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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 08/21/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
08/21/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Aug 20, 2019 11:50 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are more details coming forward about the process that saw Sebastian Aho sign an offer sheet. There is also buzz that the Philadelphia Flyers and Travis Konecny are closing in on his extension while the Chicago Blackhawks and Brandon Perlini are close as well. In Toronto, Jake Gardiner is simply waiting for Mitch Marner and one more name has been added to the Minnesota Wild GM interview list. Finally, is there a trade on the table for Zach Parise?
More Background Details on Aho Offer Sheet
We wrote not long ago that Sebastian Aho was glad the way things turned out in Carolina and that he might have jumped the gun a bit on signing the offer sheet with the Montreal Canadiens. There are more details coming out about that process.
According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Aho says he never had a clue an offer sheet was coming and when he signed it, he hadn’t spoken directly to Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin. He didn’t take the time to weigh the pros and cons of moving forward but said, at the time, it felt like the right thing to do.
Part of the reason Aho was caught off guard was that talks with Carolina had been moving kind of slowly and he didn’t expect to receive an offer from another club, especially Montreal, a team he had no idea was interested. The Canadiens were the only team willing to extend him an offer sheet.
Both sides are just glad it’s done now so that Aho isn’t lumped in with all the other restricted free agents still out there just waiting to be signed.
Related: NHL’s 10 Most Impressive Streaks
The Flyers and Konecny Close
Flyers radio host Jason Myrtetus reported that a source near the Flyers organization and connected to RFA Travis Konecny, says a deal could be very close.
Close enough, in fact, that he was able to release some details. The expectation is that Konecny will sign a bridge deal, at two or three years with a cap hit around $4.5 million.
Brandon Perlini Deal to be Done Next Week
Of the many RFA unsigned players still out there, Brandon Perlini of the Chicago Blackhawks is expected to come off the board soon. According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, that deal will get done “over the next week or so.” Perlini is the last restricted free agent GM Stan Bowman has to get done.
Add One More to the Wild GM Interview List
Elliotte Friedman notes that Bill Guerin remains the front-runner for the new GM job opening in Minnesota but Chris MacFarland, assistant general manager in Colorado, became the latest to be interviewed on Monday.
Gardiner Waiting on Marner
The latest news on Jake Gardiner comes from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun who notes the former Maple Leafs defenseman is waiting on the Marner negotiations.
Despite news Gardiner has a handshake deal with another team, Hornby writes:
Waiting to see what unfolds is UFA defenceman Gardiner, yet to sign elsewhere in the hopes the Leafs find more extra cash, but at this stage that would mean trading a set roster piece.
If true, Gardiner could be waiting until the end of the preseason since the Maple Leafs and Marner may not take any steps closer to one another until the cap relief for Nathan Horton and David Clarkson kick in.
From most accounts, Marner and the Maple Leafs aren’t close on a deal.
Trade Offer for Parise on the Table
Michael Russo of The Athletic reports there is a team interested in Zach Parise and a trade was offered for the veteran forward. The franchise interested was unnamed but speculation is that there was another big, hard-to-move contract coming back.
Russo wrote:
He has a full no-move, not a 10-team no-trade. … but I can tell you the one trade offer the Wild had for Parise this summer was another team’s bad veteran contract. He’ll be 36 next summer and carries a $7.538 million cap hit, so it’s not an easy trade to make.
The post NHL Rumors: Aho, Parise, Flyers, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Aug 19, 2019 12:35 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown there are updates on unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner and pending unrestricted free agent Taylor Hall, there is speculation the Pittsburgh Penguins might look to trade a top defenseman and the Minnesota Wild are narrowing down their search for a new GM.
Gardiner Not Talking
Steve Simmons of The Toronto Sun wrote on Twitter that he spoke with Jake Gardiner on Saturday and said the unrestricted free agent defenseman wouldn’t talk on or off the record about his current situation.
There have been rumors Gardiner has a handshake deal with a team but he’s not signed anywhere and he wouldn’t take any questions about his free-agent status.
Wild Have It Down to Three
The Athletic’s Michael Russo writes that the search for a new general manager in Minnesota is down to three finalists. Those are, Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Bill Guerin, Montreal Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby and former Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall.
Saying Hextall’s personality may be too close to Paul Fenton’s and knowing there were issues in Philadelphia, Hextall may have too much dirt on him. Mellanby impressed, but not as much as Guerin.
Russo writes:
Anything, of course, can change this week, but I really feel at this point Guerin has separated himself from the pack and is the frontrunner to become the fourth full-time GM in Wild history. But as I said, anything can change, and Hextall and Mellanby are smart hockey men.
Justin Schultz to be Traded This Season?
Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review writes that the Pittsburgh Penguins have a history of trading players in the final year of their contracts and defenseman Justin Schultz fits the bill. He carries a $5.5 million salary cap hit and unless he’s willing to take a discount to re-sign, may not be around by the end of the year.
Next offseason, the Penguins need to sign players like Matt Murray, Alex Galchenyuk and Jared McCann, so Schultz may not be in their future plans. As a right-handed, top-four puck-moving defenseman, Schultz will have some attraction for other teams.
Talk Around Taylor Hall Continues
We reported not long ago that there were some unsubstantiated rumors Taylor Hall might have an interest in returning to the Edmonton Oilers if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. While there’s been no follow up on those rumors and most believe it’s a longshot at best, it doesn’t change the fact a cloud will hang over Hall this season or until he’s signed.
The latest comes from Scott Billeck of NBC Sports who looked at whether or not Hall would sign a long-term extension with the Devils.
The Devils added a lot of pieces by getting Jack Hughes, P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, and Nikita Gusev. Is it enough? Billeck writes:
“… a genuine attempt to make the team better has to sit well in Hall’s camp. But there’s always going to be that allure of having the world at his feet with truckloads of money and the ability to chose his destination next summer.”
Couture Says Thornton Will Sign With Sharks
San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture, says he would be shocked if Joe Thornton isn’t back with the Sharks next season. Couture said to NHL.com, “I talked to Joe a month ago and asked him what was going on and he said, ‘Oh don’t worry about it,’ so I took that as he’ll be back.”
The post NHL Rumors: Gardiner, Hall, Wild, Penguins, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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