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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 11/11/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
11/11/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Nov 10, 2019 12:55 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, we look at the decreasing likelihood of the New Jersey Devils getting Taylor Hall re-signed, the Toronto Maple Leafs are constantly talking with Jason Spezza but does Mitch Marner’s injury change the conversation? The Boston Bruins have their eyes on the marketplace and the hockey landscape seems to have their eyes on Don Cherry after comments he made Saturday night.
Devils’ Chances of Signing Hall Dropping
Elliotte Friedman said during Saturday’s Headlines that he considers it unlikely the Devils find a way to extend Taylor Hall this season. At best, he re-signs but during the offseason and that’s a pretty big risk for the Devils to take considering that opens the door to the franchise losing him for nothing.
Friedman noted that Hall’s people and the Devils met in Calgary recently but things don’t seem closer to a resolution. Speculation is that Hall’s agent Darren Ferris wants Hall to wait to determine his true market value, which Friedman feels has put Devils general manager Ray Shero in a tricky situation.
Among the teams that might be rumored as interested in acquiring Hall either during the season or in free agency are the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Related: Do You Know Your Rangers Trivia?
Spezza Conversation Constant
When it was Chris Johnston’s turn during the Headlines report, he spoke of the ongoing rumors surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jason Spezza, confirming he believes Spezza is the odd man out when the Maple Leafs choose to activate Zach Hyman this week.
Now out of three-straight games as a healthy scratch, Johnston notes that Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and coach Mike Babcock are constantly talking about what to do with Spezza and where he fits. That may have changed with the potential injury to Mitch Marner on Saturday.
How bad Marner’s injury is remains unclear and the two play a different positions so things may not be affected if Marner is out for any significant time, but it appears the Maple Leafs will get news on Marner, then make their decision on Spezza. Speculaiton is they will place him on waivers or attempt to trade him.
Related: Worst Toronto Maple Leafs Trades
Bruins Looking at Toffoli?
Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey NOW notes that the Boston Bruins are always looking to upgrade and that general manager Don Sweeney constantly has his eyes on the marketplace. The team has started strong but they want to improve their middle-six depth.
One name to watch out for here appears to be Tyler Toffoli. Known as a perennial 20-goal scorer, but one who is struggling a bit in Los Angeles, it is public knowledge that Toffoli — along with every other member of the Kings core except Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar — are available on the market.
This may be a move that happens later in the season and closer to the trade deadline as his $4.6 million cap hit isn’t an albatross but it’s not insignificant. The Bruins and other teams are taking stock of the marketplace and Toffoli appears high on their list. Kevin Fiala might be another name to watch.
Don Cherry In Hot Water With Sportsnet?
Typically, we don’t discuss political topics while discussing hockey rumors but on Saturday, Don Cherry slammed the two worlds together and he could be in some hot water for it.
Cherry’s made the following comments during Saturday’s hockey broadcast:
“You people you come here you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that,” Cherry said during the controversial segment. “These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price.”
Sportsnet almost immediately issued a statement about those comments condemning Cherry’s words. They wrote in a public statement.
“Don’s discriminatory comments are offensive and they do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network,” read the statement. “We have spoke with Don about the severity of this issue and we sincerely apologize for these divisive remarks.”
There might be more coming as Sportsnet has taken some heat for not publicly announcing some kind of discipline for Cherry. This might be something to keep an eye on if the story continues to build steam.
The post NHL Rumors: Devils, Maple Leafs, Bruins, Cherry, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Nov 09, 2019 11:35 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news out of Ottawa when it comes to Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Jason Spezza and Bobby Ryan, plus there are updates out of St. Louis where the Blues might not be as quick to add a forward as some people think. And, what did Taylor Hall have to say when asked about a possible return to Edmonton?
Tons of Buzz in Ottawa
There’s lots of buzz these days surrounding the Ottawa Senators. Specifically, it involves Pageau, Spezza and Ryan:
Senators and Re-signing Pageau
Ian Mendes of TSN writes that despite his hot start, the Ottawa Senators have not spoken with Jean-Gabriel Pageau who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
When asked about his future with the Senators and if the two sides were talking, he said, “No. No talks right now.” He added, “It’s not in my main focus to be honest. I barely think about it.”
Saying his focus is about playing as well as he can, wearing the sweater and taking pride in his game, he’s not worried about a contract or possibly being traded.
Speculation is that it could cost close to $5 million per season to keep him and that at the trade deadline, the Senators could get an offer of a first-round pick and a prospect for him, and that may be hard to turn down.
Related: Matt Duchene Trade Analyzed
Ryan Staying Out of Lineup
Sticking with the Senators, it doesn’t look like Bobby Ryan will be getting back into the lineup on a regular basis. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun quotes head coach D.J. Smith:
“…he’s worked hard and he’s done all the things he has to but I don’t think he’s back to his game yet. It’s a hard question to answer, I’d like him to be in every night to provide offence for us, but I don’t think we’re there yet.”
Senators Looking at Spezza?
Finally, don’t expect Jason Spezza to join the Senators, even if the Toronto Maple Leafs do waive him. Garrioch says, the Senators looked at bringing back Spezza in the off-season but, in the end, Ottawa opted not to go that route. The Sens are believed to want their young guys in the lineup and Spezza would take a valuable spot from someone if picked up.
Related: Ranking NHL Teams By Forwards
Blues to Move Slowly
Early speculation was that the St. Louis Blues might look to add someone when they learned Vladimir Tarasenko was injured long-term. Chris Kreider and Taylor Hall were a couple of names thrown out there in the rumor mill. Don’t expect either to be targets for the Blues right now.
Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was asked if the St. Louis Blues might target Kreider and he said no, thinking that with the team doing as well as they are doing, there’s no rush.
Timmermann writes:
Kreider’s name comes up the most and makes a lot of sense. But the Blues making a trade for a big-name, big-salary guy is unlikely if there’s any chance Tarasenko is back before the regular season ends, since they can’t do it under the cap. … If the Blues know for a fact that Tarasenko won’t play again in the regular season, they can make a move, but otherwise, it would be tricky.
Hall’s Thoughts on Returning to the Oilers
On Friday, the New Jersey Devils suffered a dominant loss to the Edmonton Oilers and Taylor Hall’s agent was in Edmonton talking contract extensions with Devils’ GM Ray Shero. Hall was asked about the buzz surrounding his upcoming potential free agency situation and should he get there, would he rule the Edmonton Oilers out?
Hall responded, “Haven’t even thought about it. It’s too hard to rule out, or in, any teams at this point.” Even if Hall doesn’t rule out the Oilers, it would cost an arm and a leg to land him as a free agent since he’ll likely test the market and have a number of interested suitors.
The post NHL Rumors: Senators, Oilers, Blues, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Nov 08, 2019 11:50 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is an update out of Toronto where the Maple Leafs might be looking to move Nic Petan, the Montreal Canadiens are considering their extension options for Max Domi, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in a holding pattern and big changes might be coming to the Detroit Red Wings.
Montreal and Max Domi
Arpon Basu of The Athletic writes the Montreal Canadiens are negotiating with Max Domi who might be considering a three-year bridge deal at around $6.5 million per season. If so, that would carry him right into unrestricted free agency where he could sign a massive long-term contract extension.
Speculation is the Canadiens would rather he sign a long-term deal now. Basu writes:
Adjusted for inflation, let’s say Domi signs for three years at $6.5-million a year and hits UFA at age 28. That would give him the best chance to cash in large on another contract. If the Canadiens want to go longer-term, which I imagine they would, you could up the annual average value to $7.5 million on a five-year deal, allowing Domi to hit UFA at 30. It might even cost the Canadiens $8-million a year to go five years on the contract.
Related: A Brief History of NHL Uniforms
Maple Leafs Showcasing Petan?
Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star writes the Toronto Maple Leafs biggest need right now is probably a backup goalie. And, one of the ways they may look to acquire one is by trading Nic Petan.
The Hurricanes have some goaltenders that might look attractive to the Maple Leafs, who are already sending a first-round pick to Carolina in the Patrick Marleau deal. Expect Toronto to try moving a roster player or prospect instead. Could Petan be part of any future deal?
McGran writes of Petan:
He went to the Marlies, picked up five points in two games, and came back and looked like he belonged in the NHL.
Had to wonder if the Leafs were trying to showcase him, to see if they can do better than waive – i.e. give away – some of their assets on forward.
… You have to wonder if Dubas can package two or three of his spare parts and get something more meaningful than cap space back.
Related: Worst Toronto Maple Leafs Trades
Penguins Not Currently Working on a Deal
Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes the Pittsburgh Penguins now have some cap space to make a deal, but a deal isn’t right around the corner.
Vensel quotes Rutherford who says:
“I’m not working on anything now. If somebody calls me today with some idea that makes sense for our team, I would have to look at it. But I’m not calling other teams. I’m satisfied with where we’re at. I don’t know if this will be the team after the trade deadline. We’ve got lots of time to look at it.”
Rumblings Surrounding Red Wings
Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News reports the Red Wings’ mounting losses could mean questions around head coach Jeff Blashill’s future in Detroit. General manager Steve Yzerman has a history of being patient with coaches, but how long is Blashill’s leash?
Kulfan writes:
Blashill was also adamant that the winning culture the Wings’ organization has cultivated over the last three decades is still there, and isn’t disintegrating, despite missing the playoffs three consecutive seasons and a current slump that includes 11 losses in the last 12 games.
Also in Detroit, Pierre McGuire said on TSN radio Ottawa that the Red Wings might shop 2018 first-round pick Filip Zadina. McGuire cited Zadina’s play without the puck as concerning.
McGuire said:
Once you change the management and you were drafted by the previous group, you don’t have nearly as much familiarity with the guys coming in and they don’t have the same familiarity with you. Usually but not always, it opens up more potential to be moved.”
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic reports outside sources believe the Detroit Red Wings are interested in Torey Krug out of Boston. Shinzawa writes:
Where outside parties concur is on Detroit’s status as a team with hand raised high for Krug’s services if he doesn’t re-up with Boston. The Wings are Krug’s hometown club. He played for coach Jeff Blashill in Indiana of the USHL.
Detroit sees Krug as someone who could cornerstone a rebuild on the blue line and quarterback their power play.
The post NHL Rumors: Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Red Wings, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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