On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, continues. With the trade deadline less than a week away, we're looking at what certain rental players will cost on or before Feb. 29.
Dale Weise
Mark Millard: Weise will be able to fetch the Montreal Canadiens a second-round pick by the trade deadline.
The 27-year-old forward has been a bright spot in an otherwise very difficult season in Montreal. Primed for career highs with 14 goals and 11 assists in 55 games, Weise has proven he's very capable of producing in a third-line role.
Weise also put up 10 points over 28 playoff games - highlighted by a pair of overtime winners - in two seasons with the low-scoring Canadiens. He isn't afraid to play a significant postseason role, like he did when he agitated Milan Lucic throughout a heated seven-game series against the Boston Bruins in 2013-14.
Combined with the fact he only carries a $1.25-million cap hit, there's sure to be no shortage of suitors looking to round out their rosters for a Stanley Cup push, which will only drive up the price by Feb. 29.
P.A. Parenteau
Navin Vaswani: If Shawn Matthias is worth a fourth-round draft pick, and Roman Polak and Nick Spaling are worth two second-round picks, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Parenteau is absolutely worth a late first-round selection. At least, that's what general manager Lou Lamoriello should be holding out for. Keep in mind: Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli got Toronto a first-round pick and prospect Brendan Leipsic from the Nashville Predators prior to last year's deadline.
Related: Alter - Parenteau, Boyes likely the next Maple Leafs to go
Parenteau has 15 goals - six more than Eric Staal and Jiri Hudler. And one fewer than Andrew Ladd. There's more working in Parenteau's favor: Nine of his 30 points, including six goals, have come on Toronto's god-awful, dead-last, 14.3-percent power play .
The 32-year-old Quebec native knows his role - he will be acquired by a contender to be a low-maintenance goal scorer for a few months, which he'll do adequately. If he can play for Mike Babcock, he can play for anybody. And he won't cost a thing, only needing to be paid what's left of his $1.5-million salary (he carries the same cap hit).
Toronto should accept nothing less than a first-round pick for P.A.
Jamie McGinn
Josh Gold-Smith: Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray has a tough decision to make with McGinn. The 27-year-old left winger was an afterthought in the Ryan O'Reilly trade, but he's exceeded expectations in his first season with Buffalo, ranking fourth in scoring and getting plenty of top-line duty.
Murray hasn't been reluctant to make deals since taking over as GM, and he should continue that assertiveness by trading McGinn, a pending unrestricted free agent whose value is conveniently high as the trade deadline draws near.
So what's he worth? Considering the Maple Leafs got a pair of second-rounders from the San Jose Sharks in the Polak trade, McGinn is worth at least one. He's probably not going to fetch a first-round pick, but given the market, Murray can justifiably use what the Leafs received for Polak and Spaling as a reference point.
McGinn would be a nice fit as a third-line winger on a playoff-bound team, providing a blend of physicality and scoring, but Murray may decide to sign him to an extension before the deadline. If the rebuild is going to continue unabated, turning McGinn into a second-round pick and a mid-to-low-level prospect makes sense.
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