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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 06/22/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
06/22/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Jun 21, 2019 10:58 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is a ton of speculation heading into tonight’s NHL Entry Draft including buzz surrounding the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and others.
Blackhawks Willing to Trade No. 3?
Neal McHale reports that Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said during a conference call said that they would consider trading their No. 3 overall draft pick if they were to receive a really appealing offer. This represents the highest ranking draft choice on the table so far in the rumor mill.
Bowman told Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Washington that it’s unlikely that they will be trading the pick. They’re certainly open to listening for offers but no one has made one worth considering just yet.
Avs Putting Tyson Barrie in Play?
Darren Dreger on TSN 690 regarding the Colorado Avalanche: “If they draft Byram like many believe they will 4th overall, does that open the door for a pretty significant trade, Tyson Barrie’s name has been out there, could Montreal get in that discussion?”
With his late night Thursday scrounging in Vancouver Dreger added that the Barrie trade consideration seems to have amplified since earlier in the day. Also some rumblings about Avs forward Carl Soderberg.
The Canucks were rumored to be interested in shaking up their blue line so it shouldn’t come as a surprise they would be in the conversations here.
AJ Haefele added that his sources were also saying Barrie is in play this weekend.
Blue Jackets to Make a Move
The Columbus Blue Jackets only have two selections in the entire draft. This is not acceptable to GM Jarmo Kekalainen who mortgaged the draft at a playoff run this past season.
He told reporters, including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link), that the team has held trade talks that would see them move into the first round. While he’s not sure they’ll get into the first round, he’s confident they’ll make a trade or two in the coming days.
Teams Swapping Picks?
Elliotte Friedman said on Sportsnet that he’s heard the Vancouver Canucks (No. 10) may be looking to swap picks and have talked to the Detroit Red Wings at No. 6 and Buffalo Sabres at No. 7. The Canucks are being very active.
There was also speculation on Sportsnet 650 that the Canucks could be interested in moving up ahead of the Edmonton Oilers so they can draft Phillip Broberg. It is believed Broberg is the player the Oilers have their eyes on at No. 8.
Panthers Chances of Moving No. 13
Jameson Olive reports that Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon said of the potential that they trade the No. 13 pick: ‘We have a line in the sand.”
He added, “At 13, if all those players are gone, then we’ve already talked to teams about who’s willing to move up, who’s willing to move back, and what the get is and what the cost is. That’s part of the fun.”
Related: Ducks Buy Out Corey Perry’s Contract
Ducks Looking for a Center
GM Bob Murray told reporters, including Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register, that they’re looking to add a center with their top pick.
Veteran Ryan Getzlaf is 34 and Adam Henrique is treated more like a third line player there. They need someone now and for the future in a key role.
The post NHL Rumors: Draft Day Rumors, Blackhawks, Avs, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 20, 2019 09:45 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown there are updates on some of yesterday’s rumor hits including more on Jesse Puljujarvi, Alex Edler, Mikkel Boedker and more.
Puljujarvi Willing to Play in Europe
Puljujarvi’s agent Markus Lehto told reporters, including Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, that if the winger is not traded out of Edmonton, he will play overseas next season. Meanwhile, GM Ken Holland has responded, to Bob_Stauffer on Oilers Now radio, “I’m not trading anybody because they want to be traded. But if we can find something that works for everybody, I’ll look at it. If not, I’m not doing anything.”
It appears things between the Oilers and Puljujarvi have gotten messy in a hurry but Holland isn’t going to just trade the player to get him out of his hair.
According to Lehto, multiple teams have already shown interest while Spector adds that Jokerit (KHL) or Karpat (SM-liiga) would be preferred landing spots.
Ryan Rishaug of TSN tweeted the Oilers are looking for a third-line NHL forward in exchange for Puljujarvi, and if they can’t get one they might just hold tight.
Alex Edler Deal Done?
According to Iain MacIntyre, while the Vancouver Canucks are not planning on making an Edler announcement tonight because a deal is not finalized yet, it is expected the team will announce on Friday at the draft that they have extended the defenseman.
Based on a report by Elliotte Friedman, Edler’s deal could end up being for four years. The key to this deal was being able to get the expansion draft looped issue solved.
Jason Brough reported prior to the appearance of an Edler deal, that if the Canucks didn’t bring him back, they might have tried to sign both of Jake Gardiner and Tyler Myers. His belief was that the team wanted to make a significant change to their blue line.
Still with Vancouver, Nick Kypreos says it doesn’t sound like the Canucks and Brock Boeser will be doing a max term deal. Boeser’s deal could be for four or five years at around $7 million a season.
Finally, the Canucks are looking to move if a report by Matthew Sekeres is accurate. The speculated ask in return is about what the San Jose Sharks got when they traded Justin Braun (a 2nd and 3rd round pick).
Senators in the News
The Ottawa Senators are hoping to trade winger Mikkel Boedker, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He adds there is mild interest from some teams.
The idea behind moving Boedker isn’t due to a lack of production but more the 29-year-old isn’t as useful in the middle of Ottawa’s rebuild as he would be elsewhere. The Senators figure they can pick up some younger assets that will be more beneficial longterm.
Garrioch writes:
The club would also like to move veteran winger Mikkel Boedker, who has one year with a cap hit of $4 million left on his contract and $3 million in salary, and there is mild interest from a couple of teams.
Garrioch also writes that the Senators would like to keep the door open to moving up in the draft and that more discussions are planned with agent J.P. Barry in regards to a Cody Ceci extension. Finally, there’s a strong possibility that defenceman Ben Harpur could be moved.
The post NHL Rumors: Senators, Oilers, Canucks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 19, 2019 01:58 pm
In today’s second installment of the NHL rumor rundown, there are updates on a few names circulating the rumor mill including Patrick Marleau, the recently bought out Corey Perry, Joe Pavelski, and news on the Minnesota Wild.
Marleau Wants to be Trade Back to San Jose
It’s no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs need to clear salary cap space. While rumors surround Nikita Zaitsev who has asked to be moved, another name in the mill is Patrick Marleau who is aware he’s a possible trade target. As such, he’s asked to be moved back to San Jose.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos broke the news during a Tuesday appearance on “Prime Time Sports” on Sportsnet 590 in Toronto. Kypreos said:
“So right now, my understanding is San Jose’s not sure yet. [Sharks general manager] Doug Wilson’s in a position to say, ‘Yeah, maybe I’m interested, but not certainly at the price of the last year of the contract.’ So, I would probably believe that a third team would need to get involved, a team that needs to get to the [salary] floor. The Leafs would have to entice that team to take [Marleau’s] contract, and have to give up something. And then if [the third team] were to buy out Marleau, then San Jose could come in and sign him at a number that they’re satisfied with.”
This isn’t just a complicated trade, it’s a hard one. Marleau has a full no-movement clause, and can veto any potential trade, meaning it’s San Jose or Toronto.
San Jose moved Justin Braun to clear up cap space so they aren’t likely eager to add a ton of additional salary. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs aren’t likely to want to retain 50% of Marleau’s contract to make it easier for San Jose.
Related: Ducks Buy Out Corey Perry’s Contract
Wild Open to Trade Offers
Jessi Pierce of NHL.com is reporting that Minnesota Wild GM Paul Fenton said they are open to “any and all” trade offers.
There has been plenty of buzz surrounding Jason Zucker and perhaps this declaration is just a reminder for GM’s but Fenton said, “I’m very happy with our goaltending and our defense. But I think if something became available where I could move something to get something that would improve us in an area, then I definitely would consider it.”
It sounds like the Wild are not going to be big players on July 1 but they are actively trying to use the trade market to improve their team.
Sharks and Pavelski Update
Craig Custance has updated the situation in San Jose when it comes to the Sharks and Joe Pavelski. Custance said, as of yesterday he’d been told that the re-signing of Erik Karlsson didn’t close the door on a Pavelski re-signing.
While there’s still a real concern as to how the team will fit him in salary-wise, contract talks between the sides have been ‘cordial.’
Kevin Kurz suggests not to assume that the Justin Braun trade means a Pavelski deal is forthcoming. He doesn’t believe the two sides are close to any kind of deal and it’s not at all a slam dunk.
Related: Sharks Trade Justin Braun to Flyers
Corey Perry Headed to…
After Corey Perry was bought out on Wednesday, immediately media and fans started speculating as to where he’d end up. So far, there’s been no real updates on that situation.
Most of chatter is about what he’d take to sign a new deal somewhere and the wonder is how low he’d be willing to go to prove he’s still got something in the tank or if he’d want to sign a better deal with a team that might not be a contender.
The post NHL Rumors: Sharks, Wild, Maple Leafs, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jun 19, 2019 11:33 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, GM’s are two days away from the NHL Entry Draft and things are really starting to heat up. One GM said he’s never seen this much conversation in his entire tenure running a team.
Among the teams in the NHL rumor mill, the Canucks, Senators, Penguins and Jets are receiving most of the attention.
Trade Talk is Happening at Record Pace
Craig Custance noted from a conversation with San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson: “There’s been more conversation and communication between GMs in the last month than maybe ever since I’ve been a GM.”
This is great news if you’re a fan of trades and action in the NHL. With teams worried about a lower-than-expected salary cap, trying to clear room to make moves over the next two weeks and more, expect this to be a busy time.
Some of the Calls are Coming From Canucks
Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that teams have been calling the Toronto Maple Leafs about defenseman Nikita Zaitsev. The Oilers were discussed as one team, but that appears to be an inaccurate report. The Vancouver Canucks are, however, among the teams.
Tyler Myers is another defenseman on the Canucks are interested in and in the right deal, the team may be convinced to move their first-round pick – 10th overall.
This means that the Canucks will be a team that fans should watch over the next two days.
Winnipeg Jets Have More Going On
The Winnipeg Jets already moved Kevin Hayes to Philadelphia and Hayes signed with the Flyers. They moved Jacob Trouba to New York and it is believed the Rangers will work with Trouba to get a deal done. The Jets are moving pieces and they aren’t done.
It is believed that the Winnipeg Jets had been offering forward Nikolaj Ehlers to the Carolina Hurricanes for a right-handed defenseman. That could be Dougie Hamilton.
The Jets are also looking to move the final two years of Mathieu Perreault‘s contract.
Penguins Not Trying to Trade Their Top Players
There was so much buzz around Phil Kessel as the season wound down and it was considered almost a given to see him traded that it’s odd to hear now that he might not be. Some thought that update was posturing on the part of the Penguins to get Kessel to waive his no-trade to go to Minnesota, but there are more reports suggesting he’s not going anywhere.
NHL.com reports that Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford was on 93.7 The Fan radio yesterday talking about the plans for Kessel. Saying that he won’t allow Kessel to control the optics of any trade, “at this point in time I view it that Phil will return with the team. I’m not actively pushing to trade him at this point.”
He did say that if someone comes along and offers a deal that makes sense, they will, of course, look at it.
Rutherford also said that he’s not looking, pushing, or feeling that he has to trade the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, and/or Kris Letang. When those names were brought up, Rutherford mentioned that he never said he was actively trying to trade any of those guys. He also said anyone can get traded so it’s not as though he won’t consider it.
Senators Trying to Move Cody Ceci
Both Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet and Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen note that discussions are ongoing in respect to extending Cody Ceci in Ottawa, but Warren also reports that Dorion is “seriously exploring the trade market.”
Scanlan writes that of interest to the Senators would be moving up in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft. They hold picks 19, 32 and 44, but believe they could move up significantly in the right deal.
The post NHL Rumors: Canucks, Penguins, Jets, Senators, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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