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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 05/18/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
05/18/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on May 17, 2019 01:08 pm
Every year, TSN puts out a Trade Bait Board that is followed religiously. Each week that board is updated with the names most likely to move, those who have already been shipped off to a new home and players who climb up and drop down the ladder with regularity.
NHL’ers and fans alike keep an eye on the board all year and if you’re on it, you know, with decent certainty, there’s something to your name being out there.
On Friday, TSN dropped it’s first Trade Bait Board of the season and there are some interesting notes worth looking at:
No. 1: Phil Kessel
It seems like Phil Kessel is a part of trade rumors every year. Despite being a highly-productive forward, he’s rumored to be on the move… again. He’s been traded twice in his career (once from Boston and once from Toronto), so realistically, for a guy who’s talked about so often, he’s been fairly secure in his job.
That seems likely to change this summer.
There are rumors the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to make changes. A first-round sweep at the hands of the New York Islanders has GM Jim Rutherford guessing as to the makeup of his team and Kessel is a highly-paid player who can fetch a return that might help the Pens move in another direction.
While Evgeni Malkin’s name came up a lot after the Penguins were eliminated, his name isn’t even on the board. As such, you know there’s probably not a whole lot to those Malkin rumors. Kessel, on the other hand, could go.
That he ranks at No. 1 is telling. That there have been rumors of friction between Kessel and the team/coaching staff is even more telling.
Some Big Money on the Board
One of the things worth noting is how much money covers the Top 15 spots on the board. Of the 15 players listed, not one makes less than $2.1 million per season and that’s Connor Brown. Closest to him is Travis Hamonic out of Calgary ($3.86) and Colin Miller out of Vegas ($3.88).
The rest of the board is full of big-name, hefty contracts that a lot of teams are trying to move to free up cap space.
The Edmonton Oilers are trying to dump Milan Lucic while the Nashville Predators are thinking about moving P.K. Subban because he’s the highest-paid player on the team and he affects negotiations with other players.
What will be interesting to watch this summer is how teams move contracts like Ryan Callahan or Kevin Shattenkirk. How many of these names will be bought out by their respective teams versus traded for actual value?
Salary Cap Restructuring
One of the biggest things to notice is how many good teams are rumored to be making moves. This is not a list full of lottery clubs. This is some of the leagues most talented teams being active from the get-go. They’re doing so because they need to make changes to the salary cap situation.
Toronto has two players on the board. One (Zaitsev) frees up big money while the other (Brown) is a luxury they can’t afford. In Nashville, it’s about moving money for money. In Minnesota, the idea is to move players while under control. In Tampa, they want the room to play.
Can Columbus get anything back for Artemi Panarin who is almost guaranteed to be moving on and can Winnipeg finally settle things with Jacob Trouba?
The struggle isn’t just for terrible teams trying to improve. It’s about good teams figuring out what their next steps are in an NHL where the window to win is incredibly small.
Final Analysis
What’s so interesting about the first Trade Bait Board of the year isn’t that the names on it are on it. It’s why they’re on it.
Every team seems to have a different mandate for the summer and that will make for interesting trades. So too, not all of these players will be traded as some will be bought out and some stay put, simply because there are few options.
How these deals get done will be the thing to watch. It’s not about just moving a player for a player in today’s NHL. It’s about moving the pieces you need to move while the team you’re negotiating with has to figure out their own problems. That makes trades exponentially more difficult.
The post TSN’s First Trade Bait Board Lands: Key Takeaways appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 17, 2019 10:30 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news that Jason Spezza would be open to a return to Ottawa, updates on the status of things between the Toronto Maple Leafs and restricted free agent Andreas Johnsson, the Dallas Stars might look at moving a young forward and more.
Spezza Back in Ottawa?
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke with Jason Spezza who will not be back with the Dallas Stars next season and asked him what his plans are for the future. Specifically, he asked him if he would consider a return to the only other franchise he has suited up for.
Spezza said he definitely wants to keep playing. He added:
It’s still early in this process but I have a good relationship with the people in Ottawa that are still there. It would be high on my list of considerations that’s for sure. I left there on good terms. It definitely keeps the door open. It’s food for thought, for sure. But it’s so early in the process, we’ll see.
As LeBrun points out, Spezza turns 36 next month but in the right situation, he can fill a bottom-six role. He did so for Dallas in the playoffs this season and he’ll be a good help to any power play. While he might not be fast enough to excel in today’s game, his hockey sense hasn’t left him and he can think the game faster than most.
Andreas Johnsson Letting Agent do the Talking
Restricted free agent Andreas Johnsson delivered with a 20-goal season and as one of Toronto’s better forwards, he will get a hefty raise over the summer. The question is, ‘What will a Johnsson deal look like?’
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic notes that Johnsson is open to negotiating with the Maple Leafs and that he’s not stuck on the type of deal. Johnsson said, “The agents and the organization have to talk about that.” He added, “Whatever would work best for both (sides).”
Siegel writes:
If they can, and yes there’s the cap crunch to consider, the Leafs should go big on a Johnsson deal because he’s an emerging player, a spunky, shifty threat who can score and create for others. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s become a more than viable long-term option for Matthews’ line, particularly since the organization’s strength at wing tilts heavily to the right.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Leafs made an offer of four years and a $2.6 million cap hit and were rejected. A two-year deal with a $2.1 million cap hit was also turned down. So, while Johnsson isn’t stuck on the length of the deal, it does appear he wants fair value.
Time for Julius Honka to Move On?
Sportsday’s Matthew DeFranks asks if young defenseman Julius Honka has a future with the Stars? The restricted free agent hasn’t done much for the Dallas Stars of late and DeFranks believes he could “draw at least marginal interest from other teams.”
At 23 years old, if he’s not going to crack the lineup for the Stars, he’s probably best to get a shot elsewhere.
Ivan Telegin Looking For NHL Contract
Ivan Telegin told Igor Eronko of Sport-Express that he is looking for an NHL contract after his deal with CSKA Moscow in the KHL recently came to an end. The Winnipeg Jets currently own Telegin’s NHL rights but at the end of June when he will become an unrestricted free agent.
A team looking for an inexpensive contributor for their bottom six might take a look.
The post NHL Rumors: Spezza, Maple Leafs, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 15, 2019 01:15 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are updates out of Toronto when it pertains to Mitch Marner, NHL insiders wondering if short-term deals are the way contracts will go in the NHL and news on what comes next in Buffalo. Is it a Jeff Skinner extension?
Insiders Believe Short-Term Deals Coming
A conversation started on Twitter between NHL insiders Pierre LeBrun and Brian Lawton about summer NHL deals. LeBrun started the conversation by noting that Brent Burns is the highest paid player in the playoffs right now at $8 million per season but that his salary would be less than what many RFA’s might get this offseason.
Lawton then jumped in and responded, “My suspicion is things are going to get a lot less cozy for clubs & Agents this summer.” He added, “I expect a lot more shorter term contracts 4 elite young players as a compromise to disagreements in value!”
LeBrun responded, “Could be. I actually think shorter deals for high-level RFAs are the way to go as long as you’re up while you’re still in your prime. Means a more expensive contract next time as well.”
From the sounds of this conversation and the hints dropped by deals for players like Auston Matthews, this could be the way contracts lean in the future for restricted free agents.
Leafs and Marner’s Camp Talking
John Shannon reported that Brendan Shanahan and Kyle Dubas talked to Mitch Marner‘s agent Darren Ferris yesterday.
The Maple Leafs haven’t hidden the fact that getting Marner re-signed before he reaches restricted free agency in July is their top priority but Dubas will only go so far as to what’s being discussed behind closed doors.
After a career-high 94 points in 2018-19 to lead Toronto in points for the second straight season, it’s not hard to navigate what a deal could look like for Marner and the numbers will have to be close to what teammates John Tavares and Auston Matthews are making, which is at least $11 million in 2019-20. Ferris is likely pushing for a salary around that amount for his client.
Detroit Red Wings Trade Candidates
Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou had breakout years, and Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News believes that makes the pair trade candidates to land an impact defenseman.
Kulfan believes some of Detroit’s prospect depth up front doesn’t have enough clout to land a good d-man and some other forwards the Red Wings don’t want to move. He writes:
Larkin is the foundation of this organization. Bertuzzi had 21-goal season, is a heart-and-soul player, but wouldn’t likely fetch the return that a Mantha or Athanasiou would, and is probably a more valuable player for the Wings, given his intangibles, than for other teams.
Kulfan notes Mantha and Athanasiou are also set to become restricted free agents in 2020 and will be due significant raises that make them good bets to be moved before Detroit has to pay full price.
It shouldn’t be shocking if new GM Steve Yzerman looks to make some changes. This type of trade could be among them.
Skinner Waited on Coaching Announcement
Paul Hamilton is reporting that Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill said on WGR 550 that pending free agent forward Jeff Skinner hadn’t yet signed with the organization because he was first waiting to know who their coach for next season would be.
Now that Ralph Krueger has been named head coach, Skinner news might be forthcoming. Botterill said the team has kept in dialogue with Jeff, and we’ve let him know what the coaching situation has been. It will be important that Ralph is able to build a relationship with him moving forward.
One thing Krueger has going for him is his ability to speak with the players. He didn’t get much credit, but he was instrumental in convincing Justin Schultz to choose the Edmonton Oilers when he was coaching the team. Schultz had a ton of choices but he said Krueger had him sold almost immediately.
The post NHL Rumors: Marner, Skinner, Short-Term Deals, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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