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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 07/06/2020
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
07/06/2020 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Jul 05, 2020 09:05 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on Bowman Byram joining the Colorado Avalanche for the playoffs, contract news out of Vancouver as it pertains to Nikita Tyramkin, and questions about whether free agents who aren’t in the play-ins will have a harder time getting contracts than free agents who aren’t sitting as long. Finally, will Jake DeBrusk find the chemistry that helps him get a good contract in the offseason?
Byram to Join Avalanche But Avs Need to Watch Contract
Colorado Avalanche prospect Bowen Byram hasn’t played a single game in the NHL yet but the Avalanche have him pegged to be part of their playoff roster, reports Postmedia’s Steve Ewen. As many other NHL teams bring in young prospects for the play-in rounds and playoffs, this could be an opportunity for Byram to see his first NHL action.
The 19-year old will join the Avs after a strong season with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, one in which he recorded 52 points in 50 games in. His regular role on Canada’s World Juniors team didn’t hurt his chances of NHL action either.
All that said, it doesn’t sound like he’s pegged for a regular role on the team just yet. His participation will likely come only in the event of an injury to another player.
Of note:
The website coloradohockeynow.com is reporting that Byram isn’t likely to play in these playoffs for the Avalanche unless there’s a flurry of injuries. He could get into nine games before the first year of his three-year entry level NHL contract would kick in.
Bruins Roster Juggling an Issue for DeBrusk?
The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont writes that head coach Bruce Cassidy is trying figure out who will play alongside David Krejci when the playoffs begin. An important role on the team’s second line is up for grabs and while Cassidy might see if there is chemistry with Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase, the gig could go to forward Jake Debrusk.
Debrusk on the second line would be best for his future contract aspirations. His stock could fall if he’s stuck on a third line as he hits restricted free agency.
Canucks Working on Tryamkin Deal
According to Todd Diamond — agent for Canucks RFA defenseman Nikita Tryamkin — during an appearance on TSN 1040, he said he expects to get a deal done for his client and Tryamkin will return to Vancouver for the 2020-21 season.
There will certainly be limitations to the kind of money the Canucks can offer considering the flat salary cap situation next season, so if a deal gets done, it will probably be somewhere in the neighbourhood of the $925K he received as part of his entry-level deal.
Diamond added that there have been no discussions between himself and the Canucks about Tryamkin’s rights being traded, even though there were questions about Tryamkin ever returning. He has been in the KHL with Yekaterinburg the last three seasons.
Free Agents Sitting Too Long?
TSN’s Frank Seravalli wonders if free agents who are sitting during the play-in rounds and playoffs will have a harder time getting contracts than free agents who are getting game action in. For players such as Buffalo’s Wayne Simmonds and Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki — two players in Seravalli’s Top 50 free agent list — neither will have played any NHL games for more than seven months.
Will that impact their future earnings?
Canadiens to Offer Sheet Vince Dunn?
Montreal Canadiens insider Arpon Basu was recently asked if the Montreal Canadiens might target defenseman Vince Dunn out of St. Louis with an offer sheet. After all, the Canadiens do have some history tendering offer sheets.
The cap strapped Blues might have an issue matching an offer sheet and Basu writes:
Rutherford addressed the possibility of a Dunn offer sheet in a mailbag last month, and honestly, the Blues would be in a very difficult position to match it if it were rich enough. Under the current compensation thresholds, the Canadiens could sign Dunn for $4.2 million a year and would only need to give up a second-round pick. There is no way the Blues are ready to pay Dunn that much since he is not even arbitration-eligible yet, but if the Canadiens consider him to be a player worth that money, that’s a risk that might be worth taking.
The post NHL Rumors: Canucks, Avalanche, Bruins, Blues, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By The Old Prof on Jul 04, 2020 02:35 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, we’ll look at how the lack of an amnesty clause impacts the Calgary Flames, look at the Buffalo Sabres hope for a draft choice, wonder if the hockey gods might be conspiring to help the Montreal Canadiens, and look at a key fourth-liner for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
No Amnesty for the Calgary Flames
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for many years in the NHL. That rumor was strengthened last week when it was suggested that the salary cap would remain flat at $81.5 million over the next two seasons. That decision leaves some teams in a pickle because general managers have recently been working under the assumption – which had been accurate – that the salary cap would continue to rise. As a result, even if they signed a player to a problematic contract, the rising salary cap would level off that bad choice.
Those days are over: but, is there relief? One possibility that had been discussed with the use of an amnesty buyout provision that would allow a team a one-time get-out-of-jail-free card that could erase a bad contract.
But, as TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted this week, that’s not going to happen.
The Calgary Flames have Milan Lucic who, as Todd Cordell of the Hockey Buzz notes, is signed to one of those contracts. Lucic has three years left on a deal worth $5.25 million per season. Although he was once worth every penny, these days the 32-year-old Lucic isn’t contributing to his team’s offense like before. During the 2019-20 season, Lucic’s first in Calgary, he scored only eight goals and 12 assists (20 points) in 68 games. That’s not much given the size of his contract.
The Flames owe Lucic three more years. He contributes as a bottom-six player, but $15.75 million over three seasons should bring with it more scoring production. And, Lucic’s hard-driving style means he’s probably sliding downhill further as the years go by.
Maybe he can impact a short postseason series where play is often more physical, but $5.25 million is a lot to pay for that possibility. And, for the Flames, there’ll be no amnesty from that fact.
Will the Buffalo Sabres Choose Marco Rossi in the 2020 NHL Draft?
The Buffalo Sabres’ luck might have been better. During the Draft Lottery, the Sabres slid down a spot and will choose in the eight spot. Still, it’s a deep draft and the Sabres should get a strong young player with that eighth pick.
The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski believes the team will go after star OHL center Marco Rossi because of his interesting tie to the team and to head coach Ralph Kreuger. Although the Sabres recently cleaned house, relieving much of their hockey operations staff and minor league coaches from their jobs, Kreuger remains on the job and will likely assume a major role in draft-day decisions.
If Kreuger weighs in, there’s speculation Rossi would be his preferred target if he were still on the board. (from “Sabres’ possible targets with the No. 8 pick in the NHL draft, The Buffalo News, 27/06/20).
For more than a decade, until he resigned in 2010, Kreuger coached the Swiss national team. Lysowski writes that he stays in contact with the programs that produced Rossi. In addition, Kreuger coached Rossi’s father Michael when he played in Austria during the early 1990’s. That makes the clever, play-making forward attractive to Buffalo with their eighth choice.
That is, if he’s still around.
Are the Hockey Gods Setting Up Alexis Lafreniere to the Canadiens
The hockey gods can be capricious, and who knows their plans? As ProHockeyRumors wondered, given what happened during the season and at the recent Draft Lottery, is something afoot? After the Draft Lottery, much to the dismay of most of the NHL, none of the poorer teams have the chance to choose Alexis Lafreniere as the first pick. Now, one of the 16 teams that don’t win the play-in round leading to the postseason will get that chance.
Here’s where the Montreal Canadiens come into play. Had the season concluded as it should have, there’s little chance the Habs would have made the postseason. Now, if they lose in the play-in round, they might get a chance to draw for the right to pick a generational talent in Lafreniere from Quebec.
The young Francophone and Quebec native is by far the best player on the board. If the Canadiens end up with him, does that prove the hockey gods were conspiring? The Canadiens should have been a player in the draft lottery anyway and are clearly the worst team of the qualifiers.
There was a time when the Canadiens, who have more Stanley Cups than any other franchise, had the right to choose the best French Canadian players in the draft regardless of draft order. If that happens this season, does it mean that the hockey gods want the good old days to return?
The Blue Jackets Activate Alexandre Texier for Series with the Maple Leafs
As reported by NHL.com, the Columbus Blue Jackets activated forward Alexandre Texier from Injured Reserve. The 20-year-old Texier, who was chosen 45th overall during the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, played 36 games for the Blue Jackets before his season was cut short in December with a lumbar stress fracture. He scored 13 points (6 goals and 7 assists) in those games.
Although Texier is “only” a fourth-line player, after making his NHL debut late last season he earned ice time during the Blue Jackets postseason. In his team’s hugely surprising sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning, he scored two goals in the 7-3 series clincher.
If head coach John Tortorella can lead his Blue Jackets to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season since he took over the bench, can fourth-liner Texier help him get there?
St. Louis Blues Shut Down Practice
As CBS Sports announced this morning, the St. Louis Blues canceled practices at their team facility due to “multiple” positive coronavirus tests. However, the team is reported not to see this as a huge setback, and practices are expected to resume on Monday.
The post NHL Rumors: Flames, Sabres, Canadiens, Blues, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Jul 03, 2020 12:13 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is speculation Taylor Hall might sign a deal similar to the one Marian Hossa did years ago, the New York Rangers have no idea which goaltender to start for the play-ins, and what is the plan for Tuukka Rask in Boston? Finally, how big a role will Kailer Yamamoto pay with the Edmonton Oilers this coming season?
Hall to Chase Stanley Cup?
TSN’s analyst Craig Button looked at a few of the big-name UFA’s for this summer, among them Torey Krug, Alex Pietrangelo, and Taylor Hall. Button says Pietrangelo will likely stay with the St. Louis Blues and Krug will stick with Boston. As for Hall, Button thinks Hall will wind up with the Colorado Avalanche.
Choosing to chase the Stanley Cup as Marian Hossa did in 2009 when he headed to the Detroit Red Wings and then with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, Hall may elect to go to a team with strong odds of winning. Go “Cup hunting” says Button who suggests Hall should sign a one-year deal.
Button also wonders if goaltender Robin Lehner will wind up back in Ottawa where he sees a good fit because of his history with the team and the Senators pipeline lacking good netminders.
Rangers Unsure of Who To Start in Net
The New York Rangers are set to meet the Carolina Hurricanes during the play-in portion of the NHL’s return-to-play postseason. That doesn’t mean they know which way to lean when it comes to their goaltending.
Between Igor Shesterkin, Alexandar Georgiev, and Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers have options but splitting the net between three capable goaltenders is not the greatest plan and could pose issues for head coach David Quinn, who couldn’t say who he’ll start when asked by reporters.
While speaking to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, Quinn explained:
“You can make a case for all three guys. There’s a lot of reasons to take Shesty, there’s a lot of reasons to start Hank, and there’s reasons to start Georgie. This is such an uncertain time that that will play out over the course of the two-and-a-half weeks that we’re going to have before we drop the puck.”
“Hank’s history factors in, Shesty’s season factors in, everything factors in. We’re going to consider everything when we make that decision. For every player, the time that we have between when we start practicing and the start of the games is going to be pivotal, but none more so than our goalies.”
What Will Rask Be Seeking on an Extension?
Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston recently pondered Tuukka Rask’s future with the Bruins and noted Rask can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. With that in mind, a flat salary cap will negotiations with Rask interesting.
Rumors have swirled about Rask’s possible retirement, but he set the record straight when he said, “I haven’t thought about retirement at all.” He added, “I know that this [offseason], I can start talking to the Bruins about a possible extension. When that day comes, we’ll see what happens.”
The Bruins have around $35 million currently invested in their 2021-22 payroll. How much of the $52 million and change Rask will need to take up is unclear but a two-year, $10-million deal ($5 million annually) might do the trick if Rask decides to stay.
Yamamoto to Get Extra Responsibility This Coming Season
Considering his value contract, his chemistry with Leon Draisaitl, and his potential future production, Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto might see increased responsibility this coming season with the team. Allan Mitchell of The Athletic writes:
Yamamoto made a major impression on his coach, team, management and fans. His even-strength performance was nothing short of brilliant. You can argue that a skill player placed in a similar position would deliver strong results, but the results with Yamamoto on the No. 2 line tower over those delivered by previous unproven candidates.
Yamamoto’s cap number for the season is $894,166, with $230,000 in bonuses, so the Oilers will probably be paying close to $1.1 million for him. He’s a lock for the Oilers top-six and makes squeezing in players next season under a flat salary cap much more manageable.
McKenzie Has More CBA Updates
As per Bob McKenzie of TSN:
NHL and NHLPA will be back at it today, trying to finalize the tentative agreement on Phase 3/4 RTP protocols, a CBA extension, transition rules and critical dates calendar. They’re trying to tie up remaining loose ends and finalize language, especially on the CBA MOU.
All dates are tentative and highly subject to change. If getting an agreement or ratifying drags on, changes can and will be made, but it’s my understanding these are target dates:
July 13: Training camps (Phase 3) open
July 26: Teams report to Hubs
Aug 1: Games begin (Phase 4)
The post NHL Rumors: Hall, Oilers, Rangers, Bruins, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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