Why Ales Hemsky is a better trade deadline target than Mike Cammalleri
It's guys like Martin St. Louis, Thomas Vanek, and Ryan Callahan who are garnering most of the attention when it comes to talking trade deadline candidates, but there are a pair of wingers between Alberta's two NHL franchises who could very well be on the move to contenders in the coming days as well. Ales Hemsky in Edmonton and Mike Cammalleri in Calgary are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer and both are reported to be available for trade. Let's take a look at their perceived value and what the cost may be to acquire them.
Both Hemsky and Cammalleri were drafted in 2001 and are hovering around 650 games played for their respective careers. Hemsky has been dogged by injuries over the past few years, and his production has taken a substantial nosedive, but he remains on par with Cammalleri as far as points per game per their careers go (Hemsky .73 points per game; Cammalleri 0.74). Cammalleri, like Hemsky, hasn't eclipsed 70 games played since the 2008-09 season.
Where Hemsky and Cammalleri differ, at least in terms of deadline discussion, is in the perceived asking price for each player. The Oilers have not publicly set a price for the 30-year old Hemsky, but there's a widely held belief that he will fetch a draft pick in the second-to-third round range. Perhaps there's a late first rounder to be had, or a lesser prospect, or maybe a combination of a pick and a lesser prospect. Whatever the price tag is, Hemsky's trade value has been diminished over the past fews of seasons by various injuries and a sharp dip in production. The Czech winger is now skating on Edmonton's third line, and he's been relegated to the second power play unit to boot. He's averaging less than 13 minutes in 5v5 situations per 60 minutes.
Cammalleri was offered a contract extension by Calgary earlier this week, but he still remains their top trade chip. Re-signing a 31-year old winger while the club should be looking to cut bait would be the most Feaster Burke Flames thing ever. If there's an obstacle to moving Cammalleri, who has 32 points in 32 career playoff games, it might be his purported asking price. Brian Burke and co. were rumored to be looking for "a first-round pick and a B-list prospect, or a second-round pick and an A-list prospect," according to Brian Costello of The Hockey News. That's quite a cost for someone who should be viewed as a rental player.
Hemsky has taken a beating of sorts from some in the local Edmonton media over imaginary things like heart, grit, compete level, and leadership, but he's been one of the Oilers top puck possession players for as long as fancy stats have been recorded. His drop in production can be partially explained with a change to his usage. Cammalleri has bounced between the Flames top two lines this season and still receives a regular look on its top power play unit. His production levels are seemingly less questionable, for whatever reason, despite being very comparable to Hemsky's.
One of Hemsky or Cammalleri could make a nice trade deadline day get for a club looking to add some skill on the wing. It's entirely plausible that both players could see those production levels climb back up with some better linemates and favorable usage.
If the cost for Cammalleri is as high as it's been rumored to be, then it makes more sense for a team to go after Hemsky. A shift back to his near point per game production levels might be too much to ask for, but the potential reward for such a small cost should make Hemsky a more desirable target than Cammalleri come deadline day.