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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 06/19/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
06/19/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Jun 18, 2019 10:55 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is speculation out of Pittsburgh with the Penguins, questions in Boston with the Bruins, and notes on the Tampa Bay Lighting, among others.
Penguins Interested in Simmonds?
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now said that after clearing some space by moving Olli Maatta, the Pittsburgh Penguins might have interest in Wayne Simmonds on cheaper AAV.
Kingserski writes:
Scuttle from a league source is the Pittsburgh Penguins could enter the fray for free agent winger Wayne Simmonds. Unprompted, Saturday second-hand sources tied the long-time Philadelphia Flyer winger and the Penguins. The source posited the Penguins want more snarl among their forward crew and there is belief Simmonds will get a call from the team.
Citing these as secondary sources, Kingerski does admit the Penguins want to get more physical. For now, he says, for the uninitiated, “league sources”, don’t buy a Simmonds jersey just yet.
Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette says no one should be surprised if Pittsburgh shuffles the chairs around to move positions at this year’s NHL Entry Draft. Vensel writes:
With no picks in the second or third round, he hopes to get his hands on another pick or two, whether it’s by trading down or dealing a veteran prior to the draft.
The Penguins possess five picks in the 2019 NHL Draft but Rutherford called the draft “real deep” and could move a player like Tristan Jarry for additional selections.
David Backes Staying in Boston
There has been plenty of buzz that Boston Bruins forward David Backes is a trade candidate to leave Boston. It appears that is not accurate.
Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston, says GM Don Sweeney told him the veteran forward isn’t going anywhere and the team envisions him as a bottom-six, fourth-line guy moving forward.
At 35 years old, Backes is an expensive option with two years and $6 million per season still on his deal. This is either posturing or there’s something else Backes brings that Boston sees as worth it for that much salary in such a low-end spot on the roster.
Stralman to Test Free Agency
It appears as though, at the very least, Tampa Bay Lightning free agent defenseman Anton Stralman will be seeing what other options are out there beyond the Lightning.
Word is that Stralman will be coming back to the United States to take part in the UFA interview period which begins next week. Stralman’s agent Marc Levine told Joe Smith of The Athletic that Stralman wants to explore his options.
It was said that Stralman’s leaving was not a given but it has to be noted there hasn’t been much ground gained when it comes to discussions about a contract extension with the Lightning.
If he chooses to leave, there should be options available to him. Even while dealing with injuries this past season, he logged over 20 minutes a night and is a right-shot defender in a pool of righties that isn’t all that deep.
Sharks Need to Make Adjustments
After extending Erik Karlsson, the San Jose Sharks have $26.5 million tied up in three defenders for the next six seasons. Worse yet, they have approximately $13 million in salary to sign UFA’s like Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and RFA’s Timo Meier and Kevin Lebanc.
Craig Custance notes Sharks GM Doug Wilson did recognize his issue and said, “Under a cap system, choices and decisions have to be made.” Expect some salary cap restructuring as players are moved to make room for more contracts that aren’t as costly per season. Don’t expect Gustav Nyquist to be back.
The post NHL Rumors: Penguins, Bruins, Lightning, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 17, 2019 10:25 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, Dallas Eakins is being described as the ‘last man standing’ in Anaheim, the Edmonton Oilers have a few potential trades on the burner and Elliotte Friedman takes a closer look at the NHL trade market.
Eakins the New Head Coach in Anaheim?
While no official announcement has come from the Anaheim Ducks or the NHL, Dallas Eakins is the last man standing in the Ducks search for a head coach, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.
Candidates who interviewed for the head coaching job have been informed they’re out, and that a formal announcement is expected sometime this week to introduce the former Ducks’ AHL affiliate the San Diego Gulls to the Anaheim fan base.
Elliotte Friedman on the NHL Trade Market
In his latest 31 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes there are a number of aggressive NHL teams testing the trade market. As he got into specifics, he noted:
The Buffalo Sabres have spoken with the New York Rangers about Jimmy Vesey.
The Maple Leafs are going to try and move Nikita Zaitsev and would like to try and get a defenseman in return. The team is also going to try moving Nazem Kadri but can’t move him to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Penguins are interested in Jacob Trouba but hard to see a fit. The Philadelphia Flyers were also looking at Trouba.
The Minnesota Wild could be interested in Anders Lee or Joe Pavelski if they go to free agency.
Oilers Trade Whispers
There are a few notes of speculation when it comes to trades, specifically surrounding the Edmonton Oilers.
Loui Eriksson’s agent has told the Canucks it’s time to trade his client and there have been some whispers about the Oilers and Jesse Puljujarvi. The Calgary Flames have also officially put James Neal on the market in an attempt to dump his salary and they gave some thought to Milan Lucic in that deal. Eventually, they changed their minds.
The Athletic’s James Mirtle looked into a possible trade between Edmonton and Toronto that would include d-man Nikita Zaitsev. He believes the Oilers could be near the top of the Maple Leafs list for potential trade partners and wonders if either Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson to could be paired with Zaitsev to acquire either Matt Benning or even Adam Larsson in the right deal.
He writes:
But the reason Edmonton is a good fit here is they have some depth on defence, and they’re trying to get stronger up front – specifically on the right wing. The Leafs have depth on right wing and they’re trying to convert some of that into help on right defence.
This doesn’t have to be a deal with a clear winner and a clear loser, although that depends I suppose on how you feel about Zaitsev’s value.
Capitals to Move Burakovsky’s Rights
NBC Sports’ James O’Brien notes that with the signing of Carl Hagelin to a new four-year extension, the Washington Capitals have little money left to sign the rest of their roster. O’Brien wonders whether the Hagelin deal could mean the team considers moving Andre Burakovsky’s rights.
The Capitals and Burakovsky have always seen eye to eye, there is some talent there with a few teams likely interested in seeing what they can get out of the 24-year-old.
The post NHL Rumors: Ducks, Oilers and the NHL Trade Market appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 16, 2019 12:15 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, one media scribe takes a look at the recent d-man buyouts and wonders what that means for the Edmonton Oilers? In other news, the Dallas Stars and Mats Zuccarello are working on something and the Colorado Avalanche have a few items to deal with. Finally, a number of teams are interested in Jacob Trouba.
The Oilers Set to Move a Defenseman?
Jonathan Willis took a good long look at the buyouts that happened on Saturday (Dion Phaneuf and Andrew MacDonald) and then the trades for d-men that have taken place in the last few days and asked, “Will Edmonton be looking for that kind of player?”
Admitting that there are ways both players could help the Oilers, Willis says no and suggests instead, the Oilers are primed to move a defenseman in the trade market to free up space to add a forward. Only then might the team look at aging players like Phaneuf and MacDonald.
Willis writes:
The Oilers are well-positioned to take advantage of a market paying premium prices for defenders. Between a bursting-at-the-seams prospect depth chart and a need to move money to upgrade a barren forward corps, it’s probable that Edmonton will deal someone.
Willis labels Adam Larsson as a player to watch and if he can be moved for an impact forward, there might be something there. He suggests that while Larsson might not fetch a lot normally, the list of available and potentially available defencemen is so shallow that teams have no choice but to pay more than they’d like for lesser talent.
In other Oilers news, at a gathering for 500 season ticket holders, Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland said he has spoken with and visited Connor McDavid twice in the last 10 days. McDavid is doing well and is expected to ready for the start of training camp.
Mutual Interest Between Zuccarello and Stars
On his 31 Thoughts article, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that there is mutual interest between the Dallas Stars and winger Mats Zuccarello to get a deal done.
Zuccarello only played two regular-season games for the Stars after coming over in the trade from the New York Rangers but when he returned, he was arguably Dallas’ best player in the playoffs. Friedman writes that while negotiations are moving slowly, it is expected a deal will get done.
Items on the Avs Plate
It appears as though goaltender Semyon Varlamov has played his last game with the Colorado Avalanche. The team is expected to give the tag of No. 1 netminder to Philipp Grubauer. That said, Denver Post’s Mike Chambers writes that the Avs might choose to sign a veteran backup.
Still with the Avs, A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver reports the team has no plans to buy out anyone this week. With $37 million in cap room, they have the space to sign several key restricted free agents, including forward Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Compher, and Alexander Kerfoot.
Who is Willing to Pay for Jacob Trouba?
According to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, teams out of the New York area are lining up for a shot at Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Jacob Trouba.
Brooks adds that Winnipeg has not given permission to inquiring clubs to speak with Trouba’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, about a long-term contract. Despite that, the Jets are reportedly asking for a first-round pick and two top prospects or two young NHL players, likely signed to low-cost contracts to pry Trouba loose.
If there are that many teams asking, it’s likely that’s about what Trouba will go for.
The post NHL Rumors: Oilers, Avs, Zuccarello, Trouba, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 15, 2019 10:58 am
In today’s NHL rumors, there are updates out of Carolina, Columbus, Washington, Florida, and Toronto as each team heads towards free agency, the NHL free agent interview period and the NHL Entry Draft.
Will the Florida Panthers successfully move James Reimer? Can Toronto move Garret Sparks? What’s happening with Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky’s rights?
Panthers to Move James Reimer
James Mirtle is reporting that the Florida Panthers are likely going to trade James Reimer or buy him out. With interest in Sergei Bobrovsky and Robert Luongo already under contract, Reimer becomes a piece that the Panthers don’t need and can’t afford.
Mirtle wonders if the Calgary Flames could be an option for Reimer. Reimer struggled last season but again, part of why the Panthers want to move him is to go after Sergei Bobrovsky. Florida believes they have a legitimate shot via free agency.
The question becomes whether or not they believe Bobrovsky will choose them over other options.
Blue Jackets Asking Price for Panarin and Bobrovsky High
It is believed the asking price by the Blue Jackets for Artemi Panarin and Bobrovsky is quite high. Knowing that both are likely leaving the organization, the team still wants to have control and is working on a sign-and-trade-type deal for either or both.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Blue Jackets have declined to give either Panarin and Bobrovksy permission to talk to other teams about a sign-and-trade possibility and that is making things a little trickier. LeBrun speculates the team is asking for a second-round pick.
So far, no one has stepped forward but the expectation is that the Blue Jackets want to maintain as much control as possible during this period and aren’t interested in just giving away either player for low-end draft picks.
The Blue Jackets are still hoping Matt Duchene will consider re-signing with the organization.
Maple Leafs Shopping Garret Sparks
Pierre LeBrun has cited that multiple sources have said that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been quietly shopping goaltender Garret Sparks. He has a year left at $750,000.
That the Maple Leafs want to move Sparks is a bit surprising considering they need financially friendly contracts. This might speak to the idea that the organization sees something in their goaltender pipeline which includes Kasimir Kaskisuo, Ian Scott and Joseph Woll. None of them are likely ready at this point so Toronto might have another backup option in mind.
Sabres and Rangers Discussing Jimmy Vesey Trade
According to Elliotte Friedman’s most recent report in his latest 31 Thoughts column, the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres have held discussions regarding a trade involving winger Jimmy Vesey.
The Sabres have been part of the conversation before with Vessey as they owned his rights back in 2016 but he elected not to sign with the team and went to New York instead.
Capitals Want to Re-Sign Carl Hagelin
Elliotte Friedman is reporting that it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Washington Capitals used some of the salary cap space they gained in the Matt Niskanen-Radko Gudas trade to re-sign Carl Hagelin.
The team liked his production and has an interest in keeping him with the club. Hagelin, 30, is still a very strong skater and penalty killer and should be able to play in that role for a few more years.
The post NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets, Panthers, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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