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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 07/26/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
07/26/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Jul 25, 2019 12:04 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is buzz out of Montreal where the Canadiens have spoken with a former defenseman, the Winnipeg Jets might look to the Dallas Stars for help on their blue line, the Columbus Blue Jackets likely made a critical error when it came to Sergei Bobrovsky and there’s buzz as to who might be the next big-ticket RFA to sign is.
Markov’s Agent and Canadiens Talking
According to a report by Andrew Zadarnowski: Sergei Isakov, Andrei Markov‘s agent, said that he’s spoken with the Montreal Canadiens about a return to the NHL. He quotes his agent as saying, “I personally spoke with the main scout of “Montreal” and strongly recommended paying attention to Andrei, at least out of respect for him.”
This doesn’t mean the Canadiens have any interest in seeing Markov return and we’ve already reported that Markov’s people have reached out to the NHL on multiple occasions with no response.
Winnipeg Jets and Julius Honka?
Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun writes that in an effort to try and replace some of what the team lost when Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba left, the Winnipeg Jets might take a closer look at Dallas Stars right-handed defenseman Julius Honka.
The Jets may be able to fill their departures internally but if they look outside the organization, Honka might make sense and the belief is the Stars would sell him low, being affordable for a Jets team that has serious cap concerns.
Billeck writes:
Honka represents a few very interesting things for the Jets.
One is his handedness — he’s a right-shot defenceman on a team that lost two of them already this summer. He’s also young, 23 in fact, and a former 14th overall first-round pick that hasn’t reached his potential. The Jets could use some depth on the right side after losing Trouba and Myers, and Honka could very well provide that.
If the Jets go this route, it’s likely Honka slots in as a third pairing blueliner.
Brayden Point to Sign First?
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski is reporting at least one NHL GM believes that Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point will be the next big-name restricted free agent to get signed and taken off the market.
Before trying to sign Sebastian Aho, there were reports the Canadiens had interest in Point but those stories might have been exaggerated. At the very least, it was assumed he either wouldn’t sign the offer sheet or Tampa would match so Montreal moved on. Most accounts are that he wants to stay in Tampa.
This might be a bridge deal sort of situation as the Lightning cap situation is still not the greatest.
Bobrovsky Was Never Going Back to Blue Jackets?
If you thought the Columbus Blue Jackets made a mistake when they acquired so many pieces at last season’s NHL Trade Deadline and chose not to trade away Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin, Bobrovsky’s recent comments won’t help change your mind.
Bobrovsky spoke to Sport 24’s Daria Tubolseva and said during his interview that he informed the Blue Jackets following their postseason exit in 2018 that he had no intentions of staying with the team. They didn’t believe him.
The Blue Jackets continued to try and sign him at various points throughout the season and it was never his intention to say yes. He suggested they always knew that. Ultimately, it appears the Blue Jackets really shot themselves in the foot.
The post NHL Rumors: Canadiens, Jets, Blue Jackets, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jul 24, 2019 12:41 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news out of Toronto with respect to Jake Gardiner’s potential future, the Winnipeg Jets could be a target for some teams looking to mess with their cap situation through offer sheets and will Nikita Gusev stay in the KHL despite a trade by the Golden Knights that moved David Clarkson potentially to find room to sign him?
Maple Leafs News and Notes
Elliotte Friedman believes that free agent Jake Gardiner might need to sign a one-year deal with a team to re-establish his market and prove he’s worth what he’s asking for. That ask is somewhere around $7 million per season.
There is a belief that even if he did agree to do so, he likely wouldn’t come back to Toronto because he could end up on the third pair which doesn’t help him set better numbers, thus upping the chances for a better long-term deal next summer.
Teams that have cap room and a slot for him in a role that includes tons of playing time might be the most likely suitors at this point.
Offer Sheet for Kyle Connor?
Back during the RFA interview period, there were whispers of an offer sheet possibly being given to Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor. Sportsnet’s Sean Reynolds reports that those whispers have not gone away.
The Jets have roughly $17.5 million in cap space but need to sign Patrik Laine and other players with that money. That leaves an opening for another team to try and pry Connor — a 22-year-old who recorded 34 goals and 32 assists — from the Jets organization.
Reynolds didn’t mention which team or teams were looking at Connor but he did emphasize that the strategy here might be to force the Jets to pay Connor more than they’d like, leaving less money for Laine and force them to move salary to pay both players.
There is speculation negotiations to re-sign Laine and Connor could drag throughout the summer.
Panthers to Cost Cut a Little?
George Richards of The Athletic writes that the Florida Panthers might have more moves coming before the start of the season. Mark Pysyk and Mike Hoffman are among the names being discussed.
Richards writes:
Pysyk would be a prime candidate to be traded if the Panthers feel good enough about their defensive depth as it currently stands since he takes a $2.7 million charge against the cap. He is also making $3.5 million in salary this season, which could make him a little harder to move.
Richards adds that Pysyk is a proven NHL defenseman and a great teammate, but an unaffordable luxury at that price for a fifth or sixth guy on a team running out of space.
Richards also believes that any talk regarding a Hoffman trade could be real but thinks the forward will stay put.
Gusev Putting Pressure on Golden Knights
TSN is reporting a Russian news outlet source indicating the agent for winger Nikita Gusev will advise his client to remain in the KHL if he isn’t re-signed by the Vegas Golden Knights by a certain date.
Gusev would like to stay with the Golden Knights but his agent, Yuri Nikolaev said he’s aware the Golden Knights have received trade offers for his client. With the team and the player roughly $2 million apart in terms of salary demands, time is running out to get something done if Gusev is serious about his willingness to re-sign in the KHL.
The thought was that trading David Clarkson would allow the Golden Knights to up their offer to Gusev but it’s unclear since the trade if Vegas intends to do so.
The post NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Jets, Golden Knights, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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