NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 07/27/2020

July 27, 2020

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

07/27/2020 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Jul 26, 2020 01:20 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are more details surfacing as to who or what might have lured John Chayka away from the Arizona Coyotes (if in fact, that relationship is over). The Edmonton Oilers lost a few bodies at a recent scrimmage, and the Detroit Red Wings might be thinking about a deal with the new Seattle Kraken expansion franchise.

Finally, we say goodbye and show our respects to a hockey great as Eddie Shack has passed away.

Chayka Lured Away by Ownership Group?

We reported yesterday that there’s something odd going on inside the Arizona Coyotes management and ownership group. General manager John Chayka isn’t likely joining the team in the bubble, he has cleaned out his office, and it appears he and the ownership group are not working together.

Further to that story, according to Coyotes insider Craig Morgan, an offer has come to Chayka from an outside group that is not looking to have him be a manager somewhere else. It’s being called “another professional opportunity.,” and could be a position in ownership somewhere.

Patrick Johnston of the Ottawa Citizen is connecting dots that lead to Pegula Sports and Entertainment out of Buffalo. Kim and Terry Pegula own more than just the Buffalo Sabres. They own the Buffalo Bills, the Rochester Americans, the rink and the hotel complex next door. Chayka grew up about 40 minutes from Buffalo and there is word the Pegulas were interested in Chayka before he joined the Coyotes.

Johnston says, “Don’t be surprised if you see him going home to take up a bigger position with PSE.”

Red Wings to Work Deal With the Kraken?

Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press wonders if there’s a connection between the Detroit Red Wings and the new Seattle Kraken franchise. She also looked at the possibility of general manager Steve Yzerman swinging a deal with the Kraken and sending Frans Nielsen or Justin Abdelkader to the new team ahead of the expansion draft.

Nielsen ($5.25 million annual average value) and Abdelkader ($4.25 million) are the second- and third-highest played players on the Wings and there is speculation one could be moved to help the rebuild of the Red Wings club. St. James suggested the problem with that deal is that the Red Wings would have to include a draft pick or a prospect in the deal which defeats the purpose.

She writes:

That does not make sense for a rebuilding team. Plus, in 2021, Nielsen only has one year left on his deal, and Abdelkader, two – that creates scenarios in which either could reasonably be subject either to demotion to the minors or a buyout.

source – ‘Who will Detroit Red Wings protect in Seattle Kraken expansion draft? Our list’ – Helene St. James – Detroit Free Press – 07/24/2020

Still with the Red Wings, earlier this week, it was reported that winger Filip Zadina was in talks to start next season with HC Ocelari Trinec of the Czech Extraliga. According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, center Joe Veleno is also a part of the discussions with Trinec.

Oilers Injury Issues at Camp?

The Edmonton Oilers held a touching memorial scrimmage yesterday for recently deceased forward Colby Cave and while the tribute was emotional, there was other news coming out of that scrimmage.

Darnell Nurse was not on the ice after tweaking something a practice Thursday and both Riley Sheahan and Kailer Yamamoto took some bumps that took them out of the game. It appears Yamamoto is ok, and there isn’t much in the way of updates on Sheahan. Head coach Dave Tippett says Nurse was unfit to play Saturday but should be back with the team Sunday.

Philip Broberg got another look with Nruse absent and he impressed.

Maple Leafs Remember Eddie Shack

Finally, our condolences go out to the friends and family of Eddie Shack. Shack died at the age of 83 on Saturday after losing a battle with throat cancer. He played 16 seasons with six different NHL teams but was considered to be a Toronto Maple Leaf. The team announced his passing on Sunday and remembered him for helping the franchise win four Stanley Cup Championships in the 1960s.

By Jim Parsons on Jul 25, 2020 01:35 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on Chicago Blackhawks’ goaltender Corey Crawford and his return to the lineup. Meanwhile, a goaltender out of Washington is now done for the season. In Arizona, is the general manager of the Coyotes and the team headed for a divorce? How is Ilya Mikheyev doing in Toronto since his return from injury and finally, what is the status of Dougie Hamilton in Carolina?

Blackhawks Include Crawford

As per a report from a number of sources, including Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the Chicago Blackhawks might get netminder Corey Crawford back shortly. Spector writes:

We are told that goalie Corey Crawford, who has not yet been a participant at Chicago Blackhawks camp, is on the club’s 31-player list submitted on Friday.

Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago posted photos and video of Crawford warming up on the ice with his team Saturday. While there’s no telling for certain when Crawford will be ready to get into game action, this is a good sign (even if he did let in a ton of goals during scrimmage).

Samsonov Out For The Season

The Washington Capitals got awful news as goaltender Ilya Samsonov has suffered an injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season. His injury happened before camp but the team announced to reporters, including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that he will remain in Washington to undergo treatment. He has not been added to the playoff-eligible roster that was submitted on Friday.

While not ideal circumstances, this is a great opportunity for veteran goalie Braden Holtby. He’s coming off the worst statistical season of his career — he posted a 3.11 GAA with a .897 SV% in 48 appearances — and has been the subject of rumors he’ll be leaving the Capitals this offseason to test free agency. If Holtby can perform well, he’ll up his value on the open market in a big way.

Hurricanes Without Dougie Hamilton, But For How Long?

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton has missed the last several practices and it seems that he’ll be out for a little while longer. This isn’t good news for the Hurricanes who were expecting to have him back and part of a fairly deep blue line.

“The injury is not a recurrence of his broken leg that shelved his season prematurely and that the estimated recovery period is weeks instead of months.”

At the very least, Hamilton will miss the play-in round vs. the New York Rangers and likely the first round of the official playoffs should the Hurricanes advance. Sami Vatanen should get a look on the top pairing in Hamilton’s absence.

John Chayka Done in Arizona?

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that John Chayka is a name to keep an eye on in the coming days or weeks. There is talk surrounding the Coyotes general manager, including news that he may not join the team playoff bubble and that his office has been cleaned out.

While these things could prove only that Chayka will be working from home and doesn’t need to be with the team, there was also the news this week that he was not part of the ownership meeting with Taylor Hall and other stories have come out about conversations with agents that haven’t involved Chayka.

All of this comes after news that the Coyotes had been caught working out draft-eligible players with punishment still pending from the league.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic notes:

Came out of vacation mode to check in on this: no clarity at this hour on this situation. Muddy at best. Chayka and new regime not on same page as far as I can tell. Chayka has 3 more years on his deal after this summer’s tournament. Seems headed for a divorce but let’s see.

Maple Leafs’ Mikheyev Looks Good

Ilya Mikheyev has been an absolute beast during the Maple Leafs’ Phase 3 training camp. He was voted Phase 3 MVP by the media and he’s been getting a lot of ice time with Mitch Marner and John Tavares.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe said: “I thought he was excellent. Probably more than anybody, he is really excited and happy to be back here playing in a team environment.” He added, “He and his line, I thought, were really good.”

Does that mean this is a line fans can expect to see in the play-in round versus the Columbus Blue Jackets?

By Jim Parsons on Jul 24, 2020 12:45 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, Columbus Blue Jackets’ coach John Tortorella is not happy with his team and explains why. In Pittsburgh, there are questions about who starts in goal and the GM has an opinion that might not match the coach. Who will the Tampa Bay Lightning be forced to trade and finally, who is in line to be the first head coach of the new Seattle Kraken franchise?

Blue Jackets Coach Unhappy With Players

Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella has a tendency to be boisterous and opinionated at the best of times. When he sees something he doesn’t like, he’s not afraid to say so. Now, he’s targeting his own team and their preparation for the play-in round of the NHL’s return to play.

Tortorella told NHL.com’s Craig Merz he doesn’t like what he has seen so far. “My concern is some of the people that we are going to need to make a difference for us to win a series, I don’t think they’re ready right now,” said Tortorella. He added:

“This isn’t getting ready for the regular season and then trying to find your game in 15 games during the regular season. This is a sprint… I don’t want us to fall into this trap of wading in. We need to be ready to go.”

With the play-in rounds, the series’ are shortened to a maximum of five games, so if a team doesn’t come out of the gate hot, they could be eliminated in a matter of three games.

Who Starts in Goal for Penguins?

Even though it’s not up to him, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic that he believes Matt Murray will be the starting netminder for the team after seeing how well Murray has performed in this week’s practices. “I was watching him in that practice closely,” Rutherford said.

He added:

“He was the goaltender of 2016 and 2017 during that practice. He really was. I saw the fundamentals, the ones that he shows when he’s really on. That was very encouraging. And plus, he has a little bit more time. I think he’s going to be just fine. Really good, in fact.”

The interesting thing is, Jarry has dazzled in camp thus far while Murray has allowed multiple goals during scrimmages. Murray has also lost his last six postseason outings. This is certainly not a slam dunk decision.

Will Lightning Have to Trade Cirelli or Sergachev?

Joe Smith of The Athletic wrote in his mailbag report earlier this week that the Tampa Bay Lightning might have to look at trading one their restricted free agents in center Anthony Cirelli or defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.

If this comes to pass due to salary cap issues, Smith notes teams like the Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres would be interested and the Lightning could get a really good prospect, one or more high draft picks, and an NHL-ready player in return.

Smith writes of Cirelli:

There would have to be a significant prospect and pick coming back to land Cirelli, who has been the Lightning’s top shutdown center and Selke-caliber player. The coaching staff loves him, and there’s no doubt GM Julien BriseBois will do anything in his power to sign the RFA.

source – Lightning mailbag: On RFA dilemmas, playoff X-factors, trade talk and more’ – Joe Smith – The Athletic- 07/20/2020

Smith feels the Lightning will keep both players on shorter bridge deals but suggests Alex Killorn will be moved this summer thanks to the cap crunch.

Seattle Kraken Head Coach?

TSN’s Darren Dreger notes that after the news of Seattle’s new team name, there is talk of who the next head coach will be. He said Kraken general manager Ron Francis still intends to take his time finding the right bench boss but that former Vegas Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant is certainly in the mix.

Dreger also believes a flat salary cap of $81.5 million will help the Kraken who may be able to pluck good players from teams who have to make tough decisions heading into 2021-22.

What Will Areas Look Like for Game Play?

The NHL released a rendering of what the arena will look like during the NHL restart. According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, “The league is promising a unique look and feel to every game played, including the local goal horns and songs of each team participating.” He included a photo that shows screens and a giant television board where fans on the player’s side would normally sit.

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