NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 12/11/2018

December 11, 2018

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

12/11/2018 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Dec 11, 2018 01:21 pm

In today’s rumor rundown, we try to wrap our heads around what’s actually happening with the Pittsburgh Penguins, another goalie could follow Chad Johnson on the waiver wire, and the Minnesota Wild are shopping a forward. The Sharks might go after a star from the Maple Leafs and, might the Bruins and Oilers be working on a pretty big trade?

Clarification on Kessel and the Penguins

There is a great deal of back and forth when it comes to what’s really going on in Pittsburgh. There were rumors Phil Kessel was available, then speculation he wasn’t. The team was out of the playoff race, now they’re back in it. General manager Jim Rutherford wants to make trades, but instead might be patient… It’s tough to know what to expect from the Penguins these days.

Phil Kessel Olli Maatta Sidney Crosby and Scott Wilson (Mandatory Credit Don Wright-USA TODAY Sports)

The latest comes from Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette who suggested the Penguins might trade a defenseman when Justin Schultz returns from injury. This includes potentially moving defenseman Olli Maatta if the right deal is out there for him.

Also, while on TSN 1200, Bob McKenzie said that while the Penguins were struggling Rutherford made it known that Crosby and Malkin are their only untouchables and anyone else could be available for the right price. This is where the speculation over Kessel came from and that status hasn’t changed. Anyone not named Malkin or Crosby could be available in the right deal.

Ducks Claim Chad Johnson off Waivers

On Tuesday, the Anaheim Ducks claimed Chad Johnson off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. What this means for either Ryan Miller or Johnson long-term is uncertain since both are free agents at the end of the season. But, for now, Johnson helps while Miller is out with an injury.

(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

It didn’t take long for Johnson to get claimed and another goaltender might not be far behind him. Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post suggests that Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth could be waived once Brian Elliott returns from his groin injury. Waiving Neuvirth would open up an opportunity for Anthony Stolarz to remain with the team.

Issac writes:

Yes, there’s a new general manager in town who has to form his own opinion, but how many chances does Neuvirth get? The leash has to be short on his injury history alone and his performance Sunday did him no favors. It’s believed that Hextall tried to trade Neuvirth over the summer and couldn’t find any takers. That probably doesn’t change now unless Arizona finds itself totally desperate after news that Antti Raanta could miss the rest of the season. It’s a tough business, but with the Flyers trying desperately to get back to the playoffs, he can’t be one of their top two options. He might be a waiver candidate.

source – ‘Flyers Mailbag: The search for a goalie marches on’ – Dave Issac – Courier Post – 12/10/2018

Wild Shopping Charlie Coyle

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Minnesota Wild are shopping forward Charlie Coyle who has 13 points through 29 games. Russo notes that three Atlantic Division teams are believed to have shown some level of interest in Boston, Montreal, and Ottawa.

(James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)

Russo writes:

Now, that really shouldn’t come as a shock considering how tough a season he had last year and how hopes of a bounce-back season have dwindled with a four-goal, nine-assist start to this season. It is believed that Eastern Conference teams Ottawa, Montreal and Boston have at least shown interest and are watching Coyle closely. The Canadiens have shown interest in prior years, too.

source – ‘Russo: Goaltending crisis, Koivu’s hurt, team’s swooning — this will be Wild GM Paul Fenton’s first big test’ – Michael Russo – The Athletic – 12/07/2018

Sharks Interested in Mitch Marner?

The Mercury News is suggesting if Erik Karlsson decides not to re-sign with the San Jose Sharks, general manager Doug Wilson might consider pursuing Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner. Karlsson out would leave the Sharks with a ton of cap room to play and the Maple Leafs are clearly going to have months of hard work head trying to fit everyone in under the salary cap.

Marner has increased his possession numbers during his sophomore season. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Marner would add youth, speed, and playmaking skills to the Sharks’ forward lines which for some reason has struggled this season. Keeping in mind, if such a move was not done via trade, the Sharks would have to go the offer sheet route which is much less likely and far more difficult to make work. This is especially true for the Sharks who would need to make trade to reacquire the draft picks needed to even table an offer.

Paul Gackle writes:

At this point, the assumption is that the Maple Leafs will do everything possible to hang onto Matthews. If that’s the case, the Sharks could take a run at Marner, either through trade or offer sheet. The latter would be costly and require some real finagling.

source – ‘Sharks ramblings: Erik Karlsson, Mitch Marner and a possible Plan B’ – Paul Gackle – The Mercury News – 12/10/2018

Torey Krug for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?

There were reports the Bruins were scouting the Oilers vs. Flames game on Sunday and Matt Porter of the Boston Globe wonders if a potential trade that includes defenseman Torey Krug for center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is possible. Both players would fill needs for the respective teams and Porter points out the Oilers had some interest in Krug last summer.

Porter suggests Boston sweetening the pot by including a promising forward such as Jake DeBrusk, Anders Bjork, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Ryan Donato or Danton Heinen.

For these rumors and more, check out The Hockey Writers Podcast

By Jim Parsons on Dec 10, 2018 12:34 pm

In today’s rumor rundown, there are whispers things in San Jose are not going well and that the coach is on the hot seat while a star player may be questioning his long-term future with the team. There are also NHL insiders trying to connect the dots on the Alex Pietrangelo rumors and one insider believes that Colton Parayko may, in fact, be a better target. Will the Coyotes look for goaltending with Raanta on the shelf?

Things Not Going Well in San Jose

Despite expectations that the San Jose Sharks would have one of the better teams in the NHL and definitely one of the top defenses in the league with the addition of Erik Karlsson, things have not gone as well as they should be and they currently sit just a couple games above .500. While that might be ok for some teams, in San Jose where winning is an expectation, it’s also led to questions about Karlsson’s long-term future with the organization.

Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks, Oct. 9, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun is reporting:

The giant pressure spots in the NHL right now are San Jose, Minnesota and St. Louis. Peter DeBoer is on the clock with the Sharks and the vibe around the team seems so bad right now that Erik Karlsson is hinting he won’t sign to stay there next season.

source- ‘SIMMONS: Is a 50-goal season even possible for Leafs’ Matthews?’ – Steve Simmons – The Toronto Sun – 12/08/2018

To some, it is a bit surprising Sharks coach Pete DeBoer is still the man behind the bench and if the Sharks continue to struggle, he could be the next casualty in an already long line of coaching changes in the NHL this season.

Making Sense of the Blues Rumor

Darren Dreger was on TSN 1050 and tried to connect the dots on the rumor that the Maple Leafs were interested in Alex Pietrangelo from the St. Louis Blues. While he doesn’t deny there could be something to that rumor, he noted his salary as an issue for Pietrangelo and wondered if the plan was to move Nylander, should Nylander not work out as well as expected in Toronto. There is word that as many as 15 teams have already called the Maple Leafs about the asking price for Nylander now that he’s signed.

Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues, January 6, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

If a potential deal does exist between the Maple Leafs and Blues, Dreger wonders if maybe Colton Parakyo is an option the Leafs might look at. Parayko has three years left on his deal at $5.5 million and is a younger piece the Leafs could use moving forward. Dreger said, “… it’s going to be one of the core guys that gets moved out. So you’re either talking about a stud-like forward, or you’re talking about one of the big boys on the back end.” Speculation is that teams have already started to call about Parayko’s availability.

Dreger says the team is prone for a shakeup but that they won’t be moving Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak, or any of the pieces he just brought in last summer.

Coyotes to Look for Goaltending in Wake of Raanta News?

The Arizona Coyotes announced that goaltender Antti Raanta could be out for the entire season after surgery. This has immediately sparked speculation about whether the team would go after another experienced starter to help them for the rest of the year.

Arizona Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta (Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports)

Coyotes GM John Chayka told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic will look to their internal options instead of seeking any help on the trade market. That means the team will rely on Calvin Pickard and Adin Hill to carry the load for the remainder of the season. Once Darcy Kuemper returns from injury, they’ll throw him into the rotation as well.

By Jim Parsons on Dec 09, 2018 11:50 am

In today’s rumor rundown, there was a ton of speculation thrown out during the Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada which included rumors regarding Matt Duchene and Alex Pietrangelo. There’s also word that Auston Matthews could be the target of an offer sheet and one NHL insider says most of the trade talk in the NHL these days surrounds nine specific teams.

Matt Duchene Injury and Contract

After Matt Duchene pulled up in a game against the Canadiens, an MRI was done and it appears the injury is not as severe as some people were first concerned it might be. Word is about two weeks to heal a groin issue but it could be longer than that.

Matt Duchene #95, Ottawa Senators – February 3, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

As for his contract negotiations, there were talks the team and Duchene were getting a little closer but no numbers were ever exchanged. Nick Kypreos said during Saturday’s Headlines Segment that the Senators patience may run out sooner than later and flat out ask Duchene what his intentions are. Kypreos thinks if the organization doesn’t get a commitment from Duchene in the new year, they will need all the time they can get to structure the best package possible in a trade.

Chris Johnston added that the timing might work well for Duchene because fellow free agent and Senators forward Mark Stone is eligible to sign a new deal after January 1, 2019, and Duchene may want to know if Stone plans on staying before he chooses whether or not he wants to sign.

Significant Interest in Alex Pietrangelo

Kypreos also said during that segment that St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s name has come up in trade rumors despite a hand injury that’s keeping him out of the lineup. One GM said that despite the setback, he’s still the best all-around d-man available at this year’s NHL Trade Deadline.

Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues, January 6, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Word is, general manager for the Blues, Doug Armstrong is not shopping Pietrangelo, but the buzzards are circling and teams are calling considering he’s got one more year on his contract and St. Louis has some tough decisions to make with contracts on a team that has struggled mightily this season.

Kypreos then threw out a bomb of a nugget by suggesting the Toronto Maple Leafs might be interested and the deal could include Nikita Zaitsev, a first-round pick, a young player like Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson. Realistically, this would be the only way Toronto could make this move is if they cleared some salary in the trade.

Friedman Says Most Trade Talks Surround a Handful of Teams

Elliotte Friedman chimed in and suggested that with the William Nylander drama now over, there are trade talks picking up and a number of teams that seem to be among the most active. Those teams are Philadelphia, St. Louis, Chicago, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Florida.

Feeling Matthews Could Be Offer Sheet Target

One of the next major items on the Toronto Maple Leafs to-do list might be fending off potential suitors for Auston Matthews, who’ll be a restricted free agent following this season. Everyone is aware that the Leafs would like to try and get a Matthews deal done, but there is “widespread feeling within the industry that Auston Matthews would be the rare player who would be targeted by an offer sheet,” Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston said during Hockey Night in Canada’s “Headlines” segment.

Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews and William Nylander (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

The likelihood that Matthews gets to an offer sheet situation is slim because the Maple Leafs will want to avoid that at all costs. But, the threat of one gives Matthews all the leverage here. If the offer sheet is high enough (which it would have to be for Matthews to sign it) Toronto would match but then have to dump players. If they don’t match, they lose him. And, either way, they’ll have to pay him huge money just so Matthews himself elects not to go that route.

Should the Maple Leafs not sign Matthews and Mitch Marner right away, on July 1 is where all of this gets really interesting since both could be targeted by other teams.

Kings Trying to Be Active

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Kings are actively working the phones hoping to make another move ahead of the NHL’s holiday roster freeze, beginning on December 19th. Some rumors suggested that the struggling Jeff Carter might be the center of the discussion but Garrioch feels that Tyler Toffoli is the player to watch.

Toffoli’s $4.6 million cap hit is affordable for most teams expires at the end of next season. Garrioch writes:

The Kings aren’t happy with a lot of underachievers on their roster and nobody should be surprised if there are more changes made there. The Kings are getting lots of inquires about forward Tyler Toffoli.

source – ‘GARRIOCH SUNDAY: Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher exploring his options- – The Ottawa Sun- Bruce Garrioch – 12/08/2018

For these rumors and more, check out The Hockey Writers Podcast

By Jim Parsons on Dec 08, 2018 03:50 pm

In today’s rumor rundown, there is news out of Ottawa where a couple different NHL writers feel the Senators might not be far from unloading some of their top talents. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues might yet shake things up, the Blackhawks move out some pieces from their blue line, the Flyers may or may not stay patient and Mats Zuccarello may have a fit with a former teammate?

Senators Dumping Everyone? Or Everyone Dumping Them?

All eyes are on Matt Duchene, Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel in Ottawa writes Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun. The expectation is that Duchene will ask for an eight-year deal in the ballpark of $60-70 million to remain while Stone will be in the same neighborhood. Dzingel will be significantly lower albeit not cheap by any means.

Ottawa Senators center Matt Duchene (Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

Warren points out that Ottawa could finish with one of the worst records in the NHL and doesn’t have their first-round pick – given to the Colorado Avalanche in the deal that landed Duchene. GM Pierre Dorion will strongly consider recouping as much trade capital as possible if extensions are not in place by the trade deadline. Worse yet, Warren believes that Duchene, Stone, and Dzingel, as well as any other free agent in the coming off-season, will think twice about a future in Ottawa and that the trio stands a better chance to all be traded away.

Meanwhile, the Athletic’s Graeme Nichols wonders if Craig Anderson is a prime trade bait candidate as well. He’s playing his best hockey of the season so far, which lends weight to the idea that Ottawa is best-served to try moving their starter while his value is at its highest.

That said, Nicols does concede that the Senators don’t have a lot in the pipeline to take Anderson’s place should they choose to move him. Nicols writes:

Perhaps the best-case scenario is for the Senators to make another Anderson-type trade in which they acquire a goaltender closer to the deadline to help bridge the gap.

With this season possibly representing the last opportunity for the Senators to move Anderson and recoup some future assets in the name of their rebuild, it would be prudent for the Senators to start looking for alternatives who should be able to outperform Anderson at a lesser cost.

source – ‘Why now is the time for the Senators to trade Craig Anderson’ – Graeme Nichols – The Athletic – 12/06/18

Blues Looking to Make a Move

Bob McKenzie was on NBCSN and was asked about the St. Louis Blues and if they’ll look to make a trade to help turn their season around. Noting the Blues are dealing with injuries to Jaden Schwarz, Robby Fabbri, Alex Steen, Alex Pietrangelo, and Carl Gunnarsson, McKenzie said the team would like to do something.

Blues interim head coach Craig Berube (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)

“So yeah, I think Doug Armstrong would like to make a move, but I also think that he wants to give Craig Berube an opportunity,” McKenzie said. He knows the Blues won’t likely ever have a full lineup, but it would be nice to have enough people back so the team knows what they have.

With Jake Allen’s improved play, Armstrong may want to let things settle for a bit. Otherwise, the team needs to get straight to the core of the team. “So if you’re going to attack this problem via trade, now you’re starting to get into the core players. Do you want to start to blow things up, or do you want to back off a little bit, and let’s see if the injuries even things out and where they’re at,” McKenzie commented.

Blackhawks to Move Out Defensive Depth

The Chicago Blackhawks made it known yesterday that they are looking to move out some of their defensive depth, including potentially shopping Brandon Manning and Jan Rutta. Mark Lazerus notes that Chicago sent out a league-wide email trying to “undo a couple mistakes.”

Jan Rutta, Chicago Blackhawks, Nov. 9, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

NBC Sports’ James O’Brien asks if they should instead be trying to move Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook? Both players carry no-trade clauses and Seabrook’s contract would be extremely difficult to move. Keith could play in the top four for nearly every team in the NHL, although he is getting older.

If Chicago could move either, they would get a much bigger cap relief than if they moved Rutta or Manning.

Penguins and Zuccarello a Fit?

Dan Kingerski tweeted that while New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello may be expecting to get traded, there are questions as to where he would be traded to. Kingerski thinks he could find a fit with the Pittsburgh Penguins and believes he had chemistry with Derick Brassard when they were both in New York.

Mixed Signals Out of Philadelphia

Elliotte Friedman said during his 31 Thoughts podcast that new GM Chuck Fletcher is sending mixed signals about how patient he’s going to be in Philadelphia, specifically when it comes to a player like Wayne Simmonds.

“He was saying, ‘No, I’m going to take my time with Dave Hakstol. I’m going to take my time with the players and see what I’ve got here.’,” Friedman said. “Meanwhile, all of the other teams are telling me at the Board of Governors that the Flyers want to make big trades right away. So I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going to happen there.”

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