NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 12/21/2018

December 21, 2018

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

12/21/2018 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Dec 21, 2018 01:51 pm

In today’s rumor rundown Elliotte Friedman provided some quick hits on a variety of rumors around the NHL. The Oilers are starting to worry about their blue line being decimated with injuries and the Flyers are still looking for a goalie, thinking about the long-term future of their young prospect, Carter Hart.

Quick Rumor Hits By Friedman

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet dropped information on a number of rumors in his most recent article:

Joel Quenneville

If Quenneville is wanting to coach a team that contends right away his best option would be to let the next six months play out, take his time and look at all the options that present themselves after the season comes to a close and organizations decide who they’re keeping and who they aren’t.

Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks, Nov. 9, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Ron Hextall

The fact that Ron Hextall was released by the Flyers was a shock for some, but it doesn’t appear like he’ll be out of work for long if he doesn’t want to be. Friedman is reporting that there have been a few teams that have contacted the Philadelphia Flyers about Ron Hextall.

Blues Working on Deals?

Friedman suggests the Carolina Hurricanes are debating on making a play for St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko. Friedman is wondering if the Blues might be looking to Martin Necas as part of the deal in return?

He also asks if there is a possibly a deal that could exist where the Vegas Golden Knights would be interested in Blues forward Brayden Schenn?

Capitals and Burakovsky

Friedman suggests the Washington Capitals are willing to move Andre Burakovsky, but not for futures or draft picks in return. The only way they might do so is if they could then flip those futures for immediate help that would allow them an opportunity to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions this season.

Kris Russell Coming Back Soon

The Edmonton Oilers have lost two consecutive games and part of that is due to injuries on the blue line with Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell. It appears one half of that twosome will be back sooner than later.

Kris Russell, Edmonton Oilers, Oct. 21, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The team announced there’s a good chance that he’ll be available for their first game after the holiday break. The actual injury has not been disclosed but it is good news for the Oilers who need him back in the lineup. The other news is that it appears Adam Larsson will not miss any time after blocking a shot in the loss to St. Louis. He did not practice with the team but should suit up to play on Saturday.

Flyers Still Looking for a Goalie

Top goaltender prospect Carter Hart had a great debut on Tuesday night when he played for the Flyers but that isn’t going to stop the Philadelphia Flyers from searching for an answer in net. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that new GM Chuck Fletcher “sounds like he’s shopping for a goalie.” and he will get back to that search after the roster/trade freeze comes and goes.

Carter Hart, Philadelphia Flyers, September 17, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The Flyers are a team that has struggled to find a goaltender they can rely on and have often failed to land a netminder that could be their guy moving forward. The Flyers would be wise not to throw Hart in as a full-time starter this early in his career and it sounds like the organization would actually rather keep him at the AHL level for this season.

By Jim Parsons on Dec 20, 2018 04:28 pm

In today’s NHL rumors, there is a little buzz building about Pavel Datsyuk returning to the NHL, but is it accurate? There are updates on the St. Louis Blues and how serious they are about making trades, where the Senators are at with Matt Duchene and trade options for the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Datsyuk Returning to the NHL?

Bob McKenzie tweeted there has been some talk about Pavel Datsyuk returning to the NHL. That return could be as early as next season. But, Datsyuk’s agent, Dan Milstein said on the rumors: “Every year we sit down and talk about options but (returning to the) NHL isn’t something he has entertained.”

Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk (Photo Credit: Andy Martin Jr)

Bob McKenzie noted to keep in mind, Datsyuk’s rights are currently owned by the Arizona Coyotes. He would not be returning to join the Red Wings if he decided to make a comeback. He would become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

The Latest on the St. Louis Blues

St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong has been working the phones trying to make a trade but he’s asking for some serious assets in return for big-name players. Those asking prices are confusing GM’s as to just how much the Blues are wanting to make a change in direction. Teams are asking about players like Colton Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko and it’s not like opposing GM’s are expecting to get these players for nothing, but the ask is very high.

St. Louis Blues left wing David Perron (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes:

Yes, he’s [Doug Armstrong] willing to discuss just about any name on the clubs roster, but when push comes to shove his demands for return aren’t considered realistic…“They’ve underachieved significantly and you’ve got to have the ownership’s backing when you attempt to change course the way that they are,” a league executive said Monday. “With where they’re at, they’ve got to sell.” There is no way the Blues were looking to step back or rebuild this year. Not a chance.

source – ‘ Snapshots: The firing of Dave Hakstol is only the beginning in Philly’ – Bruce Garrioch – The Ottawa Sun – 12/17/2018

Senators Need a Decision on Duchene

Garrioch also writes that the Ottawa Senators need to know from Matt Duchene what his plan is. He writes, “While Duchene has expressed a desire to stay with Ottawa, the organization is going to have to get an indication whether he wants to test the unrestricted market or not before the trade deadline Feb. 25.” Garrioch adds that general manager Pierre Dorion has met face-to-face twice with Duchene’s agent Pat Brisson and both sides are hopeful a deal will get completed, but the waiting continues.

Matt Duchene #95, Ottawa Senators – (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The speculation has always been that Duchene will be part of a group of players leaving Ottawa and testing the free agent market in an attempt to get the most money possible. That’s still likely the case but the Senators appear to want to keep Duchene in the fold.

Trade Options for the Maple Leafs

While GM Kyle Dubas has said that he’s not likely to look to the rental market in a major way for the Maple Leafs, it’s hard not to imagine a scenario where the team can improve its odds of contending for a Stanley Cup by adding a player that will be less costly towards the end of the season and doesn’t affect the salary cap in any seasons following this one. Craig Button of TSN threw out some names the Toronto Maple Leafs might want to consider with the $6 million in salary cap space they have this season.

Button says three potential defensemen the Maple Leafs could have an interest in are Alex Edler, Niklas Kronwall or Ben Lovejoy. At forward, they might look to add a ‘heavier’ player like Wayne Simmonds, Micheal Ferland or Trevor Lewis.

Possible Moves for the New York Rangers

James O’Brien of NBC Sports examines possible moves by the New York Rangers leading up to this season’s February trade deadline. He suggests Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes are names to watch because of their expiring contracts and Chris Kreider and Vladislav Namestnikov could be attractive to playoff-contending teams. He also brought up the possibility of moving goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, though he admits that’s a far-fetched scenario.

By Jim Parsons on Dec 19, 2018 01:04 pm

In today’s rumor rundown there are updates on Patrik Berglund’s situation in Buffalo, Jeff Carter out of Los Angeles and how false the rumor was that Joel Quenneville was coming to the Flyers. Finally, there are two teams unhappy with the lack of action before the NHL roster freeze.

Getting Berglund Out of Buffalo

Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports that the Buffalo Sabres would be eager to move Patrik Berglund after suspending him for failing to report to the team this past week. After he was set to be a healthy scratch, Berglund didn’t travel with the team when they left on Friday for Washington.

On Wednesday, the team placed Berglund on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. if the Sabres can’t trade him and terminating the contract it will completely remove the remaining $3.85MM cap hit and he will become an unrestricted free agent.

Buffalo Sabres forward Patrik Berglund and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Harrington writes that the mentality of the Sabres organization is, “If he doesn’t want to be here, he’s not needed,” and that Buffalo will ship him out for almost anything, including potentially retaining some salary to make the move work. It will be interesting to see if Berglund’s mentality is the same and would waive his no-trade clause to get out of Buffalo.

Right now it appears the trade was looked at, not seen as feasible and the Sabres made the next logical move.

Quenneville and the Flyers

Frank Seravalli of TSN tweeted the Philadelphia Flyers and GM Chuck Fletcher said that he didn’t ask the Chicago Blackhawks for permission to speak with Joel Quenneville before letting Dave Hakstol go as the team’s head coach, and added that he hasn’t spoken with Quenneville in two years.

Those who were quick to report that Quenneville had already accepted the job were obviously jumping the gun and had the wrong information.

Jeff Carter Won’t Make a Trade Easy

Elliotte Friedman had reported earlier this week that there were rumors Jeff Carter might be a trade piece out of LA but mentioned that any team looking to acquire him should be cautious of the fact he’s difficult to work with when he’s not happy about the situation he’s in. Lisa Dillman of The Athletic is writing that there’s something to that report.

Mar 3, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter (77) on the ice during the second period of the game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Carter is aware of the rumors surrounding him. That said, he’s commented, “When you’re not winning, that’s the nature of the beast. We’ll see what happens. Obviously, I don’t want to go anywhere. As Dillman writes:

But Carter, quite possibly, has his own stop sign. He said in our chat that he doesn’t want to leave Los Angeles. That’s the rub for the Kings. If they want to rebuild, and teams are interested in Carter, they would have to find a way of making it attractive for Carter to accept a move elsewhere.

source – ‘Jeff Carter doesn’t ‘want to go anywhere’ via trade, but is that the right move for the Kings?’ – The Athletic – Lisa Dillman – 12/18/2018

Carter’s $5.272 million salary cap hit for another three seasons already makes him a player that might not be terribly easy to trade. Combine that with the fact he has no desire to go anywhere else, he could make things tricky. It will be interesting to see how much power he has in this process considering he doesn’t have a no-trade clause as part of his current deal. If Carter is moved and he isn’t happy about where he ends up, he could also walk away from the game and that’s a big risk for the team who tries to acquire him.

Islanders and Blue Jackets Disappointed in Lack of Action

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello would have liked to be active on the trade market, but hasn’t gotten much of a response from potential partners. Lamoriello wanted to add some depth pieces but the market simply wasn’t there.

Meanwhile, Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen is also frustrated he’s not been able to move young center Alexander Wennberg, who has just one goal and 16 points through 33 games.

Garrioch writes:

Was told Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekelainen has been working the phones, but he’s not getting a whole lot of traction on centre Alexander Wennberg. That makes sense because he’s got a deal that runs through 2022-23 with a cap hit of $4.9 million. Now, if the Jackets are willing to discuss moving UFA forward Artemi Panarinand goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky then the talk is going to get serious.

source – ‘Snapshots: The firing of Dave Hakstol is only the beginning in Philly’ – Bruce Garricoh – The Ottawa Sun – 12/117/2018

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