Erik Haula could be a versatile add for a contending team

Now that the Olympics are over, it’s time for fans to turn their attention to the next big event on the hockey calendar; March 6th’s NHL trade deadline. With star players like Quinn Hughes and Artemi Panarin having already been dealt, this season’s deadline will likely be more about contending teams fine-tuning their rosters rather than making blockbuster additions.

To that end, fans will have to look beyond the NHL’s celebrity class to find players that could become hot commodities ahead of the deadline. One of those players could be Nashville Predators forward Erik Haula, who was outlined in Steven Ellis’ piece on under-the-radar trade candidates. The veteran winger is coming off a productive Olympic games, in which he had six points in six games for Team Finland. Canadian hockey fans know he can be an effective penalty killer, too, as they watched him score a big short-handed goal against Canada in the Olympic semifinals.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed Haula’s value on the trade market.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Steven Ellis had a piece outlining some other potential under-the-radar trade-deadline adds. Braden Schneider in New York, Erik Haula of the Nashville Predators, Alex Nedeljkovic, goalie out in San Jose, Ryan Lomberg in Calgary, and Pavel Mintyukov in Anaheim were the five that Ellis listed. Any one of those kind of jump off the page at you, Hutts?

Carter Hutton: The one for me that really jumps off the page is Erik Haula, because I just look at what he was able to do at the Olympics on the big stage in a tough role. Six points in six games for the Finns, playing in every situation. I think that just adds value to a team of knowing what you’re going to get. Erik Haula has had some good playoff runs, he’s a great player, he’s a good depth guy. When I look at the majority of teams that are trying to tweak lineups and find something, a veteran player that can come in and be in any situation is going to be important to teams. I did like the players that were outlines there, but Erik Haula is the one that stands out to me just from watching the Olympics and how impactful he was for the Finns.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Wednesday’s episode here…