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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 06/10/2020
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
06/10/2020 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Jun 09, 2020 01:40 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, Kasperi Kapanen of the Toronto Maple Leafs comments on potential trade rumors out of Toronto. In Chicago, is Mike Gillis thinking about taking on the vacant President position with the Blackhawks? Finally, it appears Eugene Melnyk of the Ottawa Senators is going to be battling another PR nightmare, this time over the allocation of charity funds.
That said, in more positive news, the last of 2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominees was sent out Tuesday.
Kapanen Likely Not Being Trade Just Yet
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic writes that he believes the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t ready to give up on Kasperi Kapanen just yet. There was some talk about moving him around this past trade deadline — the often dynamic winger even admits as much — but Kapenen claims he tried not to think about it.
Kapanen says he hadn’t spoken with GM Kyle Dubas about a potential trade and didn’t think the Leafs wanted to move him, but understood anything is possible.
Kapanen said:
“I don’t think he wanted to get rid of me, but I understand that hockey is also a business and if there’s something that he couldn’t really turn down then that’s just the nature of hockey, that’s the nature of business.”
Siegel also writes that Kapanen still remains the one player in Toronto that could be moved out of a group of very talented forwards because he has the most potential and isn’t in the group of untouchables. Siegel explains:
The Leafs will very likely need to trim salary prior to next season, which means removing at least one semi-prominent player from their current roster. The core four of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner (almost certainly) isn’t going anywhere, and while Alex Kerfoot and Andreas Johnsson figure to have some trade value, it’s Kapanen — a young-ish, chiseled 6-foot-1 roadrunner with scoring ability, upside, and an attractive contract — who’s sure to attract the most interest.
Gillis Open to Accepting Job From Blackhawks
Scott Powers of The Athletic writes that while it’s not confirmed the Chicago Blackhawks have offered him the job, moreover even called, should the team be interested in Mike Gillis as the team’s next President, Gillis would be open to the discussion.
Gillis said of the possibility he might fit there:
“I’ve had teams call and ask what my plans are, and as I’ve said, you know, I’m really interested in a highly collaborative, forward-thinking place. That requires real commitment. So of course I’d have the conversation and see if people are committed to that kind of thinking or that kind of strategy. And if they’re not, they’re not, which is fine. Lots of teams have had success in the past without it.
Since being let go by the Vancouver Canucks, Gillis said he want on a sort of sports discovery. He looked at the inner workings of a number of sports models and franchises and has developed a few theories he thinks could work for an NHL team, including improvements on what he did when he was the Canucks’ president.
Related: Chicago Blackhawks 50-Goal Scorers
2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Nominees Named
The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association announced the nominees for the 2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Tuesday. The entire list can be found here.
Among the notable names were Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid, St. Louis Blues’ defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, Montreal Canadiens’ Shea Weber, and Ottawa Senators’ Bobby Ryan.
Melnyk Under Fire For Charity Money Allocation
The Organ Project (TOP), a Toronto-based private charitable foundation set up by Eugene Melnyk in 2016, generated $991,708 in revenues in 2018. Unfortunately, of that nearly $1 million, according to CRA filings, the Organ Project invested barely $5,000 into organ donor awareness.
While other Senators charities are being attacked for contributing less than 50% of their earnings, this TOP fund donated less than 0.49 percent of their total earnings. Rick Gibbons of the Ottawa Sun writes:
According to CRA, a whopping $779,464 went to cover fundraising costs. Another $238,118 went to management and administration. I’m told these are the kind of results almost certain to draw the attention of the taxman.
The Organ Project is registered as a “private foundation” and, as such does not require an arm’s length community board of directors overseeing operations as does the Ottawa Senators Foundation. Instead, it appears to have only one director: Eugene Melnyk.
While the Senators appear to have a lot going for them on the ice, the off-ice stuff continues to haunt the organization.
The post NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Senators, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 08, 2020 02:50 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the Minnesota Wild are hoping the NHLPA can get a long-standing rule changed and that Kirill Kaprizov will end up playing. In Toronto, one scribe suggests two possible trade targets for the Maple Leafs. Finally, has the NHL set a deadline to award the Stanely Cup?
Wild Still Hoping Kaprizov Is Allowed to Play
The Athletic’s Michael Russo noted that even though the NHL has said that unsigned players like Kirill Kaprizov will not be eligible for the upcoming play-in rounds or the playoffs, the NHLPA is working on getting them to change their minds.
Russo writes:
… the NHLPA has picked up this fight because the league is technically changing a long-standing, collectively bargained rule.
So, there is a chance that the league may change its mind and allow the Wild to sign Kaprizov and debut him this summer.
If it works, Russo writes the Wild have high hopes for Kaprizov and he believes he could push someone like Victor Rask or Ryan Donato out the lineup. “If we feel that (Kaprizov’s) ready to go then I don’t think it’ll be an issue whatsoever,” interim coach Dean Evason said.
In other Wild news, there could be a different starting goaltender in the net for the Wild when play resumes. “I think whoever’s here in our training camp is in the mix,” admitted Evason. That leaves open the possibility Kaapo Kahkonen would technically be allowed to enter Minnesota’s qualifying round as the starter.
Maple Leafs Trade Target on Defense
Luke Fox of Sportsnet writes that right-handed defensemen David Savard (Columbus) and Rasmus Ristolainen (Buffalo) could be potential trade targets for the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason. Ristolainen has two years left on his deal at a $5.4 million salary cap hit. Savard has one-year left on his deal at a $4.25 million cap hit.
Both the Blue Jackets and Sabres need offence, which is something the Maple Leafs have a lot of. But, only certain forwards would be available. Fox writes that it appears to be highly unlikely that the Maple Leafs trade William Nylander, whether that be a deal to land a d-man or to simply create salary cap space to sign other pending free agents. Fox believes the Leafs will move forward with his group of higher-priced forwards.
Deadline to Award the Stanley Cup?
Toronto Maple Leafs insider James Mirtle revealed in a recent article that his sources have noted the NHL has a deadline in mind for the latest possible moment at which the Stanley Cup could be awarded.
Mirtle writes:
I’m told at this point that the latest the NHL believes it can give out the Stanley Cup is Oct. 8, four days before Canadian Thanksgiving. (The NBA’s current projected end date is Oct. 12.)
The NHL would then begin the draft and free agency in mid-October, followed by a two-month offseason that would carry into December.
Like other reports, Mirtle says the NHL seems to think that moving the season to later in the year on a permanent basis has merit. Among other reasons, he notes, “Media rights consultants have told (commissioner) Gary (Bettman) that it would increase the value of broadcast rights,” if the NHL starts later.
Still, even if the Stanely Cup can be awarded later and the NHL might be thinking that a later start to the regular season is workable moving forward, the league is pushing ahead as if there will be games beginning sometime in late July. Mirtle states there is still optimism at the league office, at this point, that the Stanley Cup will be awarded and some of the revenues lost can be recouped.
The post NHL Rumors: Wild, Maple Leafs, Stanley Cup Deadline, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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