NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 04/08/2020

April 08, 2020

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

04/08/2020 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Apr 07, 2020 03:40 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is some thought that the Carolina Hurricanes might have interest in Robin Lehner, the Washington Capitals might be willing to walk away from Braden Holtby and the Chicago Blackhawks willing to trade Dylan Strome.

The Toronto Maple Leafs get their guy and the Boston Bruins could be losing one of their best defensemen.

Hurricanes and Robin Lehner a Fit?

Josh Wegman of The Score recently looked at what some NHL Metropolitan Division teams might do and specifically wondered how the Carolina Hurricanes will approach their goaltending situation.

Wegman wondered if the Hurricanes might attempt to sign Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner via free agency. He’ll be among the most interesting names in the pool of netminders to watch and the dollar figure he’s interested in getting may be one of the storylines of the summer considering his recent contract history and an uncertain salary cap.

The Hurricanes’ current goalie tandem of James Reimer and Petr Mrazek is under contract for one more season, but wasn’t exactly the shining spot for the organization. GM Don Waddell would need to move a goalie to sign Lehner and there’s the question of what Waddell plans to do about replacing players like Justin Williams, Sami Vatanen, Joel Edmundson, and Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Capitals to Let Holtby Walk

Wegman also notes that it’s possible the Washington Capitals are comfortable with Ilya Samsonov taking over as their full-time starting goalie and potentially signing an inexpensive backup. That would likely mean letting Braden Holtby simply walk away in free agency.

The money the Capitals would then save not re-signing Holtby could be used to make a bit of a splash in the free-agent market on a one-year contract.

Maple Leafs Sign Barabanov

After a couple of weeks or rumors, the Toronto Maple Leafs have finally signed a KHL player they were heavily in on. They landed forward Alexander Barabanov.

Beating out other teams like the Arizona Coyoties, the Maple Leafs announced a one-year entry-level contract which kicks in for the 2020-21 season.

Dylan Strome Available in Trade

Elliotte Friedman said on WGR 550 radio last Thursday that the Chicago Blackhawks have made forward Dylan Strome available in a trade. “I don’t think the cost is particularly prohibitive,” he added.

Strome came over from the Arizona Coyotes and did extremely well upon his arrival, Unfortunately, this season was not as strong as the previous one as he scored 13 fewer points in the same amount of games. Strome is a pending restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Bill Peters Heading to KHL?

Igor Eronko reports that former Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters is one of four candidates for the head coaching vacancy with Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist of the KHL. Likely out of consideration for any future jobs in the NHL, Peters would have needed to look internationally for work.

Did Krug Hint His Time as a Bruin Is Over?

One of the questions this summer surrounding the Boston Bruins will be whether or not they are able to re-sign blue liner Torey Krug. Krug himself seems to be wondering that too as he spoke on this NHL pause and what it might mean for his future in Boston.

“For me personally, I really hope I did not play my last game as a Boston Bruin,” Krug said on a conference call, per Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston . “It’s been a special place for me and my family to grow. My love for the game and playing in front of these fans has been very special to me. But (this situation) hasn’t given me any clarity.”

“Things are going to look different from a salary-cap perspective next season,” Krug said. “Team structures as well are going to be affected by it, but I have no clarity about it. … It’s just the reality of the situation.”

The comments seemed to suggest he’s got a certain number in mind for what he believes he’s worth and isn’t sure the Bruins can afford it.

By Jim Parsons on Apr 06, 2020 01:35 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, one scribe took a look at the potential of Taylor Hall going to the Colorado Avalanche. Another inside provided the latest word on the Dustin Byfuglien saga? And, a third asked what will the Ottawa Senators do with Anthony Duclair?

Avalanche Have Eyes on Taylor Hall?

The Score’s Sean O’Leary took a look at NHL Central Division teams and wondered what their offseason plans might be? When specifically talking about the Colorado Avalanche, he mentioned they might be one of the few teams not worried about salary cap space and wondered if GM Joe Sakic might pursue Arizona Coyotes winger Taylor Hall via free agency?

He did admit that it’s probably a “pie-in-the-sky fantasy,” but still tried to put the pieces together, saying it was possible. Considering Hall was already linked to the Avs in trade rumors earlier in the season, the question would be how much the Avalanche are willing to spend? Overpaying for Hall just doesn’t make sense with such uncertainty surrounding the cap.

Assuming Hall would join the team, where he would slot is another question worth asking. He’s likely a second-line player on the Avs, so how much is that worth?

Updates on Byfuglien’s Situation in Winnipeg

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, a resolution could come soon in respect to what’s happening between the Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien. There’s nothing concrete, but there is movement on the matter.

Dreger notes on the latest edition of TSN Insider Trading:

What I know is that the National Hockey League is scheduled to discuss the situation with the Winnipeg Jets in the very near future. Now the Players Association, the league, the player and the Winnipeg Jets are all aligned on the termination agreement but it hasn’t been executed yet and because of that the Winnipeg Jets aren’t in a position to announce but the detail work between the league and the Winnipeg Jets is expected to be ironed out in the near future.

Senators and Anthony Duclair

Pending restricted free agent Anthony Duclair will be an interesting player worth watching this off-season. He was on fire to start the season but tailed off before the shutdown. Still, he has a career-high 23 goals and the Ottawa Senators will need to make a decision on him.

Graeme Nichols of The Athletic writes:

For a player who turns 25 this August, Duclair is arbitration eligible and only has one year of restricted free agent eligibility left. In other words, it’s inevitable that the Senators will send him a qualifying offer this summer, but if they are looking to lock Duclair up to a multi-year deal, it will necessitate paying him for one or more unrestricted seasons.

source – ‘Nichols: Is it time for the Senators to move on from Anthony Duclair?’ – Graeme Nichols – The Athletic – 04/03/2020

He notes that Andreas Athanasiou’s contract (now with the Edmonton Oilers) could be a good comparable – three years at $3 million per but if the Senators don’t like the way contract talks go, could be looking at a trade.

The Senators don’t need picks in any return for Duclair should they choose to move him. Instead, the Senators might package Duclair with draft picks in an attempt to land a better player.

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