NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 03/06/2020

March 06, 2020

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

 03/06/2020 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Mar 05, 2020 01:10 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are further updates on the Ottawa Senators firing of Jim Little, Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin shares a number of thoughts regarding the team, and the Florida Panthers might be looking to seriously shake up the team. Finally, Jason Spezza has no desire to retire and could Josh Anderson be traded before the season ends?

Update on Jim Little Firing

We reported yesterday that the Ottawa Senators decided to terminate CEO Jim Little after only two months on the job. They didn’t reveal a reason, it was simply noted he violated the team’s “conduct inconsistent with the core values” clause of his contract.

An update on that story comes from a press release Jim Little sent saying he was looking forward to helping the Senators but wanted to clarify that he had a personal disagreement with Sens owner Eugene Melynk over the phone and that as a strong-willed personality, used some very strong language which Melnyk didn’t appreciate. It was that reason, to his knowledge, he was released.

Bergevin Answers Questions About Canadiens

While at the GM meetings, Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin spoke with Elliotte Friedman and answered a number of questions about the team and their future.

Bergevin said he was “not even close” to moving defenseman Jeff Petry or forward Tomas Tatar. He doesn’t believe he’ll have trouble getting forward Max Domi re-signed to a contract, and when asked about possibly trading goaltender Carey Price, he said, “Never, never, never.”

Overall, when asked about how many changes he might make to the team in the offseason or through free agency, he said he’ll look but he actually likes the team despite their lack of success this season. He doesn’t believe they need a lot, they just need some tinkering and to play to the ability.

Panthers to Shake Things Up

Friedman also notes in his latest 31 Thoughts article that Florida Panthers’ owner Vinny Viola is extremely upset with the way things have gone this season and the money he’s going to likely lose with the Panthers not in a playoff spot. The belief is that a total-team shake-up is coming and that trading Vincent Trochek was just the start.

One player the team probably wishes they could have a do-ever on (speculation only here) is Sergei Bobrovsky. The goaltender has been terrible since signing a $10 million deal with the team.

Anderson to Get Traded Before the Summer?

There are some rumblings that Josh Anderson might be traded before the summertime. While the trade deadline is over, players can still get moved. They just can’t play. That’s not a concern for Anderson, whose injury will keep him out the rest of the season anyway.

But, there are teams that might want to get a leg up on acquiring the player. When Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was asked, he didn’t give details or confirm trade talks but did say, “We always consider all options. He’s got arbitration rights. He’s a great player, and we miss him. But we have to look at what’s best for the franchise.”

Spezza Wants to Keep Playing

Jason Spezza says he doesn’t believe these final few weeks of the NHL season will be it for him. He admits there have been no contract talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs about an extension, but he wants to play again next season.

He’s playing for the league minimum of $700K this season and it’s hard to imagine he’ll get much more than that, especially if he’s looking to stay with the Maple Leafs. Considering he’s got 25 points in 55 games while playing under 11 minutes a night, he’d could be a good addition for another team on the cheap if given a bigger role.

By Jim Parsons on Mar 04, 2020 01:59 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is speculation growing about what the Chicago Blackhawks will do with their goaltending situation, the NHL has released information on next season’s projected salary cap and defenseman Johnny Boychuk took a skate to the eye and there is an update on his condition. Finally, what led the Ottawa Senators to fire CEO Jim Little just months after he’d been hired?

Who Will Be the Blackhawks Goaltender?

Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Time writes that while the Chicago Blackhawks will finish the season with Corey Crawford and Malcolm Subban as their goalie tandem, this isn’t likely the tandem that will start next season for the team.

General manager Stan Bowman said his club will have a proven NHL goalie signed for next season, even if he wouldn’t or couldn’t clarify who he had his sights set on.

Bowman said:

“I wouldn’t say we’ve mapped out who it’s going to be. We have a lot of candidates, and we’ve got to make that choice between now and next season.”

source – ‘Blackhawks’ goalie tandem is Crawford-Subban for now, but outlook is murky] Ben Pope – Chicago Sun Times – 02/27/2020

Bowman deliberately discussed Corey Crawford’s UFA status as well as his injury history which hints that the Blackhawks are opening the door to the idea of not keeping him. He is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and ending the last of his current deal that pays him $6 million per season.

Salary Cap Could Jump by $7 Million

And, if the Blackhawks decide not to keep Crawford, they’ll have plenty of money to go sign a top-tier goaltender, as will other teams based on the information that came out today about the projected NHL salary cap increase for next season.

During the NHL GM’s meetings, it was told to GM’s that the cap could jump from the current $81.5 million to anywhere between $84 and $88.2 million for next season. That latter number is a huge bump that would help a lot of teams who are tight against the cap.

Keep in mind, as TSN’s Frank Seravalli points out, that this number is dependent on negotiations with NHLPA.

Daly also revealed that in CBA negotiations with the NHLPA there has been talk of creating a multi year salary cap number(s) in order to provide more stability and allow teams to better plan ahead….

Johnny Boychuk Ok

After a scary incident where defenseman Johnny Boychuk took a skate to the eye, New York Islanders fans and many in the NHL were waiting on word of Boychuk’s condition.

Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello provided an update on Wednesday and said, “Johnny Boychuk is ok. Fortunately the skate blade just got the eyelid. It took 90 stitches for a plastic surgeon to fix. But he’ll be fine.”

It sounds like Boychuck won’t actually miss that much time, it’s just a matter of the eye opening back up and his vision being good enough to play. That’s incredibly good news considering how serious that injury could have been.

Senators Fire Jim Little

Just two months after being hired, Jim Little has already been fired by the Ottawa Senators as the club’s CEO. The reason being given is that he violated the team’s “conduct inconsistent with the core values” clause of his contract.

There’s not been a detailed explanation given, only that Gary Bettman noted at the NHL GM’s meetings, “It’s not what you think.” He added, “I generally don’t comment on club personnel decisions. … It has to do more with internal operations.”

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