On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Frank Seravalli and Colby Cohen discuss why Jonathan Toews fell out of the top 10 on the trade chart and why Seattle Kraken defender Carson Soucy’s trade value rose on the board.
Colby Cohen: Well, Frank, I’m going to take your hat off here for a second and ask you a few questions about the trade board. Your new board debuted on DailyFaceoff.com today and Jonathan Toews dropped out of the top 10, the first time in a long time he hasn’t been there. What’s the Latest Toews Around Chicago?
Frank Seravalli: Yeah, Colby, I think the teams have been really worried about his status when you look at the time already missed so far. It’s been six games, and he’s not expected to join the team as they head to Ottawa, which makes seven games, but more importantly, he’s a guy who hasn’t not skated much. So as a result, you see it drop to 11th on the trade chart, where it was five years previously. It’s not so much the concern about the actual disease, it’s more about the history that existed there. When you think back to him missing the entire 2021-22 season due to his chronic immune disorder and potentially lengthy Covid-related issues that occurred, it raises eyebrows for teams. He says « what is our reliability going forward » and also « do we get a player if we were to send the assets that are as close to 100% and someone who can compete at the top level » something we have l used to see Toews playing. It’s probably not fair to say it’s impossible for Toews to be traded, but I think it’s a big deal and the odds increase the longer he stays off the ice.
Colby Cohen: The following player surprised me a bit, I looked at the charts you downloaded and today we have a newcomer in Carson Soucy who is 8th and Seattle is a playoff team, they have been a big surprise. So why is Carson Soucy now in the top 10 of your trade chart?
Frank Seravalli: Yeah, I was really surprised to hear his name there. But I think where the Kraken is is an incredibly wholesome and envious place if you’re the opposition. They’re in a position where Soucy has significant value, and many teams are interested in trying to get their hands on a 6-foot-5 defenseman who’s making $2.75 million and is a pending free agent. I don’t think there’s been a lot of contract extension talks, and so the Krakens have now come to this point where they’re going « should we try to get an asset back for Soucy » and I think that might be a significant comeback, I think this could be prime first-round pick territory if Soucy is potentially on the move. In the standings, the Kraken are on 100 point pace and depending on where you get your info, whether it’s HockeyVhiz or MoneyPuck.com, they have an 85% to 94% chance of making the playoffs and I think many would need to be wrong for them to miss. So, to take a guy who played second- and third-pair minutes averaging roughly 16:00 of ice time, that’s probably not going to change his playoff odds or his chances of winning a series too much. So if they can sell on Soucy and get a big asset in return, then use that or other stuff to go out and bolster that team elsewhere. It’s a fun place for Ron Francis where you can consider just about anything. At this point, league sources told me that the Kraken were ready to do just that. They’re happy to keep Soucy, but they’re also willing to take some offers there.
You can watch the full episode here…