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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 05/25/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
05/25/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on May 24, 2019 12:39 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is talk of Phil Kessel being connected to the Minnesota Wild, but not wanting to go there. There is also news surrounding the Edmonton Oilers who appear on the verge of a deal with head coach Dave Tippett and Swedish forward Joakim Nygard.
Phil Kessel to the Wild?
There was talk about a deal between the Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins for Phil Kessel and that rumor gained steam on Thursday when it was confirmed by sources the Wild are dangling Jason Zucker again. That said, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic notes he has been hearing Kessel will NOT waive his no-trade clause to go there.
Things in that respect may change but for now, it sounds like Minnesota is not being considered. Of the eight-team trade list Kessel does have, there are a few teams that have called and conversations are ongoing.
All signs point to that he will be dealt now, it’s just a matter of where.
Jesse Marshall of The Athletic weighed in on the Kessel talk and said, “A lot of people seem to think that JR’s intent is to move Kessel as a means to moving Jack Johnson. From what I understand, this deal is to move Kessel, and it’s a bonus to find a way to move Johnson at the same time.”
The Issues in Moving Kessel
There are many who believe Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is in a losing position as the return for Kessel will disappoint fans and there are fewer teams interested that one would think because teams aren’t ‘enamored with Kessel,’.
If fans thought acquiring Jason Zucker out of Minnesota wasn’t going to be fair return, that may be the best deal available.
Oilers and Dave Tippett Deal Not Finalized
Mark Connolly, host CBC Radio’s Edmonton A.M. and CBC Olympic Sports Source said last night that Dave Tippett is going to be the Edmonton Oilers new head coach. He said an announcement will come shortly.
In a somewhat different report, Ryan Rishaug of TSN, as well as Bob McKenzie of TSN, said on TSN 1260 that Tippett’s deal with the Oilers is not finalized yet. He hasn’t agreed to any terms and the process between the two sides continues.
Neither said he wouldn’t be the coach, just that it was not a done deal.
Tippett is a safe bet for the Oilers but there will be some questions surrounding the hire considering he’s a defense-first coach and concern will be that he’ll stifle guys like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Hopefully, Holland has asked Tippett not to put any restrictions on those two players.
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal said, “If Dave Tippett is eventually hired to coach Oilers, keep Ray Whitney’s name in mind as an assistant coach because he could bridge the gap.” Matheson notes that Whitney is not far removed from playing, only 47 and relatable to young players. Whitney played for Tippett in Ariz, got 77 pts and might make an excellent power play coach.
Nygard Chose Oilers?
We discussed yesterday that Swedish reports had surfaced that free agent forward Joakim Nygard was deciding between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. It sounds like he has picked the Edmonton Oilers.
The confirmation first came out of Sweden but Ryan Rishaug of TSN has heard the same. The team has not yet announced the signing but it is expected the terms are a one-year entry-level contract and Nygard will become a UFA again after the 2019-20 season.
It is likely he chose Edmonton because he’ll have a better shot at the top six and better production means a bigger contract over the summer.
Leafs Need One More Coach
Bob McKenzie discussed the hiring of Paul McFarland who ran the Florida Panthers power play last season. McKenzie believes the Leafs aren’t done hiring coaches and will need to find an assistant to run the defense and the penalty kill.
The post NHL Rumors: Kessel, Tippett, Oilers Signing, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 23, 2019 01:08 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is speculation that Swedish free agent Joakim Nygard has his choice of destination down to two teams, there is an update on the status of Ryan Callahan in Tampa, news out of Washington and the Coyotes are being creative in their search for talent.
Oilers or Flames for Nygard?
Editor in chief/chefredaktör, Uffe Bodin is reporting that it sounds like the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are the final two teams in contention for Swedish free agent forward Joakim Nygard. It is expected he will a make a decision soon.
Nygard is a speedy forward with decent skill and would likely play as a third or fourth line player on most NHL clubs. He’s a bit older at age 26, but he’s capable and competes well.
Sticking with the Oilers, The Edmonton Journal’sJim Matheson thinks the Oilers might be interested in Vegas Golden Knights unrestricted free agent AHL winger Daniel Carr.
Update on Ryan Callahan
Knowing he’s likely a trade candidate out of Tampa Bay, there are a couple of updates on the status of Ryan Callahan.
Callahan’s agent said early this week that he hasn’t spoken with the Lightning about any potential plans. His agent, Stephen Bartlett added that they’ll need to submit their 15-team trade list by next month.
Speculation is that a sweetener might need to be added to any Callahan trade but it shouldn’t have to be a top prospect. Someone like Mitchell Stephens, Boris Katchouk or Taylor Raddysh. Others options could be Carter Verhaeghe, Alex-Barre Boulet or Connor Ingram.
We previously listed the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers as possible landing spots and that hasn’t really changed.
Coyotes Looking to Europe?
The Arizona Coyotes are hoping to add scoring help this off-season, but have limited room to work with. With $74.4 million committed to 20 players for next season, that leaves about $8.6 million in cap space.
Marian Hossa coming off the books will help but they still need to sign RFA’s Nick Cousins, Lawson Crouse, and Josh Archibald. Potentially, add UFA Richard Panik to that list.
TSN reports that GM John Chayka is very interested in the European free agent market right now. The Coyotes GM has been in Slovakia scouting the World Championships and appears to have his eye on a few of the participants. The Coyotes are hoping to secure a talented import forward with an entry-level contract, and see if they can’t hit a home run on a cheap contract.
Some Talk About the Washington Capitals
NBC Sports Washington writes in two recent mailbag segments, J.J. Regan doesn’t expect Capitals GM Brian MacLellan will make an extreme move like trading goalie Braden Holtby to free up salary-cap space. Instead, he sees defenseman Matt Niskanen as a possible cost-cutting trade candidate. The idea would be to free up space to pursue forward depth in July via free agency.
Regan also doesn’t see the Capitals pursuing big-ticket UFAs like Artemi Panarin or Erik Karlsson. He thinks forward Carl Hagelin is likely to leave the organization in free agency but thinks Brett Connolly might consider re-signing with the team for less than market value.
We had earlier reported that the Capitals were going to decline qualifying RFA winger Andre Burakovsky’s to see if he’ll sign for less and Regan agrees that’s likely what will happen.
The post NHL Rumors: Oilers, Lightning, Coyotes, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 22, 2019 12:29 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is an update on the Edmonton Oilers coaching situation, buzz the Colorado Avalanche are looking at a former Ranger/Jets player, what comes next for the San Jose Sharks and more.
Avs Targeting Kevin Hayes?
Adrian Dater has tweeted that his sources are saying that the Colorado Avalanche plan on targeting pending UFA center Kevin Hayes when free agency opens.
The Avs have a ton of money available to them in free agency and might be considered a team that needs to add only a couple of the right pieces to be a contender for a long time.
Oilers to Name Coach Friday?
Ryan Rishaug of TSN is reporting the Edmonton Oilers could name their next head coach as early as this Friday. Rishaug says Dave Tippett is still the front runner for the position and Todd Nelson is not in the mix for the position. This has changed as Nelson was at one time considered someone new GM Ken Holland was looking at.
Pierre LeBrun notes, and this has been confirmed by Holland himself, that the Oilers had an initial list with around 15 potential coaching candidates. The intention was never to interview them all, but short-list them and Tippett has stayed near the top of that list the entire time.
If an announcement is not made Friday, the Oilers could wait until after June 3rd as management will be busy with the draft combine next week.
What Now for San Jose?
Greg Wyshynski of ESPN took a look at the keys to the San Jose Sharks offseason after being eliminated by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Among them, the team will focus on Erik Karlsson, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski’s future.
The assumption is that Pavelski will be re-signed, but the question is how much will it cost the Sharks and what length of term will they need to give out? Will Thornton want to keep playing? And, will a team like the Rangers convince Karlsson to jump from a city it sounds like he’s learned to like?
If San Jose was going to give Karlsson all the money he wanted when it was first rumored he was looking at a deal similar to Drew Doughty’s, the Sharks might have already done it by now. Will another team come in and pony up that money?
Nashville in on Duchene
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic writes that the Nashville Predators are expected to enter the bidding for Matt Duchene.
In an effort to land him, there will be a need to move salary out but the team is relatively free and clear to make any trades they want as only Pekka Rinne has a no-move clause worked into his deal.
Duchene will be arguably the best center available in free agency but could cost the Predators as much as $9 million per season to land him on a long-term deal.
Patrick Roy and Ottawa?
The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Senators GM Pierre Dorion was spotted in Montreal with Patrick Roy today.
Roy interviewed for Ottawa’s head coach position on Monday, then met again with Dorion and Assistant GM Peter MacTavish on Tuesday.
Garrioch writes:
The fact the Senators spoke with Roy and gave him in an interview is an attention-getter. We’ll find out in the coming days if the discussions was enough to get the job, but those who know Roy say he’s a different man than the one who left Colorado in 2016 and this time around he simply wants to focus his efforts on coaching.
The post NHL Rumors: Hayes, Roy, Oilers, Sharks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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