On Friday night, the Calgary Flames lost a heartbreaking shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and were then hit by the bombshell that Nikita Zadorov has officially asked for a trade.
While the Flames were already likely to trade the 28-year old defenseman, this has now made it a public issue, and with the team playing in Toronto, the link to the blue line-needy Maple Leafs is clear.
However, since the news broke, both the New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks have emerged as genuine candidates, meaning we may have a bidding war on our hands with the trade deadline still months away.
One thing we now do know for sure is that the veteran defenseman isn't interested in a trade to the Winnipeg Jets, as it appears he's looking for a big market that will give him a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
Ultimately, the former first-round pick doesn't come with a NMC, so he can't exactly dictate where he will go, and the Flames will likely be looking for the best possible return, but we can at least seemingly rule out one team following last nights news.
