Trading Block: Kyle Turris

This one isn’t exactly a secret but it has to be discussed none the less because it’s pretty intriguing!  What’s he worth?  What’s his upside at this point?  Is he a bust?  Will Phoenix trade him?

Well, for starters let’s just assume they are going to deal him.  You keep hearing the magic number is 6 teams for the kid that carries the lunch kit. Calgary I believe would be the most hungry for him.  Now, I wrote a blog recently that banged on Jay Feaster pretty hard to start rebuilding the Flames.  I’m by no means moving off that point (big shout out at this point to the boys reading in Calgary, don’t know names yet but thanks for reading!), BUT you can do a deal for Turris and he fits both criteria’s.  He is still at this point a kid you can build around, yet he is begining to establish himself well as a top 2 centre.

Still has 1^st line centre potential.  Now, he’s still filling out.  He’s still very weak on the puck.  But watching him in 4 games in last years playoffs I can tell you that he was easily the Coyotes top player.  He didn’t just put up the best point total out of all the yotes, he was their best player.  That’s the last he played.  I think he would be a great fit for Iginla should the Flames make another playoff push (it will fail even with Turris, but that’s Feaster’s call).  But should they choose to rebuild or choose to go for it, the Flames need to be the most aggressive team in chasing him.  1st line centre’s are near impossible to find as Flames fans know and even getting a guy that has the potential to be that player is worth it for them.

So what does he cost?  I’m going to guess Don Maloney will ask for a 1^st round pick and a young roster player back.  I don’t think I would pay that price unless I was a team like Detroit or Philly who won’t pick until at least 15.  Even then I’m not sure.  I would have to have great trust in my pro scouting if they were telling me to do it.

In my opinion if you are talking about the Flames, I would offer Backlund and Greg Nemisz.  Nemisz might fool a GM that doesn’t do his homework.  Yes he was a 1^st round pick, yes he has nice size.  But this kid doesn’t have high end talent.  In fact I don’t believe he has top 6 talent at all.  In fairness I haven’t watched him since the 2010 Mem Cup, but watching him a lot that year he looked terrible. Calgary can’t spare a lot of young pieces, but this is well worth the deal.  Having said that, can’t see Maloney doing it.

Now, as for other teams that will/are chasing him.  I don’t see Burke wanting him in Toronto but IF the Leafs want him I wonder how they would feel about a 1 for 1, Turris for Kadri?  VERY similar players, Turris is more so the playmaker.  I’m starting to wonder if the Leafs aren’t souring on Kadri.  I could see the yotes doing that.

Ottawa have a lot of nice young pieces to offer and could use a 2^nd line centre (even though soft, RH, playmaking centre sounds awful familiar with that team…).  Stefan Noesen, Stef De Costa and a 3^rd round pick might be the right package but it would depend on how the Coyotes feel about De Costa, I’m sure there are mixed reviews on him.

And finally the last place I could see having big interest (not a Canadian bias here, just a lot of Canadian teams could use him) would be Nashville.  Preds need offense.  And I think there is a fit here.  Colin Wilson who hasn’t really lived up to expectations as of this moment and a young goaltender like Chet Pickard for Turris and maybe a 2^nd round pick in 2013 seems like an even deal to me. Phoenix gets a kid in Wilson that can supplant Turris and a tender of the future in Pickard who will likely be a trade chip now that the Preds signed Rinne for too many years and too much money (gotta love panic moves).  The Preds take a chance on Turris who has a higher ceiling offensively than Wilson and a decent draft pick as well that can be well utilized at the trade deadline.  Seems to me like a great fit for both teams.  And as we all know, if it’s a great fit in the NHL, there is not a chance in hell it will happen!

Having said EVERYTHING I have said to this point, Maloney maintains he won’t deal him.  He should.  This kid I don’t think is going to be a bust, but he likely won’t live up to his potential either (kind of the Jay Bouwmeester/Stephen Weiss bracket).  If he is making these kinds of demands with all that he HASN’T accomplished then you need to get him out of the organization.  Weather it’s Turris, or his agent, or whoever calling these shots.  Get rid of him.  Trade him now and be happy should you get something of value back for a kid that is progressing slowly and acting like a knob.