The Trade Season Begins

 This past week saw the trade season begin with two major trades happening. The first saw Mike Cammelari leave the Montreal Canadians to return to Calgary and the second had Alexi Ponikarovsky move from Carolina to New Jersey. With just over a month before the trade deadline, these trades have started all kinds of rumors and speculation about who will be on the move. in this post I will highlight the five players I think will be traded and why. 

1. Ales Hemsky- If the Oilers can get the right price for Hemsky, he is on his way out. Hemsky is one of the more talented players available this year and will be a good rental player for a contending team. He does have an injury history and the asking price will likely be a top young defenceman and a first round pick, but I am pretty sure someone will pay it. This trade will not go down until the deadline because Edmonton will be trying to get as much return as they can. This will be one of the more interesting stories to follow in the next month. 
2. Tim Gleason- Carolina has already traded away two veterans this season and Gleason is likely the next one to go. He will be able add some solid depth on the back end for a contending team and has proven skill. He played on the US Olympic team in 2010 because of his shut down abilities and teams like Philedalphia, Boston and St. Louis will all making bids on him. 
3. Ryan Malone- Tampa Bay has been one of the more disappointing teams this season and they need a shakeup. Malone is one of the more valuable trade pieces they have because of his big body and championship experience. He won the cup with Pittsburgh in 2009. There a people saying he doesn't want to waive his no-movement clause, but I think the temptation to win again could change his mind. 
4. Tuomo Ruutu- If Gleason is Carolina's biggest trade piece, Ruutu is their second. This forward can both score and hit and would fill a deeper forward role on a contending team. He also likely won't cost teams a whole lot, including no current roster players. Ruutu should be on the move by the deadline. 
5. Derick Brassard- Columbus has been out of the playoff race for a while now and it is the best time to trade the disappointing Brassard. It has been a tough year for him as he constantly was finding himself as a healthy scratch. He has the opportunity to start his career over on a team like Nashville or Toronto and I am sure that he will be on the move by the deadline. 

There are some teams who have been in rumors who I believe are staying put. I do not think Anahiem is going to blow up their roster with a blockbuster trade. All their players are still young with many years left in their career so it would be foolish to start rebuilding now. I also do not believe Buffalo will be very busy. They added a bunch of pieces during the summer and still can turn the season around. Finally, all the rumors regarding Toronto will prove to be false. The Leafs have built a good team that will be even better with a couple of years experience, meaning nothing big will come from them. 

If you want to give your opinion's on this article, please comment below or email me at josh@jbenny.com. As always you can follow me on twitter via @jbenny15 and please visit my website, www.jbenny.com. Thank you for reading.