considered a defensive team under Ken Hitchcock, Shattenkirk has been a driving force on offense for the Blues. With 160 goals scored at 3.14 per game, they have the third-best offense in the league, ahead of familiar names like Chicago and Pittsburgh. The Blues are also firing more shots than they did last year, averaging 31.6 per game, with Shattenkirk contributing 2.4. The offense wasn't shabby at all last year, finishing seventh in the NHL, but it has been taken to new heights this year with MVP-type numbers from Shattenkirk and Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Blues' power play will certainly take a hit with Shattenkirk out, but Alex Pietrangelo is fantastic in his own right and finished with 51 points last year. He's on pace for 46 points, a little off from last year's total, but this is after a slow start to the season. Pietrangelo finished the first three months of the season with a minus-11 rating, but erased all of it in January going plus-11 for the month and scoring seven points in 11 games, by far the best stretch of hockey he's played all season. Next in line to get some power play minutes is Jay Bouwmeester, who is averaging 1:32 with the man advantage despite averaging 2:06 last year. Bouwmeester's 37 points was quite the anomaly for a guy who hasn't scored more than 30 since 2009, and while he's very unlikely to eclipse that total this year, he's an attractive short-term fix. It's a good thing that the Blues are so deep, even with their slew injuries.

There's been no word on how long Shattenkirk will be out, who gives up four inches and 23 pounds to Ovechkin, a freight train of a player when he's particularly inspired. If Shattenkirk is out long-term, it could spell trouble for St. Louis, but having been as aggressive as they've been this season in filling out their roster (Martin Brodeur, for example), it wouldn't be a big surprise if they became a big player at the trade deadline.

Clendening Conundrum

Clendening made his Vancouver debut Sunday in a 4-2 loss to Minnesota, usually playing on the team's third pairing with Luca Sbisa. A player known for his offensive abilities, Clendening logged 3:54 on the power play, second on the team to Alex Edler, and his 19:03 ice time overall was far ahead of Sbisa's 13:27 and rookie Frank Corrado's 12:59. He was, for all intents and purposes, Vancouver's fourth defenseman. The Canucks offense was sluggish for long stretches during the game, and while Clendening was brought in as both a short-term and potential long-term solution on defense, he was not a significant difference maker in the game.

The former Boston University star showed off some slick skating and puck-moving ability, but other than that, he clearly needs a few more games to gel with his new team. Willie Desjardins used Clendening as best he could, giving him plenty of opportunities to provide offense. The Canucks, fighting for a playoff spot on a daily basis, need to improve their 13th-ranked power play.

It'll be interesting to see what Desjardins does with a healthy lineup. Clendening took Yannick Weber's spot in the lineup, even though Weber scored a power-play goal in his previous game Friday against Buffalo, which indicated that Desjardins is sticking to a strict three-lefty, three-righty setup. When Kevin Bieksa returns, he'll retain his spot on the second pairing, since no one else on the team plays with the same kind of passion and toughness. In all likelihood, Corrado will either return to the AHL or be kept around as a spare, with Clendening and Weber in contention for a spot on the third pairing. Clendening obviously has the higher upside, but Weber has the experience. Edler should remain the mainstay on the first unit with the Sedins and two other forwards, but Clendening and Dan Hamhuis should form a pretty good duo on the second unit. Clendening could be a real under-the-radar pick up with Bieksa out for another month or so.

All Ducky in Buffalo

As noted previously, the Ducks are looking hard at Buffalo's Myers. The 6-foot-8 Texas-born Canadian defenseman is a rare package of size and skill, often drawing comparisons to Zdeno Chara. But since winning the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, Myers has failed to live up to the hype. He's Buffalo's No. 1 defenseman almost by virtue of being there the longest, and on any other team wouldn't have to carry the same amount of pressure and baggage as he does currently on the league's worst team. Still, Myers possesses plenty of potential, even if he shows it rather infrequently these days.

If Myers does go to Anaheim, he'll be insulated by super kids Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen and Cup-winning veteran Francois Beauchemin. Compare that to a has-been in Andrej Meszaros, a tired Josh Gorges, and two (albeit talented) rookies in Nikita Zadorov and Rasmus Ristolainen, and it's a no-brainer that Myers will fare much better in California. The Sabres will be asking for the house for Myers, but Anaheim is one of the few teams that can match that asking price with their treasure chest of high quality prospects.

The Ducks have been going after defensemen all season and are clearly tired of their short-term solutions. Colby Robak and Mark Fistric were recently waived, Eric Brewer is sitting out as a healthy scratch and Myers is a clear improvement over Ben Lovejoy and Clayton Stoner. The Ducks have conceded 10 goals in their past two games to Chicago and San Jose, which is of some concern. Bruce Boudreau's squads are notorious for being weaker on the defensive side of the puck.

The Biggest Sellers

Buffalo's obviously selling and a few teams are starting to make calls. If Myers goes, then Meszaros and Andre Benoit, both impending UFAs, will likely get shipped out of town, if the Sabres can find any takers. Meszaros' game has slipped so far that he's going to play himself out of the league before long, while the 31-year-old Benoit only offers some offensive skill and depth. Both could probably be had for mid-round draft picks.

Carolina isn't as bad as their record suggests (boy, do I sound like a broken record here), but that won't stop them from dealing Andrej Sekera and/or Tim Gleason. Sekera was spectacular for Carolina last year, but clearly overachieved and may no longer command the same asking price. Gleason is a tested veteran who would be a good fit on a third pairing. Both can be had quite cheaply since they are also impending UFAs.

Perhaps the biggest names to get tossed around, other than Myers, are the Coyotes potentially dealing Keith Yandle and, quite shockingly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Yandle shouldn't be a surprise since the Coyotes have been trying to deal him for a while, but their best player and potential No. 1 defenseman in OEL? Craziness. Even with Don Maloney declaring the season dead and selling the team's new owners on a "reset," (rebuild, reshuffle, reload… whatever it means, they're sellers) it's a pretty absurd decision. Maybe Maloney is testing the waters to see what he can get, but even with a subpar season it's not hard to see how good Ekman-Larsson already is and will be down the road. Connor Murphy and Brandon Gormley are high-end prospects, but Ekman-Larsson should be better than both.

Both players will give a big boost on offense to their new team(s). Boston has long coveted Yandle, a Massachusetts native, but have few high quality prospects to offer, making them an unattractive trade partner. Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton are due for new contracts as well, and it's a safe bet that Boston will keep at least one of Adam McQuaid or Matt Bartkowski, making it potentially difficult to work financially. Detroit has also coveted Yandle and makes for a much more interesting trade partner. The Wings can send a defenseman, perhaps Jakub Kindl, Kyle Quincey or impending RFA Brendan Smith, and a few prospects or picks as their package.

Hot

John Klingberg, Dallas – A fixture on the top four on one of the league's most dangerous offensive teams, the sweet Swede has six points in his past two games, including a four-point effort against Winnipeg. It's no fluke, folks – he's really good.

Kris Letang, Pittsburgh – He could win the scoring title among defensemen. Seven points in his past four games and has been an elite defenseman for the past five seasons.

Mike Green, Washington – Slated for a big second half, he's got six points in his past five games and will achieve his highest points total since scoring 76 five years ago.

Cold

Cam Fowler, Anaheim – He's gone three games without a point after scoring points in four straight games. Like any young player, he has his ups and downs.

Cody Franson, Toronto – Zero points in his past three games and two assists in his past nine. Not having Dion Phaneuf around is a likely reason.

Alec Martinez, Los Angeles – Last year's Stanley Cup hero has zero points in his past four games and one goal in his past eight. The 27-year-old should be known more for his two-way play than offensive abilities, though.