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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 05/08/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
05/08/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on May 07, 2019 03:51 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is some buzz to the Evgeni Malkin trade rumors and one team interested might be the Florida Panthers. Still with the Penguins, there is talk of trading Olli Maatta and Phil Kessel, there is speculation as to whom Ken Holland will hire as the next Oilers head coach and the murmurs that Mike Babcock could have joined Holland in Edmonton are now being silenced.
Penguins and Panthers Talking?
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now says that any speculation of Evgeni Malkin being traded is true. Malkin does hold a no-movement clause but the franchise is considering their options. Some sources are saying the Florida Panthers are one of the teams that are interested.
The Panthers have been in a number of rumors when it comes to making a big splash over the summer. Names included in the buzz have been Artemi Panarin and if the Panthers could lure Malkin and add Panarin, that wouldn’t just be a splash but a cannonball sent to the rest of the league.
If the Penguins do decide to make a move, they will likely look for a high scoring forward, a first round pick, and a prospect in return. The conversation would probably have to start with Panthers 25-year old winger Jonathan Huberdeau. Prospects might include defenseman Max Gildon and forward Aleksi Heponiemi.
Elliotte Friedman knows that Malkin could be traded, but also believes the noise surrounding a trade is meant to send a message to Malkin to improve on his season or know he could be moved.
Still With the Penguins
Sticking with Pittsburgh, Dan Kingerski writes: Friedman reported what Pittsburgh Hockey Now mentioned earlier in the season that the Penguins had tried to trade defenseman Olli Maatta.
Kingerski mentions that the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings trades that took place with the Penguins during the season, at one time, included Maatta. Ultimately, the trades never happened that way.
Friedman also believes Phil Kessel will be traded before the start of next season and that the Penguins will make some bold moves.
Coach of the Edmonton Oilers
Ken Holland said during his introduction to the Edmonton media on Tuesday that his top priority is to find a new head coach. He informed Ken Hitchcock that Hitch would not be back and that this seemed like the best time for a change behind the bench.
Holland wants to find a coach that will be with the team long-term. Someone that will dig in and grind it out with the organization for the long haul. One of the favorites might be Todd Nelson. Dave Tippet is also considered a front-runner but Holland is not going to be afraid to hire a new or relatively fresh NHL coach.
Nelson spent time previously with the Oilers and was hired by Holland to coach in Grand Rapids.
There was some speculation prior to yesterday that Mike Babcock might come over with Holland until Kyle Dubas said to TSN’s Bob McKenzie that Babcock would be back next season as the Maple Leafs head coach.
Holland also mentioned that he would love Keith Gretzky to stay with the organization but has not had a conversation yet with Gretzky. It is assumed Gretzky will stay, but his role is unclear.
There was no mention by Holland (and he wasn’t asked) about who might be coming over with him from the Red Wings organization.
The post NHL Rumors: Penguins, Panthers, Oilers, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 06, 2019 01:03 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are updates on the Montreal Canadiens and their search for some goaltending help, the Edmonton Oilers have landed their man, and there is plenty of speculation surrounding P.K. Subban and Evgeni Malkin.
Montreal Canadiens Looking for Reliable Backup
Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports that Montreal Canadiens backup goaltender Antti Niemi has already been informed he won’t be back next season with the team. He’ll need to find a spot and the Canadiens will need to find a backup to fill that void he leaves behind.
Some will argue the Canadiens can use Charlie Lindgren who is signed for one more year on a one-way deal, but Engels suggests he needs to have competition in camp and a challenge to earn the spot.
Engels also suggests that potential candidates on the free agent market include Cam Talbot, Brian Elliott, Curtis McElhinney, Anders Nilsson, Keith Kinkaid, and Michael Hutchinson.
It is expected the Flyers will try to re-sign Talbot so it’s more likely he comes off this list.
Oilers Will Announce Ken Holland as Next GM
Ryan Rishaug of TSN posted on Twitter that he’d heard Ken Holland had accepted the job as the next GM of the Edmonton Oilers.
Holland had some concerns about the challenges he’d be facing working in the market and TSN’s Gord Miller wrote:
“When the Oilers circled back with an offer this week, Ken Holland called friends in the game to get their thoughts. One of them warned him about the poisonous atmosphere around the team. “You’ll get killed on social media,” he warned. “I’m not on social media,” Holland replied.
It is assumed that the Oilers went with Holland because of his experience and felt that, as good as some of the interviews were, putting a non-experienced GM in this position just wasn’t the right move.
Evgeni Malkin Out to Prove a Point
In a tweet posted by Igor Orenko, he wrote that Evgeni Malkin thinks he has something to prove after a poor season in Pittsburgh. Saying that he’s heard trade rumors before and that they don’t make him nervous, he is going to use his time in Russia to prove he’s good.
“I had a bad season and I’m going to get me out of the pit. Sometimes criticism is justified. This time it’s probably justified,” Malkin said.
One of the trade rumors that came up was a swap between Pittsburgh and Nashville which would see P.K. Subban head to the Penguins with Malkin coming to the Predators.
Predators and Flyers Deal?
Speaking of P.K. Subban, there is also some talk out of Philadelphia that the Flyers should look at Subban if he is truly available. The centerpieces of the speculated trade would be Subban and Jakub Voracek.
Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggests the Flyers could use a player of Subban’s talents on their right side and line up nicely with Ivan Provorov.
The Flyers and Preds have a trade history as do the two GM’s, but this doesn’t mean a deal would be more likely here than anywhere else. Carchidi writes:
Just because Subban fits all the boxes, however, doesn’t mean it will be easy for Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher to bring him to Philadelphia. If Subban is shopped, and Nashville is expected to deal one of its defensemen for a much-needed scorer, there will be other interested teams.
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The post NHL Rumors: Canadiens, Oilers, Penguins, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 05, 2019 01:05 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, it appears Ken Holland will be accepting the role of General Manager for the Edmonton Oilers, there is buzz that a certain Washington Capitals forward won’t be back, the Buffalo Sabres may have signed a Finnish prospect and there is no truth to some interesting rumors out of Colorado.
Holland to Accept Oilers GM Job
It’s not official and the team hasn’t announced the deal yet but reports out of Edmonton seem to indicate that Ken Holland has accepted the job as GM of the Oilers. The deal will be five years and $25 million. If Holland accepts, either Sunday or Monday, Dave Tippett would become the lead candidate for the team’s head coaching job.
From the sounds of things, Holland will fill the Red Wings organization and the Illitch family in on his decision. Tyler Wright is expected to join Holland on the amateur scouting side.
Darren Dreger wrote of the reports:
The paperwork still has to get done. Provided all of that is managed today, expect the Oilers to introduce Holland as the new GM in the next few days. Holland will have autonomy and Nicholson could take on a bigger role as well.
It is unclear what Dreger meant by Nicholson taking on a bigger role as well. Is this suggesting he’ll be more involved in the hockey side of negotiations, deals and day-to-day operations? Or, will he move to another position within the organization? There’s not too many places he can go higher than the position he already holds.
Capitals Expected to Let Smith-Pelly Walk
One contract the Washington Capitals aren’t sure they’ll hang on to is that of unrestricted free agent Devante Smith-Pelly. Speculation is he will not be returning to Washington next season, according to NBC Sports J.J. Regan.
There was talk of the team wanting to retain key players in their Stanley Cup Championship run last season but Regan notes that things don’t sound like they were always all that smooth with Smith-Pelly’s camp. General manager Brian MacLellan said, “Internally we had a couple of issues we had to work through.”
Of the rumors Smith-Pelly was not in good condition coming out of the break last season, the player responded:
The summer was different for a lot of guys,” he said. “I mean, very short. Guys are hurt going into the summer so obviously you don’t have the same routine as you’ve had in years past to get ready. I guess that just affected me more than some other guys. You try to get your footing and stuff happens.”
Sabres Lands a Prospect Out of Finland
The Athletic’s John Vogl reports that a Finnish source (Twitter link) has stated that the Buffalo Sabres have come to a verbal agreement to sign Finnish prospect Arttu Ruotsalainen.
There was rumored interest by both sides a few days ago and it sounds like they’ve come to a mutual understanding. The entry-level deal would be signed after the World Championships.
Andrighetto Hasn’t Signed in KHL
Pierre LeBrun is reporting that despite speculation out of Russia that Colorado Avalanche forward Sven Andrighetto had signed a contract with the KHL, it is not true.
LeBrun admits there is interest from the KHL but he plans on waiting until after the season to make any decisions about next season. The Avs are still in the middle of a playoff run and it seems like strange timing to be signing deals with another league in the midst of such a run.
Listen to More On Ken Holland Rumors
Is this a mistake by the Oilers to rush to hire Holland? Is it a knee-jerk reaction to not getting Kelly McCrimmon or trying to avoid Seattle going after the former Red Wings GM?
The post NHL Rumors: Holland, Smith-Pelly, Avs, Sabres, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 04, 2019 01:21 pm
In today’s NHL rumors there is speculation about what the New York Islanders will do now that they’re out of the playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks have to make decisions on a couple of defensemen and what will happen in Edmonton if Ken Holland takes the job as GM?
What’s Next for New York Islanders
Emily Kaplan and Chris Peters of ESPN took a look at what the Islanders will do now and the keys to their offseason. First, they’ll have to decide whether or not they re-sign Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, and Brock Nelson.
For Eberle, term may make the difference between whether or not a deal gets done and some people are assuming he’ll be gone come free agency. Nelson will want a raise thanks to his consistent and increased production as their No. 1 center.
As for other players who will be looking for raises, goaltender Robin Lehner will want far more than the $1.5 million he made last year but there are whispers the Islanders might go after Sergei Bobrovsky which would see Lehner likely move on. If top prospect Ilya Sorokin comes to North America, it could also leave the Islanders goaltending situation wide open and the team could look to trade Thomas Greiss.
Some speculation is that maybe the organization becomes big players in free agency, taking runs at players like Artemi Panarin or Matt Duchene. Larry Brooks of the NY Post assumes this is because the team lacks “upper-echelon, high-octane offensive talent.” Brooks even asks if the Islanders might contemplate an offer sheet for Toronto Maple Leafs Mitch Marner?
Changes Coming in Vancouver
Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet 650 writes that Brian Burke believes the Vancouver Canucks and defensemen Chris Tanev and Alex Edler may part ways.
Burke said, of Tanev, “He has been a quality player on bad teams but I think it’s time to move on because of health issues.” Burke said he feels the same way about Edler who is a good guy but probably not the reliable player the Canucks need.
Irfaan Gaffar of Sportsnet wrote that the Canucks and Brock Boeser‘s camp have started contract extension talks.
What If Ken Holland Takes Oilers GM Offer?
It was reported Friday that the Edmonton Oilers formally offered Ken Holland the position of their next general manager. If he accepts to job, there is an expectation of massive change throughout the management team.
First, Holland would bring Tyler Wright with him to amateur scouting which could leave Keith Gretzky on the outs and Holland wants full autonomy to fire and hire who he wants. It would typically be assumed a new GM would have this power, but this was a sticking point for Holland so the expectation he has some big changes in mind.
Washington in No Rush to Re-sign Holtby and Backstrom
J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington suggests the Washington Capitals face tough decisions but as for Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom, aren’t in a rush to re-sign them. Each has a year left before becoming a free agent but at their age and the little money Washington can spend, the team will take their time negotiating.
Both players would like to stay but understands the business of hockey may make that easier said than done.
The post NHL Rumors: Islanders, Canucks, Maple Leafs, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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