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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 12/30/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
12/30/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Dec 29, 2019 12:15 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on how many teams are interested in acquiring Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers, the Toronto Maple Leafs are hit with yet another injury while they shop some players and there are a few other names noted as available in trade prior to the deadline.
Big Time Interest in Chris Kreider
On Saturday night Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that at least four NHL teams are currently interested in acquiring Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers.
During Saturday’s Headlines segment Friedman noted that after Taylor Hall was traded the big name out there is Kreider and, “All the contenders from Colorado to Boston to St. Louis to Pittsburgh are all believed to be interested in him.”
These same four teams were mentioned at the time Taylor Hall was rumored to be moved so it’s no surprise to hear they are once again in the market to add a player like Kreider who is arguably the next biggest offensive threat available at this year’s deadline. He is in the final year of a contract that pays $4.625 million per season and as an unrestricted free agent is rumored to be seeking a raise around the $7 million or more mark on a long-term deal.
What’s interesting here is that Friedman also added, “Teams don’t believe right now that the Rangers have made [Kreider] available,” and that there might be interest by the organization in re-signing him. As it is now, they know there’s interest should they choose to move him.
Related: The Worst Trades in NHL History
Muzzin Out Long-Term
According to a report from the Toronto Maple Leafs department of public relations, veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin has been sidelined and has suffered a broken foot. He is being listed as “week to week” by the Leafs organization.
This is just more bad news for the Maple Leafs who found out they were losing Ilya Mikheyev for three months due to injury. Muzzin’s injury is causing the Leafs to look at options and Friedman noted a few names.
Jeremy Bracco is among the most interesting names the Maple Leafs might be shopping in an effort to improve in other areas. 22, Bracco was second in the American Hockey League in scoring last year, and “his route to the NHL is kind of blocked by a lot of great players,” Friedman noted. The Maple Leafs may not move him, but more want to test the market for what his value is. “I think there is some interest,” Friedman added.
Other NHL Moves to Watch For
Friedman also noted that the Buffalo Sabres have extra defensemen and are looking to make a move, the Los Angeles Kings might look to move Tyler Toffoli and there is some interest around the NHL in Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad.
While Saad is currently injured, Friedman believes that when he gets healthy, there are some teams looking at him, even with one season left on his deal, as an option.
Expect the stock on some of these players to rise if the Rangers decide to hang on to a player like Kreider. The list of offensive talent available at the deadline is not huge and many teams are going to be competing for the same names. As for defenseman, Friedman noted that the New Jersey Devils might be interested in one of the d-men the Sabres have available and could shop Myles Wood for someone.
The post NHL Rumors: Rangers, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Dec 28, 2019 02:10 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the Edmonton Oilers have demoted a couple of players on the heels of a terrible run, there could be a suspension coming for one of the game’s best scorers, and how bad is Ilya Mikheyev’s injury? Finally, are the New York Rangers about to have a fire sale again?
Oilers Making Roster Moves
On the heels of another ugly performance and loss, the Edmonton Oilers have waived two players for the purpose of reassignment to the AHL. Both Brandon Manning and Marcus Granlund are being sent down if they go unclaimed. Granlund may get some interest as he’s only making $1.3 million on his deal and it expires at the end of the season.
The Oilers badly need to shake things up and these two moves may be just the start of things to come. Edmonton has gone from a team that was sitting at first in the Pacific Division to a team now in danger of finding themselves outside of the playoff picture.
Ovechkin to Face Suspension
Alex Ovechkin has one again decided to skip the All-Star Game this year. While he was voted as the captain of the Metropolitan Division, he told the media after a recent Washington Capitals’ game he’d be sitting out to focus on resting up for the second half of the season.
This is now the second time he’s done so as he skipped the All-Star Game last season in San Jose as well. He explained:
Thanks, first of all, fans for voting me. It’s a hard decision, but I have to listen to my body. I have to get ready for the second half of the year. I have to be healthy and focus on different things. It’s a hard decision, obviously, being the captain and missing the All-Star Game, but I have to do [what is] best for me and for my team.
Typically, skipping out means an automatic suspension from the league and it is likely he will face a similar consequence once again. He said of his upcoming suspension, “You don’t want to miss the game, but the rules are the rules.”
Related: The Worst Trades in NHL History
Ilya Mikheyev Out 3-4 Months
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev suffered a nasty injury on Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils when the skate of Jesper Bratt sliced his right wrist. Mikheyev was immediately transported the hospital for treatment and the news is not good.
Word has come down this morning from agent Dan Milstein and later confirmed by the Maple Leafs organization that Mikheyev not only suffered damage to the artery in his wrist, but also the tendons. He could be out the rest of the season, possibly longer.
The team will have to find a way to replace the production of a player on pace for nearly 50 points on the year and that won’t be easy to do considering he was a bargain at just $925K and on pace for about 50 points. Considering the team was already looking for a backup goalie, adding this to the list only complicates things for GM Kyle Dubas.
KHL Not an Option For Ilya Kovalchuk
Speaking of possible replacements, it was revealed that if Ilya Kovalchuk doesn’t land an NHL job, he may be in tough to play anywhere for the remainder of the season.Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko notes (Twitter link) that the deadline for him to sign in that league came and went today without a deal in place.
This now makes him ineligible to play there for the rest of the season. His deadline for the NHL is February 24th but it is assumed someone will come calling before then. We’ve already mentioned two teams in this rumor rundown alone that could potentially use his skill set.
Rangers to Start Selling Assets
Brett Cyrgalis recently speculated that New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton could stage another trade deadline sell-off considering how unlikely the playoffs are starting to appear for his club.
Already on the list is Lias Andersson who is rumored to be attracting little-to-no interest. Added to Andersson’s name will be Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast, Ryan Strome, and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev as possible trade chips.
The post NHL Rumors: Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Rangers, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Dec 27, 2019 01:30 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on extension talks between the Pittsburgh Penguins and a defenseman, plus other Penguins news. There is also debate about whether or not the Chicago Blackhawks should go shopping with the recent news of two major injuries. Finally, what do the Oilers make of Leon Draisaitl’s struggles?
Penguins to Start Extension Talks With Pettersson
Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford told Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they plan to start contract extension talks with Marcus Pettersson as early as possible.
We owe it to him to have that discussion at the earliest time we can have it. We both agreed to do a different contract that he ultimately took because it’s the only thing we could do with the cap situation. Now that we’ve moved Gudbranson, we’ve got some cap space.
What Rutherford is referring to is the compromise Pettersson took to stay with the Penguins in a sticky cap situation. He was intent on getting a multi-year deal but the Penguins couldn’t afford it last summer. With Erik Gudbranson and his $4 million salary through 2020-21 off the books, the Penguins now have some financial flexibility to get a longer-term deal signed.
The expectation is that he should get over $2 million per season and be signed longer-term.
In other Penguins news, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now writes that ahead of the trade deadline the Penguins could use a shooting winger that can score. They have scouted Ottawa Senators frequently and potential Senators’ options could be Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Vladislav Namestnikov.
Kingerski also wonders if the Florida Panthers might might UFAs Mike Hoffman and Evgeni Dadonov available. If so, would the Panthers be interested in Nick Bjugstad again?
Blackhawks to Go Shopping?
We wrote yesterday that there were some questions about whether or not the Chicago Blackhawks might consider replacing Calvin de Haan or Brent Seabrook now that they’ve been lost for the season. We’re not the only ones to wonder as much.
Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune speculates Bowman might sit tight. He explains that even though the Blackhawks have nearly $13 million in cap space thanks to injuries, this is not the time. He writes:
But with the Hawks near the bottom of the Western Conference standings and not flush with prospects as trade bait, general manager Stan Bowman might pass on the opportunity. He has a little less than two months before the Feb. 24 trade deadline to decide if he will try to acquire veterans for a playoff push.
Scott Powers of The Athletic doesn’t believe the Blackhawks could really go shopping even if they wanted to. They’re not about to give up Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist and Ian Mitchell and there’s not much else of value a team would want. He notes:
The Blackhawks would be wise to hold onto their first-round pick in case they find themselves in the lottery again. They’re tied for the league’s sixth-worst record currently. They don’t have a second-round pick. Their AHL roster has some players like Philipp Kurashev and Nicolas Beaudin who could be potential NHL contributors, but there aren’t any guarantees right now. A league source said he thought the Rockford IceHogs’ roster consisted mostly of players whose upsides were fourth-line forwards and third-pairing defensemen.
Draisaitl Struggling For Oilers
Leon Draisaitl is a fantastic hockey player and despite scoring 11 points in his last 12 games, he’s bleeding goals against. During five-on-five play he’s getting creamed and the Oilers are looking for a way to improve those numbers.
Expect the Oilers to try and roster their lineup in a way to break him out of this slump. This is a guy who said he’d modeled his game after Anze Kopitar and wanted to win a Selke Trophy. He’s anything but a candidate for that right now.
The Oilers take on the Calgary Flames in a battle of Alberta Friday and he’ll be a player to watch.
The post NHL Rumors: Penguins, Blackhawks, Oilers, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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