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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 05/06/2020
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
05/06/2020 edition:
By Jim Parsons on May 05, 2020 12:35 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is speculation as to what it might cost the Toronto Maple Leafs to retain Morgan Rielly, along with what else they might do on the blue line. In Detroit, there is speculation as to what type of free agents they’ll go for, and why are St. Louis Blues’s scribes starting to question Alex Pietrangelo returning to St. Louis?
How Expensive Will Morgan Rielly Be?
According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, it could cost the Toronto Maple Leafs big dollars to re-sign defenseman Morgan Rielly when his contract expires in 2022. Fox suggests a good comparison is the Arizona Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s eight-year, $66-million deal. He also notes that the Maple Leafs will be closely watching what happens between the Boston Bruins and blueliner Torey Krug.
Considering the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap, it might be wise for the Leafs to try and sign Rielly early if they can convince him the cap won’t bounce back by 2022. Free agents this year may have to take less money because of the drop in league revenue and it would be ideal for the Maple Leafs to get Rielly for less and hope salaries pop back up. If the revenues are up again by the time Rielly goes to re-sign, the Leafs won’t have saved anything.
More Help Coming on Maple Leafs Blue Line?
After signing Mikko Lehtonen, could the Leafs have more up their sleeve when it comes to addressing their blue line? Some have suggested the Leafs acquiring another LTIR contract to free up cap space to pursue St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Fox doesn’t see that happening but does note that acquiring a contract like Ryan Kesler’s could help in another way. He writes:
“Paying Ryan Kesler or Marian Hossa to not play hockey won’t help Toronto land Petro. Paying Kesler might, in theory, help Dubas acquire a Josh Manson plus a draft pick from Anaheim in exchange for Kasperi Kapanen.”
Could Red Wings Pitch for Big-Name Free Agent?
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press took a look at potential free-agent options on the Red Wings’ blue line and discussed possible interest in Pietrangelo. She admits the Blues captain may prefer staying for less in St. Louis or going somewhere more competitive than Detroit.
Other names mentioned include Toronto’s Tyson Barrie, Carolina’s Sami Vatanen, Tampa Bay’s Kevin Shattenkirk, and Calgary’s TJ Brodie.
St. James writes:
Yzerman will have money to spend — and other teams may find themselves budget-challenged, especially if the cap contracts. But he will still have to excel as a salesman to land one of the better free agents available, and will probably have to overpay. Selling free agents on the Wings was not an issue when he was a player (1983-2006) or worked in the front office (2006-2010), nor while general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning (2010-2018), where he led a successful team in a state without income tax.
Related: Do You Know Your Maple Leafs Trivia?
Vancouver Pitches to Host Games
Apparently, Edmonton isn’t the only western Canadian city interested in hosting games should the NHL resume this summer. Ryan Rishaug of TSN reports that Vancouver has also submitted a proposal.
At this point, there is nothing definitive about what the NHL plans to do, but what makes Vancouver an interesting option is how many buildings there are that could potentially host games. Already a hub for international travel, the options for NHL action includes Rogers Arena (Canucks’ home arena), Pacific Coliseum (Canucks’ former home arena), the University of British Columbia (UBC), Langley Events Centre (WHL Vancouver Giants home arena), Abbotsford Centre (Former AHL arena) and a number of BCHL rinks around the lower mainland (Langley, Surrey, Coquitlam, Chilliwack).
Blues Not Confident in a Pietrangelo Return?
Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Dispatch recently wrote that he’s surprised so many fans in St. Louis seemed confident Pietrangelo would be back. He asks, “But why does seemingly everyone in St. Louis seem so sure he’s staying?”
He adds:
The Blues captain and St. Louis sports icon is a free agent when this season is up — whenever this season is up. Or, frighteningly, perhaps there won’t be any more hockey in the 2019-20 season, and the next time the Blues lace ‘em up, it’ll be the 2020-21 season. There is so much uncertainty right now during this pandemic.
But at some point, presumably, in the coming months, the defenseman will have to make a decision. And there are uncertainties involving his decision, some which existed even before the pandemic. Namely, the Blues don’t have enough cap space to currently afford him.
The post NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Red Wings, Blues, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 04, 2020 10:35 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news out of St. Louis when it comes to the future of Alex Steen. In Vegas, it sounds like the Golden Knights might be leaning towards a move with defenseman Deryk Engelland. Could the Calgary Flames see major turnover this season and will the Edmonton Oilers buy out James Neal?
What Will Happen with Blues’ Steen?
Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that recent rumors suggest the St. Louis Blues will buy out veteran forward Alex Steen in an effort to create salary space for pending UFA Alex Pietrangelo. Timmermann isn’t buying it.
Instead, he believes it’s more likely that Steen, one of the most popular players on the team and a leader as well, will retire at the end of this season. If so, that saves the Blues from having to make the unpopular decision to buy him out, or worse yet, saving them from the decision not to do so because of their loyalty to the player.
Timmermann writes:
Everyone always wants to buy Steen out. The team loves him. The players love him. He’s a leader on and off the ice. For those reasons alone, it would be a very difficult thing for the team to do. A more likely scenario would be Steen retires after this season.
Questions Surround Deryk Engelland
With so many blueliners in the system, there are real questions surrounding the future of soon-to-be UFA defenseman and team leader Deryk Engelland. SinBin Vegas’ Ken Boehlke suggests his time with the team could be over soon.
Despite praising Engelland’s leadership and dedication to the franchise, Boehlke points out that under new head coach Peter DeBoer, Engelland hasn’t exactly gotten opportunities. He’s played in only five games since DeBoer took over and was a healthy scratch in the team’s last 12 games (17 of 18).
DeBoer said about scratching the veteran:
Tough situation, veteran guy, we had to scratch him some games here recently before the pause. The messaging to me was ‘I just want to be a part of this. When you need me, let me know, and I’ll be ready to go.’ You can’t have enough of that and that’s what makes groups like this special.”
But, that may not be enough for Engelland to keep his job.
Related: Top 10 Dirtiest NHL Players
Flames to See Huge Exodus of Players?
Scott Cruickshank of The Athletic recently took a look at which Calgary Flames players may leave the organization in the off-season. He noted all of T.J Brodie, Travis Hamonic, Derek Forbort, Erik Gustafsson, Michael Stone, Cam Talbot, Tobias Rieder, Zac Rinaldo, and Sam Bennett could be on their way out. All but Bennett are unrestricted free agents at season’s end.
Cruickshank suggested the Flames should try to hang onto one Brodie or Hamonic, as well as retain one of Forbort or Gustafsson. He writes:
Of the fivesome, Brodie is coming off the best year. He can play both sides and both special teams. He’s a smooth-skating puck-mover. Hamonic — whose price of acquisition had been steep (one first-rounder and two seconds) — boasts a heart-and-soul, shot-blocking style. Forbort is an owly crosscheck-planting old-schooler, while Gustafsson, slick along the offensive blue line, is a power play whiz. Stone, who’d been bought out and re-signed for the league minimum last summer, is a Calgary resident who can handle depth duty.
He also notes that Mark Jankowski is also close to a lock to not return.
Maple Leafs Sign KHL Star
According to an official announcement from the Maple Leafs organization, the team has signed former Kontinental Hockey League defenseman Mikko Lehtonen to a one year contract.
The contract will be a one-year entry-level deal. Arguably the best defenseman out of the KHL, this is a huge get for the organization during a time they need to re-shape their blue line and on the cheap.
Oilers Likely to Buy Out James Neal
When asked if the Oilers should use a compliance buyout on James Neal — should the NHL permit it this coming season — Mark Spector of Sportsnet suggested the team would be wise to take advantage. It would be best for the Oilers to get out from under that contract ($5.75 million per season over the next three years.)
In fact, The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis goes one step further and suggests the team consider buying out Neal even if compliance buyouts aren’t offered to teams. The over $1.9 million in dead cap space over the next six years, would be acceptable with the uncertainty facing every NHL team coming out of the pause.
He writes:
In a compliance buyout scenario that decision would be a no-brainer given his age, production and the length of his contract, but even under standard conditions there is an argument for it.”
The post NHL Rumors: Blues, Golden Knights, Flames, Oilers, Maple Leafs, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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