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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 07/01/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
07/01/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Jul 01, 2019 09:33 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are last-minute reports of players making agreements with teams prior to the opening of free agency. These reports include signing for teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and more.
Free Agent Signings Before the Bell
Even though teams aren’t supposed to be talking money and term during the interview period, everyone knows they do. And, because of this, insiders like Frank Seravalli, Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman, John Shannon, Andy Strickland and others can report, with near certainty, who is going where.
Here are the names we’ve heard so far:
Artemi Panarin to the Islanders
The Columbus Blue Jackets apparently made a late-night, last-ditch effort to convince Artemi Panarin to stay in Columbus, offering 8 years and $12.5 -$13 million per season at him. Everyone is waiting to see what he does but speculation is that he’ll go to the New York Islanders on a 7-year term.
John Shannon wrote, “The Blue Jackets are still trying to convince Artemi Panarin to return to Columbus. Still hoping there’s a chance. Looks like a 3 team race. CBJ. NYI. Florida.
There other reports that the New York Rangers believe they are still in the hunt but Colorado knows they are not. Adrian Dater reports the Colorado Avalanche had offered six years and $70 million for Panarin. He declined.
Sergei Bobrovsky to Florida
It appears Bobrovsky is headed to the Florida Panthers having agreed to a deal around the seven-year, $9.5 million per season mark.
The Panthers had Bobrovsky in their sights from the very beginning.
Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski to Dallas
It appears as though the Dallas Stars have picked up a couple of veterans in Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski.
Perry had as many as 10 teams inquire about him and four teams push really hard for his services. But, he’s going to sign a one-year deal worth $1.5 million plus have the options for another $1.5-$2 million in bonuses with Dallas.
Terms of Pavelski’s deal weren’t disclosed but it should be a longer-term deal, possibly in the three-year range.
Other names on the list include Mike Smith to Edmonton, Cam Talbot to Calgary, Matt Duchene to Nashville, Patrick Marleau to San Jose and more.
Maple Leafs Busy on July 1
Outside of already being involved in a big trade that sent Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown and Michael Carcone to the Ottawa Senators, there are rumors the Maple Leafs will sign Jason Spezza to a one-year, $700K deal and have a number of other things on the go.
“The #leafs have been working multiple trade options in recent days with hopes of freeing cap space and filling positional needs. While there isn’t believed to be anything else in the hopper after the OTT deal, other opportunities may open now that July 1 bonuses are paid.”
James Mirtle writes he believes the Maple Leafs still have a shot with Jake Gardiner saying now that the deal with Ottawa is done, Toronto theoretically should have space, even with Marner an unknown.
Blackhawks Relatively Quiet
While there hasn’t been much noise surrounding the Chicago Blackhawks, they might still be a team to watch. KJohn Dietz writes that Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said, “We’re still talking to some free agents. … If you look back at where we were a couple months ago, we’ve added a couple of NHL players here. … and in the process, we didn’t ship out many NHL players.”
Don’t expect much noise but they might have a couple of things no the go.
Goaltender Talk: Lehner, Varlamov, More
Pierre LeBrun reports that with Semyon Varlamov potentially signing with Islanders, (because Robin Lehner turned down a two-year deal) he’s been hearing the Carolina Hurricanes are focusing on Petr Mrazek and Lehner.
Arthur Staple adds: “The appeal of Varlamov for #Isles — likely cheaper than Lehner’s ask and he’s tight with Ilya Sorokin… And still plenty of room for Panarin at 12m per, plus a 3C — someone like Colin Wilson, perhaps.”
Senators Make a Couple Of Signings
A pair of former Maple Leafs appear to be on their way to Ottawa. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Senators are closing in on signing forward Tyler Ennis to a one-year contract. So too, TSN’s Bob McKenzie adds defenseman Ron Hainsey is expected to sign with the Sens.
Canucks to Sign Two Big D-Men
Tyler Myers and Jordie Benn are both expected to sign with the Vancouver Canucks according to multiple insiders.
Myers has been connected to the Canucks since the opening of the free agency interview period and might sign the biggest contract given out to a defenseman. Benn is taking advantage of a nice season and capitalizing.
The post NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Stars, Sens, Canucks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 30, 2019 07:22 pm
As the Edmonton Oilers interview free agents, chat with GMs about potential trades and set themselves up for a busy day on July 1, there are some last-minute rumors and news items hitting the social media wire.
Oilers fans have gone a little buggy over the rumors that Ken Holland has landed a backup goaltender and might be going after a veteran winger, who at one time was fantastic, but might be too slow to play the game at the speed the Oilers plan to play. It sounds like the team is out on one of their targets and might circle back to a familiar face and in the background, there is the looming trade of Jesse Puljujarvi.
Oilers to Announce Mike Smith Signing
This quote came in from TSN’s Frank Seravalli later on Sunday night: ” Expectation is Mike Smith will be in neighbourhood of $2 million base salary with potential to earn up to $2 million more in performance bonuses on a one-year deal with #Oilers, to be announced tomorrow.”
He later tweeted with confidence, Smith chose the Oilers while Cam Talbot has essentially chosen the Flames.
There was a clear need in Edmonton for another netminder when you looked at the question marks surrounding Mikko Koskinen. Koskinen was great for a short time, horrendous for a short time and ok for the rest of it. His single-season sample size wasn’t nearly enough to confirm for the organization that the Oilers had landed a starter. The old regime signed him to a multi-year contract anyway.
As for Smith, the fan base is mixed. Many feel the combination of the two isn’t steady enough to warrant as much as $8 million per season on the goaltending and others feel like Smith can get his game back up to a caliber that saw him be an NHL All-Star.
Oilers in on Corey Perry
John Shannon also reported on Sunday that the Edmonton Oilers were one of four teams to inquire about Corey Perry. Shannon says, in fact, the Oilers are going heavy after him.
This might not mean the Oilers are going to overpay him, but it sounds like a few teams would like to bring his grit and nastiness to their franchise. For Edmonton, the team hasn’t often iced that kind of player. If he can find his game, the Oilers could have a bargain on their hands. That’s if they win out over three other teams.
At the same time, Perry may have completely lost what speed and ability he has to keep up in the NHL and the Oilers could land a lemon.
Oilers Back to Chatting With Alex Chiasson
The rumors that Edmonton is still in on Brett Connolly exist but they’ve lessened with the report by Ryan Rishaug on Sunday that Connolly to Edmonton isn’t looking likely. Either another team has offered more than Edmonton was willing to pay or the Washington Capitals are back in and, as a result, the Oilers are revisiting the idea of signing Alex Chiasson.
Ryan Rishaug of TSN wrote on Sunday, “If Connolly not likely to land in Edmonton, may put a focus back on Chiasson deal, depending on who else they feel they may be able to land. Nyquist would be more $ than Connolly, perhaps too much.”
The Oilers were rumored to have interest in Gustav Nyquist but depending on the offers out there for Chiasson, he could return to Edmonton on a team-friendly deal.
Rishaug also suggested the buyout for Andrej Sekera came at such an interesting time, the Oilers might have something on the go. Rishaug noted that owner Darryl Katz just agreed to spend $6 million on a buyout, so there must be a clear payoff for roster this year.
Edmonton might be shooting higher than Connolly now. Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer tweeted, “Don’t be surprised if Brett Connolly represented by Gerry Johansson ends up in Florida possibly on a 4-year term.” That would have been way too rich for the Oilers.
The post Oilers News and Rumors: Smith, Perry, Chiasson, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 30, 2019 04:23 pm
In our second installment of the NHL rumor rundown on the day before free agency, there are updates surrounding the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks when it comes to Joe Pavelski. There is news on what the buyout of Andrej Sekera means for the Edmonton Oilers moving forward. It appears the Minnesota Wild are going hard after Mats Zuccarello and, there is news that the Colorado Avalanche might still be in the Artemi Panarin sweepstakes.
Tampa Bay Lightning Ready to Strike?
Caley Chelios reports Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said he’s confident the team will get the Brayden Point deal done. He met with Point‘s agent while in Vancouver and said they were having an open dialogue.
Still with the Lightning, it is being reported by Andy Strickland that Joe Pavelski is leaning away from the San Jose Sharks and towards making Tampa his first option on a free agency deal.
Pierre LeBrun believes that Pavelski only met with the Lightning and Dallas Stars. having turned down other meeting requests. There were a few other teams that were pushing hard and Pavelski certainly hasn’t committed to anyone.
If Not Tampa, Dallas…
There are other reports that Pavelski may be on his way to Dallas. Michael Russo of The Athletic writes Pavelski might be on his way to the Stars, basically replacing Mats Zuccarello who will likely go elsewhere in free agency.
Russo writes:
With Joe Pavelski looking like he’s heading to the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild have once again started to turn their focus onto other free-agent forwards, especially the man Pavelski conceivably could be replacing in Dallas.
Russo also writes that the Minnesota Wild are willing to offer Zuccarello that long-term deal he wants and will be going after Ryan Hartman. Few other teams are stepping up to the plate on Zuccarello’s ask.
Oilers Going to Pursue Forwards in Free Agency
With the buyout for Andrej Sekera, the Edmonton Oilers are planning on using the $3 million in savings to go after a bigger-name forward in free agency. The early word was that they’d be in on Brett Connolly but one wonders if they’ll take a bigger swing than that.
There is buzz they might also have their eyes on Valtteri Filppula or Gustav Nyquist. Both players will get interest from other teams. Mark Spector writes: “Sekera buy out coming when it does hints that Holland has the extra money already spent on a UFA or two. Should be an interesting day tmw.”
Part of the decision on Sekera was also that the Oilers firmly believe Adam Larsson will be better than he was last season and this is absolutely not the time to move on him in trade or otherwise.
Avalanche Still in On Panarin
Adrian Dater from Colorado Hockey Now reports a source close to Artemi Panarin said the Colorado Avalanche continued to have serious interest in the 27-year-old left winger.
The source also claimed the club met with Panarin personally this week while understanding Panarin also met with the Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders.
The Avs probably aren’t a favorite here, especially since they acquired Andre Burakovsky, but they have the potential to offer the most money of any team in free agency.
The post NHL Rumors: Pavelski, Oilers, Wild, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 30, 2019 12:35 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news out of Buffalo with the Sabres, Toronto and the Maple Leafs hunt for value deals, and the Vancouver Canucks may have to change their approach to free agency.
Buffalo Sabres in the News
Chris Johnston is reporting that it’s sounding like the Buffalo Sabres will be signing Curtis Lazar to a one-way contract. The Calgary Flames didn’t qualify him.
A real character guy, he is the kind of player the Sabres believe could be a steal if he can get his NHL game turned on.
Meanwhile, Lance Lysowski reports Sabres GM Jason Botterill wouldn’t say if defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen had requested a trade. Those conversations would not be released publicly. The expectation, however, is that Ristolainen will be moved.
Maple Leafs Looking for Low-Cost Players… Marleau?
Ian Tulloch of The Athletic listed a handful of options the Toronto Maple Leafs may be keeping an eye on in free agency, hoping to find this season’s Tyler Ennis.
Among the names were Brandon Pirri, Kenny Agostino, Brendan Leipsic, Dmitrij Jaskin, Tyler Ennis and even Patrick Marleau.
Tulloch wrote of Patick Marleau:
Much like Ron Hainsey, I think this is an idea that makes a lot of sense in principle (bringing back a veteran to play lower in the lineup) but isn’t practical when you consider how Mike Babcock is actually going to use the player. Much like Roman Polak and Leo Komarov, I think this is a situation where Kyle Dubas needs to “take the toys away” from Babcock to ensure they aren’t played above more impactful players at 5-on-5.
Don’t expect Marleau to come back to the Maple Leafs. He’s already with his family in San Jose and says he wants to play with the team that gave him his start.
Canucks Free Agency Changing Thanks to Luongo?
The Vancouver Canucks had to know they’d see a potential cap issue if Roberto Luongo ever retired. A salary cap recapture penalty of $3 million may have changed things for the Canucks and how active they’d be in free agency.
Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province explains the Canucks just bought out Ryan Spooner to clear some space and didn’t qualify Ben Hutton out of fear he may be awarded $4 million in arbitration. Brock Boeser, Tyler Motte, Josh Leivo and Nikolay Goldobin all need new deals.
Johnston writes:
The big-money deals he signed with underachieving forwards Loui Eriksson and Brandon Sutter will continue to hamper him from making other moves as long as they’re in the picture.
The Canucks were rumored to be in on Tyler Myers and Myers speculated ask was around $7 million per season. That’s going to be difficult to do now.
Latest on Marcus Johansson
Darren Dreger reports that over 10 teams have checked in with forward Marcus Johansson. This is great news for the forward who is speculated to be looking for a raise from the $4.6 million he made last season.
Joe Haggerty suggests the Bruins never really had a shot at re-signing Johansson. He was a great rental pick up for them but will be too expensive as a third-line winger.
The post NHL Rumors: Sabres, Maple Leafs, Canucks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 30, 2019 11:37 am
If we take a look over the past few weeks of rumors leading into NHL free agency, we get a pretty good picture of where a number of free agents may land. We also get a sense of who might be on the trade block with a few blockbusters having already gone down.
In an attempt to provide an overall rundown of who might be going where, here is a list of the 53 biggest names in free agency talk and trade rumors and what to expect.
This is a summary of earlier reports we did in our rumor rundown notes (with a few little additions). These free agents and trade targets have not been ranked in any particular order:
53) Curtis McElhinney
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Montreal Canadiens are among three teams that are interested in signing veteran goaltender Curtis McElhinney. The 36-year-old finished the 2018-19 season with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 33 appearances. LeBrun also adds that it doesn’t look like Toronto is one of the other two teams.
52) Patrik Berglund
Former NHL player Patrik Berglund, who walked out on the Buffalo Sabres in the middle of last season, is exploring a return the NHL. According to Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland, there are several interested teams.
51) Deryk Engelland
Vegas Golden Knights President of Hockey Operations George McPhee confirmed that the team is close to signing veteran unrestricted free agent defenseman Deryk Engelland, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen.
The 37-year-old is likely expected to take a bottom-six role next season and could find himself more in a 6th/7th role on defense.
50) Jake Gardiner
According to the Maple Leafs Hot Stove, Elliotte Friedman said on Sportsnet 590 that Gardiner’s camp could sit back and see if anyone starts to panic while trying to find an offensive-defenseman. That means Gardiner is probably leaving Toronto because when the money comes, the Maple Leafs won’t be able to afford him.
The teams most often mentioned when Jake Gardiner’s name comes up are the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, and Minnesota Wild. But, there will be a number of teams who strike out in a limited field of puck-moving d-men and someone will overpay.
49) Joe Pavelski
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that the “overwhelming sense” is that Pavelski will be moving on to another team this summer. Andy Strickland reports that it sounds like Pavelski is headed to Tampa Bay but many wonder how that will work salary cap wise. There was also speculation he was considering Minnesota.
@Prospects_Watch is reporting a quote from Pierre McGuire that suggests “There’s a real chance Joe Pavelski ends up in Tampa Bay. The chance to play with his best friend Ryan McDonagh is appealing.
48) Brian Boyle
Pierre LeBrun reports the Edmonton Oilers are one of five or six teams that have shown interest in Brian Boyle. LeBrun also believes the Buffalo Sabres are one of the teams interested as might be the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to Brian Hedger.
47) Anders Lee
Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that Anders Lee will likely be moving on from the New York Islanders via free agency. He believes a shift in the market means Lee sees big money in free agency. Seravalli suggests Lee could get at least $7.5 million annually, perhaps more.
46) Mitch Marner
The Maple Leafs are confident a deal will get done with Mitch Marner and Chris Johnston reports the Maple Leafs have spoken with a number of players who potentially could sign for the league minimum or close to it. They are trying to do some value shopping thinking that despite uncertainty with the biggest restricted free agent on the market, it will work out.
The latest is that both sides see a two-year bridge deal as an option and that Marner is not keen on the idea of committing to eight years when a huge salary cap bump is expected in the year 2021 and he can be a free agent much sooner when things are at their highest.
As for any other teams in the mix, that conversation seems to revolve around the New York Islanders but there are many teams who want to chat with him just to scare the Maple Leafs a bit.
45) Cody Ceci
David Pagnotta reports there has been no progress made between the Ottawa Senators and restricted free agent defenseman Cody Ceci and on Saturday night, Bob McKenzie tweeted he thinks Ceci might get traded to Toronto for Nikita Zaitsev.
It appears this deal is done but can only be announced on July 1. McKenzie said that’s enough time for the deal to go south though and it could because there’s supposed to be a sweetener thrown in by Toronto.
44) Artemi Panarin
When talking about Artemi Panarin, @Prospects_Watch quoted Darren Dreger of TSN who said, “There’s some speculation Panarin wants a bit more than $12M annually, that might push the New York Rangers out of the game.”
Larry Brooks of the NY Post says the New York Rangers won’t get into a bidding war for free agent forward Artemi Panarin or go higher than seven years in the $11 to $11.25 million range per season. They are interested though.
The Florida Panthers are still the favorites at this point.
43) Brett Connolly
It was assumed by most people that forward Brett Connolly would be leaving the Washington Capitals but Isabelle Khurshudyan says the door may not be totally closed.
That said, he’s still connected to the Edmonton Oilers an awful lot these days and Elliotte Friedman said on Oilers Now he could see a situation where Connolly became a regular interview in that area. He would make for a good scoring winger for either Connor McDavid or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Edmonton could go as high as $3 million per season.
42) Valeri Nichushkin
Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports that Dallas will be placing Valeri Nichushkin on unconditional waivers for the purposes of buying out the final year of his contract. Where he ends up is tough to call because a team would have to take a chance his no goals in 2018-19 was a fluke. Could Toronto be a team that tries him out at an extremely low-cost salary?
41) Cam Talbot
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted the Calgary Flames and Cam Talbot are still both looking at all of their options, but there is a “decent possibility” of a deal between the two. Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest said he believes the veteran goaltender has already agreed to a one-year deal with the Flames.
40) Patrick Maroon
Sticking with the Flames, it sounds like they are interested in Patrick Maroon, as are a number of other teams. Maroon started last season poorly (as did most of the St. Louis Blues) but he proved his value over time and his decision to take a one-year deal in St. Louis and up his value will have paid off.
39) Ivan Provorov
Frank Seravalli is reporting that it doesn’t sound like the Philadelphia Flyers and RFA defenseman Ivan Provorov are close on a deal. Provorov wants to see what the market develops before signing.
As an RFA, he’s only got so much leverage but at the same time, the Flyers are being active and a trade could be a real possibility.
38) Patrick Marleau
This might not be much of a shocker in terms of a rumor but with the Patrick Marleau buyout in Carolina officially complete, it’s a 99.9% probability Marleau and the San Jose Sharks reunite and gets a deal done and ready for an announcement early on the morning of July 1.
37) Robin Lehner
Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports that there is a substantial gap in what the New York Islanders are offering goaltender Robin Lehner and what the 27-year-old star netminder is willing to accept.
GM Lou Lamoriello is only offering a deal around $5 million per season and Staple writes:
If the Isles are ready to move on from Lehner, it could mean the big UFA goalie target is in their sights. Sergei Bobrovsky was reportedly in New York earlier this week, along with fellow coveted UFA Artemi Panarin.
36) Mats Zuccarello
According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, winger Mats Zuccarello is believed to be seeking a five-year deal. Dallas would like to keep him and Zuccarello has said he’d be interested in staying, but Zuccarello has averaged 56 points per season in the past five years and should receive a big bump from his $4.5 million contract.
The issue is term and who is willing to give the 31-year-old the five-year deal he wants. It’s a risk.
35) Marcus Johansson
David Pagnotta reports the Boston Bruins are still interested in re-signing Marcus Johansson. There is news that several teams are also seriously interested and as an unrestricted free agent that will likely be looking to cash in, his new deal may be worth much more than the Bruins can afford.
Darren Dreger: Over 10 teams have checked in with forward Marcus Johansson. He’ll be looking for a raise from $4.6 million.
34) Thomas Vanek
As per a report by Max Bultman of The Athletic, Thomas Vanek’s camp has been informed his time in Detroit is over. His 36 points in 64 games were decent but his lack of speed is an issue. Vanek might be a player who signs much later in free agency.
33) Gustav Nyquist
The Oilers, Canucks, Canadiens and Blue Jackets have shown potential interest in Gustav Nyquist, a player the San Jose Sharks likely can’t afford to keep.
32) Corey Perry
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet indicates that the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars are among teams on Corey Perry’s radar.
There were earlier reports that potentially linked Perry to the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks and it appears he’ll have a number of options once July 1 opens up.
31) Anton Stralman
According to Pierre LeBrun, UFA defenseman Antron Stralman, 32, has about six teams on his radar who have reached out this week. A Florida Panthers source confirmed that they’ve inquired on him.
The Maple Leafs had reached out but the asking price was too high and Toronto backed off.
30) Wayne Simmonds
As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports in his newest column, there are as many as a dozen teams interested in free agent forward Wayne Simmonds. Among them are the Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens.
LeBrun writes:
He is a high character person that when healthy can give you that rare combo of physicality and offensive production… He’s probably going to want between a three- to a five-year deal.
29) Petr Mrazek
Chip Alexander of The News & Observer reports Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell continues talks with goaltenders Petr Mrazek.
Pierre LeBrun noted the Edmonton Oilers reached out to talk about obtaining his negotiating rights but there’s no word on what that sits at this stage.
28) Sebastian Aho
NHL insider John Shannon was on OilersNow (630 CHED Edmonton) and said that the Carolina Hurricanes’ offer to Aho currently comes in at just $6 million x 8 seasons. That’s pretty low considering what other talented stars are being paid during their RFA years.
GM of the Hurricanes, Don Waddell said, timelines on an Aho deal are false and he thinks a deal will get done but others feel like Aho is being lowballed. It’s got people wondering if an offer sheet is forthcoming.
27) Mike Smith
Goaltender Mike Smith has spoken to several teams according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. Seravalli says the door isn’t closed to him returning to Calgary but that perhaps the Hurricanes might have an interest.
With the changes in goal for the Hurricanes, they might be looking for a netminder during the first week of free agency.
26) Jesse Puljujarvi
A restricted free agent, there is a lots of chatter the Edmonton Oilers are trying to move Puljujarvi. That said, Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins reports that the Edmonton Oilers haven’t had much success.
Speculation is Ken Holland either wants a top prospect or a player between the age of 25-30 who can help the Oilers now and for seasons to come.
25) Sergei Bobrovsky
Craig Custance reports there are no changes with regards to Sergei Bobrovsky, at least in respect to either being part of a sign-and-trade or someone offering to trade for his rights.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported he met with the Florida Panthers on Monday and Florida has $20.48 million in cap space with their top priority a goaltender.
Robert Luongo retired and the Panthers are working on finding a trade partner willing to take James Reimer’s contract.
24) Justin Faulk
The Athletic’s Sara Civian reported on Saturday that talks regarding Justin Faulk being traded had picked up and that the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals were discussing a deal.
NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reported that Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said, “No. We haven’t had any discussions about him.”
23) Tyson Barrie
There is speculation the Colorado Avalanche are working on a deal that would move offensive d-man Tyson Barrie out of Colorado. Avs GM Joe Sakic told A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver that there is no truth to the rumors and Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now said the rumors were “news to him.”
The Vancouver Canucks were among the speculated destinations. Chris Tanev’s name was attached to said deal.
22) Kris Letang
Pens Inside Scoop is reporting comments made by Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford was that a trade involving Kris Letang was “highly unlikely.” With the Penguins moving Phil Kessel’s contract, the percentages Letang was leaving went down.
He added, “My point was I’m open to accepting calls and having conversations about our players. I wasn’t aggressively active on trying to move those top guys.”
21) Jason Zucker
GM Paul Fenton said about the talks surrounding Jason Zucker, “I don’t plan to get rid of Jason unless the right thing came to me. I listen to offers and I make offers. It doesn’t mean that he’s pigeonholed into something. I love Jason as a player.”
Still, the expectation is that he will be moved and the team most recently rumored to be interested are the Boston Bruins. He was almost moved to Pittsburgh and Calgary in the last few months. He’s probably going to be traded.
20) Tyler Myers
Tyler Myers is another defenseman on the Canucks radar. They like his size and skill but there’s a question as to how much he should be paid on the open market.
He’s a good young d-man but the Winnipeg Jets still need to make room to sign a player like Patrik Laine so the chances of him returning are not hight.
19) Nikita Zaitsev
Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that teams have been calling the Toronto Maple Leafs about defenseman Nikita Zaitsev but it appears he’s going to Ottawa as part of a Cody Ceci trade.
He won’t be back in Toronto as he’s requested a trade and GM Kyle Dubas is trying to facilitate said trade. This is a must for Toronto regardless of the request because they still need to clear cap space.
18) Milan Lucic
There is still talk in Edmonton that the Oilers are working to move Milan Lucic’s albatross-like contract in a trade. It appears the idea of a buyout isn’t happening but buzz involving Vancouver and Calgary in a possible trade had come up in the past.
As it stands now, there’s not much noise on the Lucic front, but the conversations aren’t over.
17) Loui Eriksson
Like Milan Lucic, the Canucks are trying to find a way to move Loui Eriksson. Lucic for Eriksson seems to be the trade mostly commonly mentioned but the idea of a sweetener being thrown in by the Oilers seems to be what’s holding things up if there’s something to all the chatter.
16) Dion Phaneuf
After being bought out by the Los Angeles Kings, there is speculation Phaneuf, 34, could still find a home in the NHL despite slowing down.
“A couple teams have already reached out, which is nice,” said Phaneuf, who is a free agent for the first time in his NHL career. “It’s not stressful. I’m excited for another opportunity.”
The Flyers, Bruins and Oilers have been mentioned but it might take some time for him to find a home.
15) Jason Spezza
The Dallas Stars will not be bringing Jason Spezza back and there hasn’t been much chatter about where he’ll end up. Spezza’s game has slowed tremendously and while he understands he’ll have to take a lesser role, he may also want to try for a team with a chance to win.
Our guess is an unexpected team steps up. Someone like Calgary, Minnesota or the Rangers.
14) Matt Duchene
The Nashville Predators are the favorites here with the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets still part of the conversation.
The Preds have cleared cap room for Duchene in the expectation he’ll be going there. He’s rumored to be a huge country music fan and if he wants to win, Nashville is always a top-notch team.
The deal might be north of $9 million per season and it would be shocking if he wasn’t a Predator by the end of the day on July 1.
13) Joe Thornton
Still expected to stay in San Jose and likely on a one-year deal loaded with performance bonuses. The Sharks are a team with a ton of cap issues and the veterans will have to be willing to sign for less. We just can’t see Thornton playing anywhere else.
12) Ryan Murray
The defenseman for Columbus is high on TSN’s Trade Bait board and the RFA is likely going to move on from the Blue Jackets isf a deal is out there.
His injury history is what will have some teams concerned and it is those injuries that have proven him to be less valuable than many figured he would be out of his draft class.
11) Jacob Trouba
Larry Brooks of the NY Post writes the New York Rangers and restricted free agent Jacob Trouba have been talking extension. He is expected to sign a seven-year deal with a cap hit around $7.5 to $8 million per season.
10) Valtteri Filppula
There are few teams that might be willing to take a chance on Valtteri Filppula. A UFA who potted 17 goals and 31 points in 72 games for the Islanders, he could go back there is Anders Lee doesn’t sign but the Edmonton Oilers are also rumored to have interest.
9) Derick Brassard
After playing for two teams (the Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers) for the first nine seasons of his career, Brassard has played for four teams in the last three seasons. His stock has fallen pretty dramatically over the past two years, but he’s a great team player.
Again, the Oilers are out there, because they are looking for inexpensive options to boost their offense. They could also use a penalty killer.
8) Joonas Donskoi
Donskoi hasn’t closed the door for a return to the Sharks, but it might be a perfect time for Donskoi to get a change of scenery. He spent time on the team’s fourth line and on the second line.
Unless he’s willing to take a hometown discount with the Sharks, they likely can’t afford his next salary and will have to let him walk. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that while things are still in the works, he believes that the Colorado Avalanche and an unidentified team are the finalists to sign unrestricted free agent forward.
7) Alex Chiasson
He might price himself out of the market for the Edmonton Oilers based on the successful season he had coming off a professional tryout but if he’s affordable, the Oilers would like to keep him.
This may be one of the few chances to cash in for Chiasson so if a team comes calling with a couple of years on the table and somewhere around the $3 million mark, he’ll likely jump.
6) Kyle Turris
The Nashville Predators are rumored to be clearing more cap space, even after moving P.K. Subban. Kyle Turris ranks high on the list of possible players the Preds are shopping.
There are still some question marks where Turris is concerned. .@PredsNHL David Poile; “I met with Kyle (Turris) after the world championships, and he was in a much better mindset. When we first traded for him, he performed as one of our best forwards. What has happened since is the million dollar question.”
5) Ryan Dzingel
Of all the Columbus Blue Jackets who might have stuck around after the organization loaded up for a playoff run and crashed and burned, Dzingel might have been the player to stay thanks to his connection to Ohio. It sounds like things have changed.
There is speculation the Arizona Coyotes might have interest.
4) Micheal Ferland
There might have been fewer players talked about that the NHL Trade Deadline last season than Micheal Ferland. It was an assumption by most people he’d be traded but then Carolina went on a wild run and all that talk quieted down.
There hasn’t been a lot of chatter lately. Ferland could be overpaid this summer but he might not come off the free agency table right away. Expect a team like the New York Islanders, Rangers, Blue Jackets or Flyers to grab him if they strike out on their primary targets.
3) Connor Brown
With all the signings in Toronto, one name that will likely be on the move is Connor Brown. He’ll be a casualty of cap issues. There is talk he might be the sweetener in the Cody Ceci and Nikita Zaitsev trade.
The Maple Leafs don’t want to lose Brown but his salary does hamper the organzation a touch.
2) Nazem Kadri
A controversial player, Kadri’s name has been in the rumor mill since the idiotic decision he made in the playoffs that saw him get suspended. He’s a player that the Maple Leafs aren’t sure they can trust but has great talent.
He could be traded because of his salary and there are murmurs the Edmonton Oilers and Maple Leafs might be talking but the name going back is Darnell Nurse and that seems unlikely.
1) Justin Williams
Expect Williams to either re-sign in Carolina or retire. Williams told the media he would take some time to decide whether he will be back. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are comfortable letting him take his time on a decision.
The post NHL Rumors: Latest on 53 Free Agents and Trade Targets appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 29, 2019 03:29 pm
In today’s second installment of the NHL rumor rundown, there is news out of Buffalo that acquiring Colin Miller might mean falling dominoes, the Maple Leafs have two teams hot after free agent defenseman Jake Gardiner and the Devils haven’t spoken with Taylor Hall. There are teams interested in Brian Boyle, it appears Joe Pavelski is headed out of San Jose, and Anders Lee is probably moving on from the Islanders.
Sabres Shopping Ristolainen?
Jim Matheson writes that after acquiring right-handed defenseman Colin Miller from the Vegas Golden Knights, talk has increased that the Buffalo Sabres might trade RHD Rasmus Ristolainen.
Ristolainen is still a top pairing defenseman.
Darren Dreger adds that the Ristolainen speculation has increased since Miller trade, but the Sabres still view him as a key piece and that unless another team offers up something big, a trade seems unlikely.
Ristolainen is not new to the rumor mill and there are reportedly a number of interested teams.
Two Teams in Hard on Jake Gardiner
According to the Maple Leafs Hot Stove, Elliotte Friedman said on Sportsnet 590 that Gardiner’s camp could sit back and see if anyone starts to panic a bit since so many defensemen have already come off the board. That means, in Toronto, the likelihood that he’ll back continue to go down.
Two teams are apparently quite interested. Friedman said:
“We’ve heard Montreal’s name with him. We’ve heard Minnesota’s name with him. I have a feeling there is something we are missing on him in terms of who is interested. I know the dream is that Toronto can work it out. I am not expecting it.
Joe Pavelski Moving On
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that after a conversation with the agent of San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski, the “overwhelming sense” is that Pavelski will be moving on to another team this summer.
Kurz calls it “the end of an era”.
Andy Strickland reports that it sounds like Pavelski is the top option in Tampa Bay but it will be interesting to see if they can make it work salary cap wise. There was also speculation he was considering Minnesota.
Reports are he turned down meetings with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars.
Devils and Hall Not Talking
Despite speculation that the New Jersey Devils nabbed P.K. Subban in a trade and are going to be heavy players in free agency, in part to keep Taylor Hall interested in sticking around, Hall and the Devils have not started talking yet.
Luke Fox reports Hall said that there have been no contract talks with GM Ray Shero but also said that neither side is in a rush to get a deal done.
Teams Interested in Brian Boyle
Pierre LeBrun reports the Edmonton Oilers are one of five or six teams that have shown interest in Brian Boyle. LeBrun also believes the Buffalo Sabres are one of the teams interested, as might be the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to Brian Hedger.
Anders Lee Leaving Islanders
Frank Seravalli of TSN reports New York Islanders captain Anders Lee will be moving on via free agency. He believes the shift in the market means Lee stands to hit the jackpot in free agency and has priced himself out of what the Islanders might be willing to do.
Seravalli suggests Lee could get at least $7.5 million annually, perhaps more.
The post NHL Rumors: Sabres, Maple Leafs, Sharks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 29, 2019 12:20 pm
In today’s NHL rumors, there are updates out of New York where the Rangers are rumored as only willing to go so far when it comes to trying to acquire Artemi Panarin. There is speculation the Washington Capitals might still be in on forward Brett Connolly and the Edmonton Oilers have a few things potentially on the go over the next 24-48 hours.
Finally, are negotiations with Mitch Marner going off the rails for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
What’s the Latest on Marner?
Kyle Dubas has told media he’s staying in touch with Marner and his people and while the fan base is starting to get antsy, wants to remind everyone that Mitch and Darren (his agent) are well within their rights to do what they’re doing.
The Maple Leafs are confident a deal will get done and in preparation for that, Chris Johnston reports the Maple Leafs have spoken with a number of players who potentially could sign for the league minimum or close to it. They are trying to do some value shopping.
It seems like a two-year bridge deal is more likely now than it ever has been in the past.
There is the chance another team could silently sneak in and chat with Marner. Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 590 (repeating the same thoughts on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer):
“Marner is supposed to be in New York this weekend for Matt Martin’s wedding. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a meeting there, more with the Islanders than anybody else.”
Ottawa Senators and Cody Ceci Not Close
David Pagnotta reports there has been no progress made between the Ottawa Senators and restricted free agent defenseman Cody Ceci. If he’s not re-signed by July 5th he can file for arbitration, but what is more likely before July 5th is that the Senators could trade him.
Rangers Drawing a Line on Panarin
When talking about Artemi Panarin, @Prospects_Watch quoted Darren Dreger of TSN who said, “There’s some speculation Panarin wants a bit more than $12M annually, that might push the New York Rangers out of the game.”
Larry Brooks of the NY Post says his sources are saying that the New York Rangers won’t get into a bidding war for free agent forward Artemi Panarin and won’t go higher than seven years in the $11 to $11.25 million range per season.
Essentially, the Rangers can’t match what the New York Islanders or Florida Panthers might be willing to offer.
Washington Capitals Not Out on Connolly?
It was assumed by most people that forward Brett Connolly would be leaving the Washington Capitals but after the Andre Burakovsky trade to Colorado, Isabelle Khurshudyan says the door may not be totally closed.
That said, the cap space freed up by Washington might not be for Connolly. Both Khurskudyan and Tom Gulitti wonder if the Capitals plan is to re-sign Brett Connolly or go after a different third-line right-winger.
Edmonton Oilers Busy Over Next 24-48 Hours?
One of the teams rumored to be in on Brett Connolly was the Edmonton Oilers. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug says the team has a few third-line center options in mind among trying to add Connolly to their offense. These could include Valtteri Filppula, Derick Brassard and Brian Boyle.
Bob Stauffer said on Oilers Now that he believes the team has lots of balls in the air, maybe more than he initially believed a week and a half ago. He expects the Oilers to try things to open up cap space.
Meanwhile, Jim Matheson says that Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland continues to try to find a Jesse Puljujarvi trade. The asking price by Holland is someone else’s top prospect or a forward between the age of 25-30 who can help the Oilers this year and next.
Jonathan Willis of The Athletic suggests there are five free agent goaltenders that might make sense for the Oilers: Petr Mrazek, Mike Smith, Semyon Varlamov, Keith Kinkaid and Curtis McElhinney.
Willis says:
Given how critical the position is, and how wide open the market is in a low cap-growth year, Edmonton has been linked to most of the significant goalies in free agency.
Stars to Buy Out Valeri Nichushkin
Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports that Dallas will be placing Valeri Nichushkin on unconditional waivers for the purposes of buying out the final year of his contract.
After signing a two-year, $5.9 million contract, he failed to score a goal over 57 games in 2018-19. He essentially played himself out of the lineup.
The post NHL Rumors: Rangers, Capitals, Oilers, Maple Leafs, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 28, 2019 01:35 pm
In our second installment of the NHL rumor rundown for June 28, 2019, there are more rumors coming as the NHL approaches the opening of free agency on July 1.
The Calgary Flames are being linked to a goaltender out of Philadelphia but has some experience in Alberta, trade talk seems to be picking up again in Pittsburgh but is it about Phil Kessel? And, the Maple Leafs are going to be front and center in the news today.
Flames Interested in Cam Talbot
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted this morning that the Calgary Flames and Cam Talbot are still both looking at all of their options, but there is a “decent possibility” of a deal when free agency opens next week.
Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest said he believes the veteran goaltender will be signing a one-year deal with the Flames.
Everyone knows that teams and players talk money and contracts even though they aren’t supposed to during the free agency interview period, but if this is accurate reporting, expect this deal to be announced the minute free agency opens.
Sticking with the Flames, it sounds like they are interested in Patrick Maroon, as are a number of other teams.
Trade Talk Heating Up in Pittsburgh?
Yesterday, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that trade talks for the Pittsburgh Penguins were “heating up” again. It’s not clear if GM Jim Rutherford is back to trying to move Phil Kessel or if there’s something else he’s trying to accomplish.
Yohe writes:
Multiple reports in the past two days have linked the Penguins with right wing Corey Perry, a star for more than a decade with the Ducks. However, a source in the Penguins’ organization said that Rutherford has “no interest” in bringing Perry to Pittsburgh…
There have also been reports in recent days that have linked Wayne Simmonds to the Penguins. Simmonds is a player the Penguins have long respected, as he gave them fits for many years with the Flyers. However, despite the reports of there being mutual interest, numerous sources have confirmed that the Penguins don’t even intend on offering him a contract because of their salary cap situation.
If it is Kessel he’s trying to move, and if Rutherford is going after a “hockey trade” that brings back something that can help the Penguins immediately, a deal might be extremely hard to find.
Maple Leafs in the News Today
It appears there will be lots of Toronto Maple Leafs discussion today. From the official announcement that Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson have signed, to rumors surrounding Mitch Marner, there will be lots to talke about.
Latest Marner and Maple Leafs Rumblings
Pierre LeBrun said on TSN 1050 that the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t receive any trade offers for Mitch Marner at the draft.
@Prospects_Watch: Elliotte Friedman: “I think the Leafs are going to offer him 2×8, I think they’re going to say, we all believe the cap is going up in 2 years, why don’t you sign then when we have more room and the maximum is higher?”
Focus on Marner now means Jake Gardiner is gone. He will get paid good money from another team on July 1. The Maple Leafs would have looked to someone like Anton Stralman instead but after calling his camp, realized the asking price was too high.
Flyers and RFA Provorov Deal Not Close
Frank Seravalli is reporting that it doesn’t sound like the Philadelphia Flyers and RFA defenseman Ivan Provorov are close on a deal. Provorov wants to see what the market develops before signing.
Pavelski in Tampa?
@Prospects_Watch is reporting a quote from Pierre McGuire that suggests “There’s a real chance Joe Pavelski ends up in Tampa Bay. It’s an opportunity for him to play with his best friend Ryan McDonagh, both played at Wisconsin.”
Marleau Headed to San Jose
This might not be much of a shocker in terms of a rumor but with the Patrick Marleau buyout officially complete, it’s a 99.9% probability Marleau and the San Jose Sharks reunite and get a deal done and ready for announcement early on the morning of July 1.
The post NHL Rumors: Flames, Penguins, Maple Leafs, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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