Saints Reportedly Changed Chris Olave Trade Decision At Deadline
The New Orleans Saints are one of the more intriguing teams to follow at the trade deadline this season. They have some talent on the roster, but the team hasn't put the pieces together yet and, as a result, they're one of the worst teams in football.
Because of that, the Saints could be active at the deadline. They could look to trade away a handful of their valuable players in an attempt to net draft capital down the line. This would help them lean into their rebuild a bit better than they're doing right now.
Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara are at the center of the trade rumors for the Saints. Kamara garnered a lot of value earlier in the season, but he seemingly insisted that he didn't want to be traded. After the trade rumors continued, Kamara noted that he would retire before being traded from the Saints.
Olave has the most value on the team. A trade would almost certainly net the Saints a first round pick or a second-round pick and then some.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer recently reported that the Saints weren't that eager to move on from Olave despite the rumors all season that they could trade him.
Saints showing more interest in extending Chris Olave than trading him
"The Saints’ receivers have been the subject of a lot of talk. New Orleans has received calls on Chris Olave, but the team has shown more interest in extending him than dealing him away," Breer wrote on Friday.
Trading Olave would give the Saints a chance to land a star. But keeping Olave is the better decision because he already is a star.
The Saints have the opportunity to work on a contract with Olave during the rest of the season. The star wide receiver has already confirmed he's been working on this extension with the Saints for a few weeks. It's unclear how far into negotiations the two sides are, but it's encouraging that they're discussing it.
Worst case scenario for the Saints, they could trade Olave at the deadline next season if a new contract doesn't come together. But holding onto him right now is the best option for the future of the team.
The Lightning could decide to promote some of them on the NHL roster
The Tampa Bay Lightning (5-4-2) are getting back in their groove, winning four straight games after their 2-1 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. While the Lightning look to rise to the top of the Atlantic Division their American Hockey League (AHL, Syracuse Crunch) and ECHL teams (Orlando Solar Bears) are heading in opposite directions. The Crunch are cruising, with a 6-1-0-0 record, which leads the North Division, while the Solar Bears own a dreadful 1-4-0-0 record, allowing twice as many goals (20) as they’ve scored.
Even still, there are standouts littered in the minors for Tampa Bay, and in some instances, the Lightning could decide to promote some of them on the NHL roster.
AHL: Jakob Pelletier, F
The Lightning signed Pelletier to a three-year contract last offseason in the hopes he’d reach his massive upside. At 24 years old, the 2019 first-round pick scored four goals and seven assists with a plus-10 rating in 24 games for the Calgary Flames last season. That’s an average of about 14-24-38 over a full season, and he was usually playing bottom-six minutes.
Unfortunately, the Flames traded the winger to Philadelphia for Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost in late January. Pelletier couldn’t get back his offensive spark in Philadelphia. With the Flyers, he scored just three goals, five assists, and eight points in 25 games, sometimes being healthy scratched. When he was due $840,000 on a qualifying offer on a two-way deal, the Flyers non-tendered him, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Pelletier hasn’t made his debut with the Lightning, but with the Crunch, he’s thriving. Through seven games, Pelletier has notched four goals and five assists, with a plus-1 rating. He currently leads the Crunch in points and goals. In a 5-2 win against the Hershey Bears, Pelletier had two goals and an assist.
If Pelletier keeps this pace up, the Lightning could recall him, and he could be an injection of youth Tampa Bay desperately needs right now.
AHL: Dylan Duke, F
Dylan Duke is another young talent the Lightning hope can evolve into an NHL-caliber forward. He was drafted 121st overall by Tampa Bay after a stellar career with the Michigan Wolverines. In 2023-24, Duke was on a team with NHL draftees Gavin Brindley, Rutger McGroarty, and Seamus Casey. However, Duke led the team in goals (26) and finished third in points (49). Overall, he finished with 54 goals and 46 assists in 123 games.
Duke has just one goal in the NHL level so far, but he is turning a new leaf with the Crunch this season. He’s scored one goal and added six assists for seven points through seven games. He is currently in the top 20 in assists in the AHL level.
It appears Duke could be taking a big jump from his rookie season, when he scored 20 goals, 20 assists, and 40 points through 62 games. Like Pelletier, Duke is another young forward the Lightning are looking to develop into an NHL-caliber player. Unlike Pelletier, Duke is just 22, and he has time to grow and become another late-round NHL contributor for the Lightning.
ECHL: Spencer Kersten, F
It’s hard to find a standout for the Solar Bears this season, but there’s one player who’s been tried and true for them. Spencer Kersten continues to shine for Orlando.
Kersten spent four years with Princeton University and one year at Bowling-Green University before signing with the Solar Bears in 2024. In his rookie season, Kersten shined, recording 25 goals and 30 assists for 55 points through 60 games. That earned him a spot on the 2024-25 ECHL All-Rookie team.
This year, Kersten has increased his scoring output, with three goals and three assists for six points through five games. He is on pace to record 86 points this season.
That could earn Kersten a recall to the AHL. His strong play with Orlando earned him brief stints with the Crunch and the Belleville Senators on loan. He scored one goal in nine games with the Crunch, but he could be in line for more opportunities in the AHL if he keeps up this pace.
