NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 09/27/2019

September 27, 2019

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

09/27/2019 edition:

By Kyle Gipe on Sep 26, 2019 01:15 pm

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, there is news surrounding the Winnipeg Jets’ negotiations with restricted free agents Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. There is also news out of Toronto from Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas. Are the Montreal Canadiens serious about dealing Jonathan Drouin? Finally, are the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues making progress on extensions for Roman Josi and Alex Pietrangelo, respectively?

Are the Jets Close to Signing Connor, Laine?

On Wednesday’s edition of Insider Trading, Bob McKenzie and Pierre LeBrun discussed the Jets’ two restricted free agents (RFAs), Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. Now that Brayden Point and Matthew Tkachuk are signed, the feeling is that the remainder of the high-profile RFAs will get signed in the next few days. Regarding Laine, LeBrun believes that the Jets and Laine are close to a deal after a meeting occurred between Laine’s agent and the Jets this week.

It appears that both sides are interested in a bridge deal and it’s reported that the Jets offered Laine a two-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) around $6 million. However, LeBrun believes that Laine and his agent are looking for at least $7 million per year.

My sense is that the Laine camp led by Mike Liut would rather be north of $7 million a year on a two-year bridge.

Pierre LeBrun on TSN’s Insider Trading

Meanwhile, according to McKenzie, Connor appears to be looking for a longer term deal, perhaps something in the six-year range. While this term would also be attractive to the Jets, the two sides haven’t agreed on salary and no deal is imminent.

Drouin Made Available by Canadiens

Yesterday I mentioned that the Canadiens may trade a forward or two to create room on their roster for prospects. One player mentioned as a trade candidate is Jonathan Drouin. According to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Drouin is available. Engels reports than an Eastern Conference team executive texted him during the Canadiens’ game on Wednesday to confirm that Drouin’s name is out there.

‘His name is definitely out there,’ texted an Eastern Conference executive during Wednesday night’s game.

Eric Engels, Sportsnet

The biggest potential hold up in dealing him is that the Canadiens would be trading low on him after he finished the 2018-19 season with just 6 points in his final 26 games. The Canadiens have given him every chance to succeed this preseason, playing him on lines with Max Domi and Nick Suzuki at times, but nothing has worked. They’ve also played him more than the typical veteran does in the preseason to establish a fit.

It’s easy to see why the team wants Drouin to work considering they gave up defense prospect Mikhail Sergachev to acquire him. However, it’s possible the Canadiens will move on from him if they receive anything of value for him. At this point, to quote Engels, “you really have to wonder if management will view the scenario of trading him as an addition by subtraction.”

Dubas Learned of Matthews’ Incident on Twitter

According to multiple sources, including Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas learned of Auston Matthews’ disturbing of the peace incident the same way the public did: on Twitter.

Matthews quickly owned up to his actions and apologized, but when asked about why he didn’t tell the team’s management when the incident occurred, he called it “an error in judgment.” Considering the Maple Leafs recently signed Matthews to a six-year extension and that he’s considered one of the leading candidates to be named team captain, one has to wonder the impact this incident will have moving forward.

Can Predators, Blues Extend Josi, Pietrangelo?

The Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues, both members of the Central Division, find themselves in eerily similar situations. Both teams’ captains and No. 1 defensemen are playing on expiring contracts and neither have signed extensions yet.

In Nashville, the Predators have every intention of keeping Josi, but fitting him into their salary structure will be difficult. LeBrun still thinks it’s possible, though, as both sides want to get a deal done. He believes the Predators are willing to go to $8.5 million per year, likely on an eight-year deal. However, Josi and his team are looking for at least $9 million per year, which would make him the third-highest paid defenseman in the league. Regardless of what the number is, Josi is the team’s best player and should be the Predators’ highest paid player.

I suspect this will get done. But the fact that it hasn’t yet with the season around the corner is quite interesting.

Pierre LeBrun

For the Blues and Pietrangelo, the situation became a bit more interesting after the team acquired and extended Justin Faulk with a seven-year deal. Like Pietrangelo, Faulk is a right-shot defenseman, as is Colton Parayko. It’s widely thought that the Blues acquired Faulk to protect against potentially losing Faulk, but the belief is, according to McKenzie, that Pietrangelo wants to stay in St. Louis and that the Blues want to retain him. McKenzie expects Blues GM Doug Armstrong to meet with Pietrangelo’s agents early in the season.

Regarding an extension, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Jeff Gordon believes that Jay Bouwmeester’s $3 million cap hit coming off the books after 2019-20 could provide the room to retain Pietrangelo. (from ‘Gordo: Armstrong seizes another opportunity to strengthen Blues’ defense,’ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 09/25/2019)

coming off the books after 2019-20 could provide the room to retain Pietrangelo. (from ‘Gordo: Armstrong seizes another opportunity to strengthen Blues’ defense,’ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 09/25/2019)

The salary cap math was looking easier for Pietrangelo. The team could just give him a $3 million raise with Bouwmeester’s expiring contract money, then slide in one of their promising entry-level defensemen to make the numbers work.

Jeff Gordon

Regardless of what occurs, the team’s recent actions show that they’re all-in on 2019-20 and Pietrangelo will be a big factor in that.

By Kyle Gipe on Sep 25, 2019 12:45 pm

For today’s NHL rumors, there is news out of Toronto surrounding Auston Matthews and Taylor Hall has downplayed the progress of an extension with the New Jersey Devils. Plus, will the Pittsburgh Penguins move a goaltender to get under the salary cap? Are the Montreal Canadiens looking to move a forward? And finally, how does the Justin Faulk trade impact the Anaheim Ducks?

Matthews Facing Disorderly Conduct Charges

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews is facing a disruptive behavior charge in his home state of Arizona from an incident that occurred on May 26, 2019. According to the police report, Matthews attempted to enter an occupied security car outside of a condo building. The female security guard inside the car confronted Matthews and, as he walked away, he pulled down his pants.

A summons was issued on July 23 and he had a pretrial conference scheduled for this morning. The Maple Leafs are aware of the complaint and won’t be commenting on the incident any more moving forward. Whether this incident has an impact on which direction the team goes with regards to naming a captain will be worth following.

Penguins Looking to Trade a Goaltender?

With the Penguins still more than $300,000 over the salary cap and the regular season beginning in one week, general manager Jim Rutherford must do something to get the team cap compliant. According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, one option Rutherford is looking at is dealing a goaltender, of which the Penguins have an excess. (from, ‘Jim Rutherford: Trade talks are ‘heating up’,’ The Athletic, 09/24/2019) With Matt Murray as the clear-cut, starter, it leaves Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry to battle for the backup job.

However, over the past two seasons DeSmith has put a stranglehold on the role, making 41 starts with a .917 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.66 goals-against average (GAA) compared to Jarry’s 25 starts, .907 SV% and 2.83 GAA over the same time period. Despite Jarry being a second-round pick and DeSmith being an undrafted free agent, DeSmith is also the one to whom the Penguins gave a three-year contract extension in January.

Over the summer Rutherford acknowledged that he was considering moving Jarry, however, the goalie market was quiet. Now, with the season rapidly approaching, that market is beginning to heat up and Jarry could soon be on the move. Neither goalie is waiver exempt anymore, so it’d be in the team’s best interest to trade one of them rather than lose one to a waiver claim. It’s unknown what the Penguins will be looking for in a return, but there are certainly teams that would like to strengthen their depth in net. Another, and more ideal, trade option is defenseman Jack Johnson, who signed a five-year deal in July 2018. Getting his $3.25 million cap hit off the books would certainly help the Penguins, however it’s unlikely a team agrees to take on the contract without needing an additional asset thrown in.

Hall Pours Water on Extension Rumors

TSN’s Darren Dreger commented on Tuesday that the Devils and Hall were closing the gap on a contract extension after Hall’s agent and the team met over the weekend. Tuesday evening, though, Hall denied those reports and said that the two sides aren’t any closer to an extension than they were before the meeting. (from ‘Taylor Hall disputes new rumors of possible contract extension with Devils, NorthJersey.com, 09/24/2019)

Pouring water on the rumor that a deal was imminent, Hall stated that no numbers were discussed and that he himself wasn’t even in the meeting. The 2018 Hart Trophy winner has one year left on his deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer and has promised transparency with the media when it comes to extension talks. It should be noted that in Tuesday’s 31 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that he feels Hall and the Devils are underselling the progress a bit and that both sides are “trying to make a serious run at an extension.”

Canadiens Moving a Forward?

In the same 31 Thoughts, Friedman reported that the Canadiens are interested in moving an NHL-caliber forward. The reasoning? Prospects Nick Suzuki, Jake Evans, and Ryan Poehling are all showing enough in the preseason to garner an NHL roster spot in the regular season. The only problem is that the Canadiens already have a full crop of forwards and they’ll need to trade at least one to give any of the prospects a shot. Friedman suggests that Jonathan Drouin could be that player. In Monday’s game against the Maple Leafs, he played just 11:57 and his tenure with the Canadiens hasn’t been the smoothest since they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Lightning in June 2017.

Other forwards who could be on the move, according to The Journal de Montreal, are Nick Cousins and Charles Hudon. Both have played well in the preseason but a lack of space means neither are a lock to make the roster.

Ducks Still Interested in a Right-Shot Defenseman

A few weeks ago it was reported that the Ducks were close to acquiring defenseman Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes. With a need for a right-shot blueliner, it made sense and Ondrej Kase was the centerpiece of the suggested return. However, on Tuesday, when the Hurricanes dealt Faulk to the St. Louis Blues, the Ducks’ plan to trade for Faulk went out the window, while their need for a defenseman did not. Friedman believes that the Ducks are still interested in acquiring a right shot defenseman, and with Buffalo Sabre Rasmus Ristolainen likely still available, there could be a fit as THW’s Anthony Ciardelli suggested in August.

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