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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 08/31/2020
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
08/31/2020 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Aug 30, 2020 11:55 am
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the Chicago Blackhawks will have to get down to business with restricted free agent Dominik Kubalik. What will that deal look like? So too, in Carolina, the Hurricanes and forward Andrei Svechnikov are ready to talk extension but will a deal get done now or later? Finally, could the Vancouver Canucks be close to getting Tyler Myers back and are the Maple Leafs shifting pieces around in order to make a play for Alex Pietrangelo?
Blackhawks and Dubalik Contract Talks
Chicago Blackhawks winger Dominik Kubalik is due for a hefty raise. He exploded onto the NHL scene this season and had a great play-in round against the Edmonton Oilers prior to being eliminated in the playoffs by the Golden Knights. Now 25, he’s eligible for salary arbitration as a pending restricted free agent.
Kubalik says he hasn’t thought much about his extension options but told Jay Cohen of the Associated Press he anticipates he’ll speak to his agent over the next couple of weeks. He said:
“The season just ended, so I’m really happy to be home. It’s going to be probably a conversation with my agent in the next couple days and weeks.
After this year, hopefully, I’m confident that I’m on a good way and I would love to stay in Chicago. So that’s probably all I can say about it right now.”
For the Hawks, things are tight. The team has roughly $7 million in cap space and also has Dylan Strome to sign, plus Bowman needs to figure out the goaltending situation.
Svechnikov Ready to Talk Contract Extension Now
Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov is not just eligible for an extension but he’s ready to talk deal with the team, says NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. The forward is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and it may serve him better to wait and see what other RFAs sign for since he’ll be among the higher-priced deals. Still, it sounds like he’s open to doing a deal now.
Svechnikov’s out-performed his own rookie numbers in a shortened season and put up 24 goals and 37 assists in 61 games. He exploded in the playoffs with four goals and three assists in six games before suffering a high ankle sprain that took him out of action.
So, do the Hurricanes want to get a deal done with Svechnikov now? It seems so.
Hurricanes GM Don Waddell said he’s working on two deals, one for Svechnikov and one for defenseman Dougie Hamilton who is a year away from UFA eligibility. Waddell notes:
Certainly, they are both important players for this organization, and it makes more sense to get to it sooner than later. You’re looking at two different types of contracts. One (Hamilton) is going to be an unrestricted free agent come next year after the upcoming year. Andrei will be coming off his entry-level deal. So it’s two different kind of negotiations we’re looking at. There’s no timetable. There’s no deadlines. They both have another year left. … We have a good relationship with both players. I fully expect both players to want to stay here.
Related: The Best Nicknames in Hockey
Canucks Get Good News on Tyler Myers
He’s not been cleared to play yet since suffering a separated shoulder, but there’s potentially good news when it comes to the status of Canucks’ defenseman Tyler Myers.
According to reports, it sounds like Myers took part in Canucks practice yesterday. There was an optional skate this morning and he won’t play tonight but the good news is he’s making progress and getting closer to a potential return.
The Maple Leafs and Alex Pietrangelo Talk Heats Up
Recently, Alex Pietrangelo noted that his preference is to stay in St. Louis, but he understands players put on different jerseys all the time. In short, he hinted his legacy isn’t stuck in St. Louis. That’s a good thing for other NHL teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs who might be making moves in an effort to make a play for the highly-coveted free agent defenseman.
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox writes that the Toronto Maple Leafs shipping Kasperi Kapanen last week to the Pittsburgh Penguins is one move in what might be a few moves that make it possible for the team to sign Alex Pietrangelo via free agency in the offseason.
Fox notes that the Leafs have identified signing a right-shot defenseman as their top priority and the team has a history of going big-game hunting.
Fox says he expects Pietrangelo will get an offer from the Blues but that it will be lower than what he can make on the open market. If the Maple Leafs find he’s available, expect them to dump more salary in an effort to land him.
The post NHL Rumors: Blackhawks, Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Canucks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Aug 29, 2020 01:00 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is more talk about what the Chicago Blackhawks will do with their limited cap space, including what that means for players like Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, and Corey Crawford. In Toronto, Frederik Andersen’s agent has commented on trade rumors. And, former GM Dale Tallon denies having made any racially insensitive remarks while the NHL investigates claims of the contrary.
Blackhawks Have a Lot of Work to Do
Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the Chicago Blackhawks are going to be a busy team with a number of to-do items on their list. Their pending restricted free agent group includes Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, Drake Caggiula, Slater Koekkoek, and Malcolm Subban and the team is scheduled to meet with goaltender Corey Crawford this week.
GM Stan Bowman said of the items he needs to tackle:
“We do have some decisions to make. We have some ideas on what we’re going to do. That process is starting right now. Had a couple of meetings since we finished the season, and we’ll have more over the coming weeks. It’s our job to figure out how we’ll have flexibility, as well as making sure we keep the players we need to keep.”
The article notes that Kubalik could look at a two-year bridge at around $4 million per season while Strome’s inconsistent play this season could put him in around $3 million.
In respect to Crawford, speculation is that Bowman hopes his goaltender will agree to sign for somewhere between $3 and $4 million and while Crawford himself tells Tracey Myers of NHL.com it’s not necessarily about the money, he wants assurances that he’ll get a ton of playing time and that the team is making winning a priority.
Crawford has admitted that he could change his mind about the length of term he wants but also said he’s open to something short-term. He noted:
“Going into the meeting, that’s the main thing is to win a championship, to play, to be the main guy and play a lot. Salary, that can be discussed. That’s something that is not as important at this time. We’ll see how those discussions go.”
Tallon Under Investigation for Racially Insensitive Remarks
As per a report by FloridaHockeyNow.com, the NHL is nvestigating whether or not former Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon made racially insensitive comments during his team’s time in the Toronto bubble.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly did confirm an investigation is under way but Daly did not provide any details of the allegations. It took 24 hours for Tallon to respond but he claims he did not use the language he’s being accused of and said, “I am not racist by any means.” He added,. “I have never said anything of the sort. I am all for peace, am all for this alliance and what everyone is trying to do right now.”
Tallon said he believes the incident in question stems around the emotional speech Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba gave on racial inequalities on Aug. 1, although he did not comment on who the anonymous source was that might have issued the complaint.
Andersen’s Agents Comments on Trade Rumors
According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, Claude Lemieux, the agent for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen said the player has “absolutely not” asked for a trade. Lemieux notes that any trade speculation “comes with the territory” after a team’s early exit from the playoffs but that Andersen has no desire to leave.
Lemieux adds that the team has not spoken to him about a potential trade even if there’s speculation the team might try to move Andersen before the final year of $5 million deal runs out.
There have also been no contract extension talks between the two parties.
Koshan writes:
The Leafs, who have a fine backup in Jack Campbell, have been linked to Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray, who is a restricted free agent.
Among the NHL goalies headed for unrestricted free agency are Robin Lehner, Jacob Markstrom and Cam Talbot.
The post NHL Rumors: Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Tallon, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Aug 28, 2020 01:20 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the Montreal Canadiens might have to make a big decision when it comes to two of their centers. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers could be looking at a top free agent defenseman. Finally, Frank Seravalli released his new top-ten UFA list and the NHL has released their new schedule.
Did Julien Just Offer a Glimpse at Domi’s Future?
Over the past couple of days, comments have been made on both the player’s and the organization’s side about the futures of two centers for the Montreal Canadiens. Those comments suggest that at least one trade could be in the works.
A recovering Claude Julien was asked about his roster after letting it be known he’d be back to coach the Canadiens next season. Specifically, he was asked about the future of Max Domi and his response (a quote translated from French) was that he’d prefer to play Domi at center. The problem is, Domi’s next contract and the other three centers the team has make it hard to imagine the Canadiens have a spot for him down the middle.
Julien said:
“We prefer Max Domi at centre. His production has been decent but he’s been shooting at the net a lot less this season. He likes to make plays more than shoot on goal. We put him on the wing sometimes in the playoffs because the other centres were playing very well.”
Domi is set to make more than the $3.1 million annual salary he made last season and with Phillip Danault, Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi taking the top three spots, how can Montreal justify that kind of money for a fourth-line center?
Does Danault Want To Be Traded?
At the same time, Phillip Danault has publicly stated he’s not happy with the direction the Canadiens are asking him to take his career. The emergence of Suzuki and Kotkaniemi means he potentially needs to take a back seat as the former No. 1 center and he’s not happy about being asked to take on a more defensive-minded role.
He told Marc Antoine Godin. “I saw my role change in the playoffs but with what I have proven, my role should not change in Montreal (translated).” and then answered “Yes” when asked if this new role would influence his desire to stay in Montreal.
Danault has a year left on his current contract and there is talk the Canadiens are interested in an extension. But, if he’s not thinking his long-term future is best served in Montreal because the team wants to limit the levels he can reach offensively, a trade might be best before he can walk away as a UFA.
NHL Releases New Schedule
The NHL has released the revised schedule after players decided to boycott Thursday’s games, leading to brief pause on all NHL action Thursday and Friday. The league will resume action on Saturday with the following games:
12 p.m. ET — Boston vs. Tampa
7 p.m. ET — N.Y. Islanders vs. Philadelphia
9:45 p.m. ET — Vancouver vs. Vegas
Frank Servalli of TSN also posted the completely revised schedule up until Saturday September 5.
Top Ten UFA’s This Offseason
Seravalli also recently amended his top-ten unrestricted free agents list. Taking the first three spots are Alex Pietrangelo, Taylor Hall and Torey Krug. Seravalli says Pietrangelo’s deal may be the only UFA contract not affected by the flattening of the cap.
Servalli then has two goaltenders at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in Jacob Markstrom and Robin Lehner and he suggests both players will end up staying with their current teams.
The final four spots go to Mike Hoffamn, Evgenii Dadonov, Tyler Toffoli, Erik Haula, and Tyson Barrie. Seravalli suggests he could see Tyson Barrie on a one-year deal on the Edmonton Oilers power-play.
Oilers Defense Changes
If there is truth to the fact that the Oilers might look at Barrie, it does make sense when you consider Brian Lawton’s recent comments on Oilers Now that Edmonton might move two of their top-four blueliners.
Bringing in Barrie on a one-year deal would give rookies like Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg time to develop while Barrie has an opportunity in an elevated role to improve his market value.
It could be a win/win for all parties while giving Edmonton a chance to find help for Connor McDavid at forward.
The post NHL Rumors: Canadiens, Oilers, Top UFA’s, NHL New Schedule, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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