NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 10/07/2019

October 07, 2019

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

10/07/2019 edition:

By Kyle Gipe on Oct 05, 2019 12:00 pm

In today’s NHL Rumors, does Connor McDavid have a deadline for the Edmonton Oilers to get competitive? Also, what is the status of Dustin Byfuglien? Plus, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan gives his thoughts on the Jack Johnson trade rumors, and will there be another World Cup of Hockey in the near future?

Will McDavid Give Oilers a Deadline?

To re-ask the introduction question, does Connor McDavid have a deadline for the Oilers to get competitive? Another way to ask it is, will McDavid’s patience with management run out? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman thinks so. Appearing on Sportsnet 590 on Friday, he discussed how the Oilers captain is not patient and believes that the team has two years to convince McDavid that they’re on the path to competitiveness.

I think the answer is no, he’s not patient. But he’s also willing to be convinced. I think they’ve got two years to show him they’re going in the right direction. This year and next year.

Elliotte Friedman

It should be noted that these thoughts are Friedman’s own and weren’t the result of insider knowledge. Yet, there’s reason to believe he’s right. McDavid is one of the most competitive players in the game. The best ones usually are; see Sidney Crosby as an example. The 2019-20 season is McDavid’s fifth in the NHL and the Oilers have reached the postseason just once.

That’s unacceptable to him as the Oilers are now on their third head coach since he was drafted and aren’t any closer to winning a Stanley Cup. It’s not difficult seeing him going to Oilers general manager Ken Holland and saying he needs to see progress over the next two seasons. As a result, how Holland manages the team’s salary cap situation and roster over this season and next offseason will be interesting.

Is Byfuglien Leaning Towards Retiring?

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has been away from the team since the start of the season as he takes a personal leave from hockey. The reports are that the rugged blueliner is considering his future in the sport. According to Friedman, this time on Sportsnet’s Lead Off program, Byfuglien is leaning towards retiring and that the Jets need to convince him to stay: “word is Jets have to talk him out of retiring.”

Furthermore, on Sportsnet’s 31 Thoughts podcast with Jeff Marek, Friedman mentioned that Byfuglien and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff are close and that the Jets are willing to wait on Byfuglien’s decision as long as they need to. Byfuglien was expected to be a vital part of the Jets’ blue line this season after the team parted with Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers over the offseason. With Trouba and Myers both right-shot defensemen, Byfuglien, also a right shot, was going to be the team’s top blueliner on the right side and play the most difficult minutes. Instead, in his absence, the Jets have had to play a lot of players above their projected roles. Whether or not Byfuglien returns will have a large impact on the Jets’ potential in 2019-20 and beyond.

Mike Sullivan on Johnson

One of the more popular rumors in recent weeks was that the Penguins were close to trading defenseman Jack Johnson. At one point, the rumors were so prevalent that he was expected to be moved within 48 hours. It’s not well beyond that 48-hour window and Johnson is still on the team. Since the Penguins signed him to a five-year deal during the 2018 offseason, fans have called for the team to move Johnson, whose struggles have been glaring. Although he is still a Penguin, the speculation surrounding his future in Pittsburgh remains. Earlier this week Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was asked about Johnson and the trade rumors that swelled up not so long ago. Sullivan’s response was straightforward and dismissive: “We don’t overly concern ourselves…”

Sullivan can dismiss the rumors and suggest that he and his coaching staff don’t pay attention to them, but the reality is that the Penguins’ defense is struggling right now and Johnson is at the center of it. And until Johnson is traded or the team explicitly shuts down the rumors, Sullivan will continue to be asked about them.

World Cup of Hockey Future

Yesterday, Oct. 4, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly gave a press conference from Prague, Czech Republic, where the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers faced off in the NHL Global Series game. During the press conference, Daly discussed the future of the World Cup of Hockey and how both the NHL and players want to bring the event back.

We’re totally, 100 percent aligned with the Players’ Association on the value of that property, to growing the game and promoting the game and creating a competitive, entertaining tournament

Bill Daly

With neither the league nor the players’ association opening the Collective Bargaining Agreement before its expiration before Sep. 2022, there is time for the next World Cup of Hockey to be planned and played. The biggest question will be how it fits into the league’s calendar, especially as the players, and possibly the league, want to return to the Winter Olympics in 2022 when they’re hosted by China. The last World Cup of Hockey occurred in 2016 prior to the start of the 2016-17 NHL season and was held in Toronto.

By Kyle Gipe on Oct 04, 2019 12:42 pm

In today’s NHL Rumors column, are we seeing a shift in how early teams are attempting to extend their restricted free agents (RFAs), plus will the Alex DeBrincat contract affect the 2020 RFA class? How will the Edmonton Oilers handle Adam Larsson’s injury? Also, will the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders be able to find trade partners for Julius Honka and Josh Ho-Sang, respectively?

Effects of DeBrincat Contract

The past offseason was expected to be an exciting one as a number of high-impact players were coming off their entry-level contracts and were RFAs. For the most part, the summer lived up to expectations as Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, and Patrik Laine all dragged out their negotiations late into the offseason. But for as exciting as this offseason was for fans, it was less exciting for the teams and players involved. The 2020 offseason had been shaping up to be another highly-anticipated one with high-profile players like Alex DeBrincat becoming RFAs for the first time.

Now, however, it’s looking like there may be a shift in RFA negotiations. Less than a week into the 2019-20 season, we’ve already seen Samuel Girard, Clayton Keller, and Thomas Chabot all sign extensions, and just yesterday Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat signed a three-year extension. On a recent edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun mentioned that he believes this could be the start of a trend.

When I’m talking to teams around the league, they don’t really want to be involved in what has just transpired on September 29 with all of the drama involving (Brayden) Point and (Mitch) Marner and (Matthew) Tkachuk and (Mikko) Rantanen, etc.

Pierre LeBrun

LeBrun feels there’s a strong likelihood that teams and players look to get extensions out of the way earlier than in recent years. He specifically points to upcoming RFAs Mathew Barzal (Islanders), Pierre-Luc Dubois (Columbus Blue Jackets), and Victor Mete (Montreal Canadiens) as players who could sign extensions in-season. Other notable pending RFAs in 2020 include Nico Hischier, Mikhail Sergachev, and Nolan Patrick.

Can the Oilers Replace Larsson?

In the Oilers’ opening-night victory against the Vancouver Canucks, defenseman Adam Larsson went down with a serious ankle injury and it’s reported that he’ll be out six-to-eight weeks. That leaves the Oilers with a serious hole on the top pair as Larsson plays a lot of minutes in a shut-down role.

On Insider Trading, Bob McKenzie reported that he thinks the Oilers will attempt to replace Larsson internally for the time being. The reasoning? There isn’t a suitable replacement available via trade. He thinks that the Oilers will move Kris Russell up from the third pair and play the recently called-up Evan Bouchard.

Bring in Kris Russell up from the third pair, put him [into] Larsson’s spot with Nurse. Continue to have the second pair that you planned on having with (Oscar) Klefbom and Ethan Bear and away you go.

Bob McKenzie

McKenzie did point out that the Islanders’ Thomas Hickey recently cleared waivers and is available to acquire via trade, but his $2.5-million cap hit would be too much for the Oilers to absorb since they’re already up against the salary cap. Perhaps Larsson’s injury will force the Oilers to be more proactive in moving RFA Jesse Puljujarvi, who’s currently playing in Finland after requesting a trade out of Edmonton.

TSN 1060’s Jason Gregor also reports that Oilers general manager Ken Holland is still looking to add a top-six forward or top-four blueliner. This need is even more prominent with Larsson’s injury, but given the Oilers’ lack of cap space and excess NHL talent, it’s tough to see how Holland will be able to add to the NHL roster.

Ho-Sang Requests Trade from Islanders

After not making the NHL roster out of training camp and clearing waivers, the Islanders’ Josh Ho-Sang has reportedly requested a trade. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Ho-Sang wants a fresh start with a new team even with the understanding that he may have to start in the American Hockey League.

It appears that he wants the opportunity to start over with a new franchise. The question is, though, what team will trade for him, and at what price? The fact that he went through waivers without being claimed shows that there’s little interest in him throughout the league, so his trade value isn’t high. Perhaps a solution is the Islanders trading him for another team’s prospect looking for a fresh start.

Stars Looking to Move Honka

Stars defenseman Julius Honka is the last remaining unsigned RFA. Bob McKenzie reports that it’s nearly a foregone conclusion that the Stars deal Honka in the near future. The 2014 14th-overall pick lost his place in the Stars organization with other puck-moving blueliners John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen outplaying him.

The issue with him isn’t money. It’s not a financial dispute with the Dallas Stars. When you’ve got (John) Klingberg and you’ve got (Miro) Heiskanen, and you’re a puck-moving, sub-six-foot puck-moving defenceman, you’ve kind of lost your way in the Dallas organization.

Bob McKenzie

Honka and the Stars haven’t had a falling out, nor is there a contract dispute. Instead, he, like Ho-Sang, is just seeking a fresh start. The difference between the two players, however, is that Honka still has trade value and could be plugged into an NHL blue line from the start. It’s likely the Stars are seeking a draft pick for him, perhaps a second or third-round pick.

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