NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 01/18/2019

January 18, 2019

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

01/18/2019 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Jan 18, 2019 01:20 pm

In today’s rumor rundown, the Ottawa Senators are talking with their free agents and while things aren’t there yet, there are signs that deals might get done. The Detroit Red Wings have a number of free agents that could fetch a decent return but the team may choose to re-sign them and the Carolina Hurricanes trade for Nino Niederreiter is likely not the only move this team makes in the next couple weeks. Finally, could William Nylander be traded in the offseason? One former Maple Leafs GM seems to think so.

Senators Met with Duchene

Darren Dreger reported that the Ottawa Senators have met with Matt Duchene‘s agent Pat Brisson and discussed “general parameters in term and the finances.” No deal is imminent but the two sides have agreed to continue talking. “The expectation is that Brisson and Dorion will reconnect next week,” Dreger said.

Matt Duchene #95, Ottawa Senators – (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Dreger said these discussions won’t likely lead to a deal this or next week but that Duchene will need to decide well“well in advance of the Feb. 25 trade deadline.” If that doesn’t happen, expect a trade to be worked out.

In respect to Mark Stone and Cody Ceci, the team is talking to their representation as well with an extension more likely for Stone and a trade more likely for Ceci.

Detroit Has a Number of Choices to Make

Our own Tony Wolak of The Hockey Writers outlined the situation in Detroit fairly well and Darren Dreger of TSN noted that the Red Wings have a number of decisions to make. Both Dreger and Ansar Khan of MLive note the Detroit Red Wings have a collection of pending unrestricted free agents that GM Ken Holland could move at the trade deadline. Instead, it sounds like the plan is to re-sign a couple of them.

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

A two-year extension might be offered to Howard, the Red Wings would like to re-sign d-man Nick Jensen and the ask for Gustav Nyquist is high which might mean extensions instead of lesser returns. Dreger said:

“Jimmy Howard of course, an experienced goaltender, and there is a few teams that use an upgrade in that department, likely to be available. Beyond that you look at Nyquist, you look at Glendening and then you look at the big hitting experience of Nik Kronwall on the back end. You could build the case that he could fit in the top four.”

If the Red Wings try to re-sign Nyquist, it may take a three- or four-year deal at over $5 million a season to get that deal done.

Hurricanes Aren’t Done Making Moves

When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Victor Rask, they made potentially the biggest move pre-trade deadline so far. If reports are accurate, Carolina isn’t done.

Carolina Hurricanes left wing Micheal Ferland (James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun stated that the Hurricanes are still looking to add to their roster and is searching for another top-six forward. The idea is to use their surplus of defensemen and defensive prospects to land that forward.

It makes the rumors surrounding Micheal Ferland even more baffling as he’s on pace to have a career season. This must mean that extension talks have gone south and Carolina feels they can get a forward as productive but for a much cheaper price. Niederreiter may be the first sign a Ferland deal is close to happening.

“Now Dougie Hamilton‘s name is out there a lot, but the reality is whether it’s Brett Pesce or Justin Faulk, any right hand shooting defenceman who’s not named Jaccob Slavin is available for the right price if the Carolina Hurricanes can pick up an offensive forward.”

William Nylander to be Moved?

Former Toronto GM Brian Burke is among those who believe the Maple Leafs might jettison William Nylander as soon as possible. Burke said on Sportsnet that the front-loaded nature of Nylander’s contract should allow the team to move him this off-season.

Toronto Maple Leafs centre William Nylander (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)

Burke suggests that almost $7 million per season is too much to pay for a “surplus player” and that they Leafs have other needs that require addressing. There has been no comment from Kyle Dubas and there was a promise to Nylander that he wouldn’t be traded, but Dubas also said he wasn’t going to look to the rental market this season and that appears to have been an incorrect statement.

Listen to the Newest Episode of The Hockey Writers Podcast

By Jim Parsons on Jan 17, 2019 12:30 pm

In today’s rumor rundown, things have slowed on the Wayne Simmonds front while talk in Toronto has picked up, especially if discussing who might be available in trade from the Maple Leafs side of the equation. The Edmonton Oilers are in on a New York Ranger and are one of a few teams asking about Micheal Ferland.

Simmonds Talk Cools a Touch

While the likelihood is that Wayne Simmonds is still traded out of Philadelphia before the trade deadline, Elliotte Friedman said of his status:

“I think one of the things that happened overall though is that there’s so many players on the market. We are seeing a situation where more teams than in recent memory have said, ‘We’re giving up on this year, so we’re making players available.’ I think that’s flooded the market and made it a buyer’s market. But I do think teams like Simmonds.

(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

That means the talk has cooled just a touch and with a speculated high asking price, it makes sense as to why. If the market is perfect for buyers and the Flyers are asking too much, GM’s should step back just a touch to let the Flyers know their price needs to come down. It’s possible Philadelphia doesn’t drop the ask as Shawn Hutcheon writes “Darren Dreger said that the Flyers are “not fully committed to trading Wayne Simmonds yet.”

Make no mistake, teams are still very much interested in acquiring this player. Among them are Toronto, Nashville, and Montreal.

Oilers are in on Mats Zuccarello

Elliotte Friedman writes in his latest 31 Thoughts article:

With their horse, Oscar Klefbom, getting closer to a return, the Oilers are looking everywhere for forward help. They would prefer to avoid giving up a major young piece for a rental. Sounds like they’ve checked into the recently resurgent Mats Zuccarello who had three assists in the Rangers’ 6-2 win over Carolina on Tuesday. Last season, the Rangers dealt Michael Grabner for a prospect and a second-rounder; that’s probably where they’d like to go with Norway’s Finest.

Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers, Mar. 22, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Zuccarello has been the subject of trade rumors all season but struggled in New York until recently. After publicly stating that the talk surrounding him staying or going was starting to bug him, he began to produce more. In Edmonton, he’s a top-six forward right away and could put himself in a good spot to get another year or two contract.

Currently 31 years old, Zuccarello needs to up his production. He’s on a similar point per game pace as last season, but there is concern he’ll drop off. Edmonton needs to be careful they don’t give up too much considering he is currently a rental with only this season left on his $4.5 million contract.

Edmonton is also part of a list of teams that has interest in Micheal Ferland out of Carolina. They will be competing with teams like Boston, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver for Ferland’s services.

One person who may not move is Jesse Puljujarvi. There is speculation his camp has been advised by the Oilers that they will not be moving him.

Add Kapanen and Johnsson to the Leafs Possible Trade Pieces

To hear the Maple Leafs might be willing to move their first-round draft choice before the upcoming trade deadline was not terribly surprising, but a bit interesting considering how many times GM Kyle Dubas said he was not going to look to the rental market. Things are even more interesting now as Kasperi Kapanen and Andres Johnsson might be available as well.

Maple Leafs right wing Kasperi Kapanen (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

Bob McKenzie confirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs would consider trading Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen in the right deal. “If you’re gonna get a good defenceman and they obviously want to get a good defenceman, you’ve got to give up something of value,” McKenzie told First Up on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto. He added, “And not only would the first-round pick be in play, but I’ve been saying for quite some time now – take your pick, but one of Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen will be gone too in the most likely scenario.”

If the Maple Leafs end up moving Kapanen and Johnsson along with their first-rounder, you know that there is a huge piece coming back to the Maple Leafs.

Blue Jackets Interested in Brassard

We covered the news on Derick Brassard in the rumor rundown yesterday, but an update today by Aaron Portzline says the Blue Jackets have held trade talks with the Penguins regarding Brassard. Portzline says, “Given CBJ need at center, not a surprise. But trading with a Metro rival would be a tricky business.”

Listen to the Newest Episode of The Hockey Writers Podcast

By Jim Parsons on Jan 16, 2019 02:01 pm

In today’s rumor rundown, the Penguins look to be busy, the Leafs are hitting up the rental market and the Ducks will be hanging onto one of their forwards because he simply won’t let them trade him.

How Busy Will the Penguins Be?

Darren Dreger of TSN, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette all seem to agree that the Penguins have something going on, potentially before the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb 25.

Derick Brassard

Dreger says that center Derick Brassard hasn’t meshed well with the Penguins since coming over and he could be in play. “I know that Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford is at least listening to some of the interest in Brassard. The expectation is that he will get traded and that the Penguins at least in return need a No. 3 center back.”

Penguins center Derick Brassard (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

This is an interesting development considering it was believed Brassard would be kept so he could help the Penguins’ playoff run. Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now agreed it is more likely Brassard is moved and suggested the Dallas Stars have called. He mentioned that two Penguins scouts were in Dallas last week watching a game.

Apparently, the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche had a previous interest but sources aren’t sure if that’s still the case.

Olli Maatta

When Justin Schultz returns to the lineup, the Penguins will have nine defensemen. That means they could send Juuso Riikola to the AHL without waivers or Chad Ruhwedel, who would require waivers. If the organization chose not to go that route, they might look at moving defenseman Olli Maatta.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Olli Maatta skates around St. Louis Blues’ Robert Thomas (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

With Maatta now in a top-four role with the team, they may prefer to ship out defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and his $2.1375 million salary cap hit.

Tristan Jarry

Jason Mackey suggests that recently signed goaltender Casey DeSmith could change the future of 23-year old goaltender Tristan Jarry, who might bring back a decent return in a trade. Rutherford’s comments in the Post-Gazette about the situation are telling. He said, “I like the idea that we have some depth there, preparing for the playoffs, but sometimes something comes along that you have to consider and maybe do earlier than you want.”

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

Jarry is on a two-way deal this season, but next year it will be a one-way deal. If there is a strong return out there and moving him now avoids the Penguins create a logjam they’ll have trouble moving next season, trading Jarry is a real possibility.

Maple Leafs Not in Rental Market… Yeah, Right.

Despite GM Kyle Dubas suggesting he wouldn’t look much at the rental market as the Maple Leafs approached the trade deadline, most had to know that wasn’t true. In fact, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said that the organization is not just looking, they would consider trading their first-round pick this year to get what they need to compete for the Stanley Cup.

Jake Gardiner, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dec. 12, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

LeBrun said, “Some of the teams that I’ve talked to, their understanding is that in the right package for a top-four defenceman, the Leafs would listen to including that first-round pick as part of the package.”

In a way, Dreger agreed and said the Maple Leafs are looking to add to their blue line and not subtract from it. That includes not trading a player like Jake Gardiner, who has been the ire of some of the fans in Toronto.

Some of the names being tossed around as targets in Toronto are Ryan Miller in goal, Wayne Simmonds or Micheal Ferland at forward, or Jay Bouwmeester, Niklas Kronwall or Dougie Hamilton at defense.

Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star writes:

Dubas is on record as saying he’d rather acquire a player on a long contract, but the price would be much higher. The Hurricanes remain an interesting match, with Dougie Hamilton believed to be on the market. They were interested in William Nylander and are also enamoured of Kasperi Kapanen.

source – ‘Free trade advice for Canada’s Stanley Cup contenders and pretenders’ – Kevin Mcgran – The Toronto Star – 01/15/2019

Panthers Make Bogdan Kiselevich Available

Bogdan Kiselevich, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has been made available for trade, as per Darren Dreger of TSN. Panthers GM Dale Tallon has informed the rest of the league that the Russian defenseman is on the market. There could be interest considering he’s had a decent season in a smaller role.

Kelser Won’t Waive No-Move Clause

In an effort to shake things up, the Anaheim Ducks might have looked at trading Ryan Kesler this season but what Anaheim wants to do doesn’t really matter. Kesler has said he’s got no interest in waiving his no-move clause to facilitate a trade.

Ducks center Ryan Kesler (Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports)

He indicated to Craig Custance of The Athletic:

I don’t want to go anywhere. I love my teammates. I have a family, you take that into account. If we are going into a rebuild, I’m going to do my best to teach the kids how to be a pro and how to win.

source – ‘As the losses pile up, the Ducks are becoming a team of interest in the trade market’ – Craig Custance- The Athletic – 01/15/2019

Kesler has three years on his contract left after this season with an AAV of $6.675MM. He would have been a tough piece to move regardless.

Listen to the Latest Version of The Hockey Writers Podcast

Recent Articles:

Latest News