NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 07/22/2020

July 22, 2020

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

07/22/2020 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Jul 21, 2020 01:05 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is talks that Taylor Hall and the Arizona Coyotes are open to talking an extension and have sat down together, even if formal offers haven’t come. There is talk in Montreal about their recent signee Alexander Romanov making his way to North America, and there’s good news on recent COVID-19 testing done by the NHL.

Hall to Talk With Coyotes About Extension

The Arizona Coyotes and Taylor Hall have re-engaged in contract talks, according to Craig Custance of The Athletic, but these won’t be the typical type of negotiations that take place between player agent and GM. Custance notes that Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez is “running point” on the negotiations and not general manager John Chayka.

Even more interesting, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Chayka was not even present at a recent meeting and writes:

Further to this, word is there was a dinner meeting last week between Hall, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, son Alex Jr and new COO Xavier Gutierrez. Chayka was not present. Team has declined comment.

As for Hall’s plans, Ferris would not comment on the meeting itself, or if any offers were made.

The expectation is that bot sides will wait until the end of the season to begin any real negotiations or talk money, as was told to Friedman. It would be a surprising development if Hall signed before the end of the season or got a better read on the market for his services, that is, unless, the Coyotes are planning to offer him as much or more than he’ll make shopping around.

Is Hall a $9-to-$10 million player? It’s really hard to answer that question right now.

Canadiens Will Miss Romanov During Phase 3

According to Dan Milstein, Montreal Canadiens recent signee Alexander Romanov is on his way to North America. With that news, it’s being reported that Romanov will not get a chance to take part in Montreal’s Phase 3 camp, as he will report directly to Toronto and find himself in quarantine there before joining the rest of his new team.

Part of the reason the Canadiens signed Romanov, and accepted the fact that he will burn the first season of his entry-level contract without playing for the team this season, was because it would allow him to get acclimated to teammates and the organization. That is still the plan even though it might take a little longer than the team would have hoped.

NHL To Tape Delay the Playoff Broadcasts

With an empty arena and no crowd to drown out the on-ice chatter, there’s a good chance the cameras will pick up everything the coaches and players say. As a result, hockey insider John Shannon reports that he’s hearing that the World Feed broadcast will be on a five-second delay in case of ‘language.’

Probably not a bad idea, even though there would be a certain contingent of fans that would love to watch NHL games raw and unfiltered.

Two More Positive COVID-19 Tests

An update came on Monday regarding the latest testing numbers for COVID-19 and the news was fairly encouraging. The NHL Public Relations department relayed a statement from the NHL:

“The NHL concluded the first five days (July 13-17) of Phase 3 (formal training camp) of its Return to Play with two positive test results for COVID-19 among the 2,618 tests administered to more than 800 players. Both Players who tested positive have self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada protocols. During Phase 3, the NHL will continue to provide regular updates on the number of tests administered to Players and the results of those tests. The League will not be providing information on the identity of the Players or Clubs.”

TSN’s Ryan Rishaug notes that NHL players need three negative tests spaced 48 hours apart in the 7 days prior to travel to Canada. If not, “they won’t hit that mark. Some players could be left behind until cleared.”

So, as the NHL tries to get its ducks in a row and the expectation is that some players or staff will test positive, the news could be much worse. Don’t think so? KHL Avangard Omsk has confirmed that they themselves have 20 active COVID-19 cases.

By Jim Parsons on Jul 20, 2020 12:35 pm

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Pittsburgh Penguins are getting some players back, while the Avalanche may have lost a key piece. The Edmonton Oilers have a young defenseman who looks strong, while the Toronto Maple Leafs may have to make sacrifices on their blue line. Finally, there is news out of Dallas and Chicago.

Penguins Getting Players Back

The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially announced that the nine players held out to start training camp have been cleared and will re-join the team. The Penguins were hit hard by missing players to start camp and recently lost Sidney Crosby during a practice.

Unfortunately, the team did not have Crosby at practice again today when they held a full team scrimmage and there’s still no word on what the problem is.

Koekkoek Not Sure Where He Sits With Blackhawks

NHL.com’s Brandon Cain reports that there has been no discussion between the Chicago Blackhawks and restricted free agent Slater Koekkoek as it pertains to a new deal. While it’s not surprising to see deals waiting until the season ends, the defenseman said he wasn’t even sure if his agent has even had a conversation with general manager Stan Bowman.

Koekkoek said he isn’t looking to leave and noted, “I would obviously love to re-sign here in Chicago.” He just isn’t sure where he sits and if that’s happening based on the salary cap situation.

Stars Uncertain About Khudobin

Dallas Stars backup goaltender Anton Khudobin has made it clear, he’d like to remain with the Stars next season. That said, according to Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks, there are complications to getting a new deal done.

His NHL leading .930 save percentage would likely prompt a raise but he isn’t eligible to performance bonuses on his next contract since he’s 34 years old. He could potentially ask for more than one year on his next deal but the Stars have top goaltending prospect Jake Oettinger ready to backup to Ben Bishop (likely in 2021-22).

Avs Lose Makar

The Colorado Avalanche were without Calder Trophy nominee Cale Makar after he unexpectedly left scrimmage, according to NHL.com’s Rick Sadowski. No word on why he left practice but he was replaced on the special teams skills drills and first power-play unit work he missed by Samuel Girard.

Lightning Get Stamkos Back

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos was back on the ice for a full practice for a second straight day this past week. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that it’s a good sign for the Lightning as it suggests he should be deemed healthy and ready to go for the upcoming tournament.

Broberg Making Noise At Oilers Camp

Apparently, Edmonton Oilers prospect defenseman Philip Broberg is playing well and making some noise at Oilers camp. He has shined with some highlight reel end-to-end runs that resulted in goals during Saturday’s team scrimmage.

The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes expects that Broberg will be on the Oilers final playoff roster and writes:

So don’t be at all surprised if Philip Broberg cracks the post-season roster. In fact…expect it. He shoots left so one of Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse or Kris Russell would have to go down for Broberg to have a shot. And I’d think a now-healthy Caleb Jones would be tiered above him as well. But history teaches hard lessons to teams who carry fewer than 10 usable D-men with them into the playoffs. Just ask Oilers Assistant Coach Jim Playfair.

srouce – ‘A lesson hard-learned by the Flames may be why Philip Broberg stays in the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup bubble: 9 Things’ – Kirt Leavins – Edmonton Journal – 07/19/2020

Maple Leafs Could Go Cheap on Defense

According to James Mirtle of The Athletic, he believes the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t move a core player for blueline help and could go cheap on defense for next season because of their lower cap space. They may look for inexpensive contracts like pending UFA veteran Chris Tanev out of Vancouver.

Mirtle was asked if the team can get a decent return if they trade Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, or Alex Kerfoot or if it’ll be a salary dump and he responded he thought the Leafs could get a player or prospect for Kapanen, but injuries and so-so-seasons for Johnsson and Kerfoot will affect their value. Mirtle writes:

One of these three probably has to go to make the cap math work, but with Johnsson especially, it certainly feels like selling low. If that’s the biggest blow the Leafs are dealt from a pandemic that decimates league revenue, however, you can live with it.

source – ‘Mirtle Mailbag: Fixing the Leafs cap crunch, the D question and NHL contraction’ – James Mirtle – The Athletic – 07/17/2020

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