Early Trading: Frederic's trade value, Bear on the block and Tavares contract watch

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joined Gino Reda to discuss the ramifications of the injury to Bruins forward Trent Frederic in relation to his trade value, the Capitals' plans for defenceman Ethan Bear and where extension talks stand between the Maple Leafs and John Tavares.

Just over a week until the Trade Deadline and general managers around the league start to think 'Hey, if we're going to trade this guy, maybe we should sit him out so he doesn't get hurt'. Could the Boston Bruins be caught paying the price for not thinking of that in time?

Trent Frederic Boston BruinsChris Johnston: They don't feel as though they're going to be caught paying the price but certainly can't be spun as a good thing that Trent Frederic left Tuesday's game against Toronto with a lower-body injury and is now considered week-to-week. 

Frederic was seen in a walking boot and so it doesn't necessarily change the fact that the pending UFA could be moved ahead of the deadline. We've certainly seen that with players in the past but it does underline why teams might be starting to hold guys out for the famous 'trade-related reasons. Obviously you want to protect your assets. In this case it's just the nature of the sport.

Frederic is someone that a number of teams have kept an eye on. Does a lot of things in the bottom six that I think contenders are looking for. He hits, he fights, he plays the game the hard way. It doesn't sound like this is an overly serious injury but it's certainly an inopportune time for a player that the Bruins could be engaging in those [trade] conversations to exit their lineup.

A difficult situation involving the Washington Capitals' Ethan Bear. He hasn't played at the NHL level since last March when he went into the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. What are the Caps' plans for him moving forward?

Washington CapitalsJohnston: Ethan Bear's had a very strong season down with the Hershey Bears, a top team in the American Hockey League. It does sound as though they're willing to explore a trade for Bear. 

A couple of things have happened this year. Washington has been very healthy on it's blue line and they have players above him in depth roles, essentially blocking him from a spot in the NHL. 

Bear is in the last year of his existing contract. He would obviously love to work his way back to an NHL team. It does sound as though Washington is willing to accommodate and try to find him a place to play for the remainder of this season and put him in a position to earn that next deal.

NHL general managers have a pretty full plate right now even though they've got guys who are pending unrestricted free agents. John Tavares fits into that category. Brad Treliving is really busy trying to figure out how to tinker with his roster before the deadline but at the same time Tavares is wondering 'What's my future here?' Is there any progress or talks going on right now or is this all being put on hold until after the deadline?

John Tavares Toronto Maple LeafsJohnston: We'll have to see what goes on. At this point the sense is that the extension is likely not in the offing in the short term. I do believe there's been a fair amount of dialogue throughout the season in terms of both sides understanding where they're at. The Leafs have a lot of different balls in the air. They're content to let things play out. They're aware that John Tavares wants to be a long-term member of their team. He wants to remain in Toronto. All those things can still be worked out in the future but right now it doesn't appear or sound as though that's a front-burner priority so it wouldn't be surprising to see him remain without a contract for next season, beyond the deadline.