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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 11/25/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
11/25/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Nov 24, 2019 12:35 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on the Edmonton Oilers dealings with Darnell Nurse, the Washington Capitals are trying to get one of their key players back under contract and the St. Louis Blues seem to be keeping an eye on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Is there a trade brewing? Finally, how hot is the seat coach Jon Cooper is sitting on in Tampa Bay?
Nurse Wants to be Part of the Solution
During the second intermission of the Edmonton Oilers versus the Vegas Golden Knights game on Saturday night, the Sportsnet panel discussed the Oilers blue line and after revelling in the emergence of Ethan Bear, Elliotte Friedman said the Oilers are working on their plans for Nurse. “Nurse is up after this year and he also has a situation where you really got to make a decision long-term.” What might help here is that Friedman said Nurse wants to be part of the solution.
Brian Burke believes the Nurse number starts with a five and is a reasonable length of time. Kelly Hrudey believed it might be higher but said it was good Nurse wanted to be part of the team’s future. That helps the Oilers get Nurse in at a reasonable rate.
Blues Scouting the Maple Leafs
Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and team VP of hockey operations Dave Taylor were spotted in Colorado watching the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Colorado Avalanche. It is believed they were keeping close tabs on the Maple Leafs.
This is now the second time Armstrong has been seen scouting the team and many speculate there might be something coming. As most people know, the Maple Leafs might need to move a contract in the near future.
It is believed that perhaps the Blues could be looking for help at forward where they are down some key pieces due to injury. Could they be looking at a player like Andreas Johnsson or what might be considered a smaller piece like Nic Petan? We had Petan No. 1 on our Top-12 Trade Tracker list.
Related: Capitals Must Sign Nicklas Backstrom
Backstrom and Capitals Now Talking Extension
Elliotte Friedman reports Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals is now underway with contract talks to extend with the team. He’s long-been rumored as someone the Capitals have placed a priority on re-signing.
There is some speculation Backstrom is willing to take a hometown discount to stay in Washington but how much is still unclear. And, whether it’s enough for the Capitals to re-sign Braden Holtby, who is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, remains a question.
Jon Cooper in Coaching Hot Seat?
Don’t expect head coach Jon Cooper to be fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning anytime soon. While one NHL coach has already been let go this season and people are waiting for the next shoe to drop, Cooper’s job is probably safe. This despite the fact the Tampa Bay Lightning now sit in seventh place, ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings in their division.
The Athletic’s Joe Smith suggests that Julien BriseBois’s long-standing history with Cooper gives him a lot more leash in which to try and improve things. He definitely doesn’t believe the Lightning have any interest in doing for the NHL’s newest free agent coach.
Smith writes:
But the Lightning aren’t going to get rid of Cooper to hire Babcock. The Leafs situation was quite different, too. GM Kyle Dubas did not hire Babcock, and they were rumored to have differences of opinion about the personnel and how the team should play.
The post NHL Rumors: Oilers, Blues, Maple Leafs, Cooper, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Nov 23, 2019 12:45 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, which coach is next to go? There are a few names being speculated as names that could follow in Mike Babcock’s footsteps. Are the Nashville Predators working on a trade for Kyle Turris? Will the Washington Capitals make a couple of moves? Finally, are the Ottawa Senators looking for a defenseman?
Laviolette on the Hot Seat?
With Mike Babcock as the first pfficial coaching casualty of the season, speculation surrounds which team will be the next to make a move. Among the names being tossed around, Bruce Boudreau in Minnesota, Jeremy Colliton in Chicago, Pete DeBoer in San Jose, and John Hynes with New Jersey top the list.
Out of Nashville, Predators coach Paul Laviolette has been discussed by some media but he addressed those rumors when he told reporters, including Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean, that he hasn’t been given any indication from management that his job could be on the line.
Saying he isn’t feeling pressure from management, Skrbina writes:
Laviolette is a coach who has led the Predators to the playoffs every season he’s been here. He’s led them to a Stanley Cup Final, a Presidents’ Trophy and two straight division titles.
He’s won one Stanley Cup as a coach and been the Final three times.
So don’t be surprised if he has a lot of equity with the Predators.
Related: Bobby Orr’s Flying Goal
Keep an Eye On Predators and Turris
NASHVILLE POST: Still with the Predators, Michael Gallagher of the Nashville Post is speculating as to what’s next for Kyle Turris after being a healthy scratch in consecutive games this week.
Gallagher writes:
Barring any internal reasons unbeknownst to the media — i.e. an undisclosed injury or the all-too-real possibility he’s a piece of a potential trade and the team is wanting to keep him healthy in the meantime — it’s puzzling trying to understand how 22-year-old Mathieu Olivier or struggling forwards such as Granlund (three goals, six points in 20 games), Craig Smith (two goals, six points in 20 games) or Austin Watson (three goals, six points in 20 games), give Nashville a better chance to win than a player who has the fifth-most goals on the team. This will definitely be a situation to monitor closely in the coming days.
Capitals Need to Clear Space
While the Washington Capitals are making due, eventually, they will need to free up a bit of salary cap space, not relying on LTIR to avoid making roster adjustments. Where those roster moves come from will be an interesting situation to watch.
J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington suggests Richard Panik and defenseman Nick Jensen could be possible candidates for a move thanks to their contracts but it won’t be easy. Panik makes $2.75 million per season for a few more seasons and isn’t terribly productive. Moving Jensen creates a hole on the right side of their blue line.
Senators Seeking a Defenseman
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that Senators GM Pierre Dorion has been actively shopping the NHL marketplace for a defenseman. His blue line has been hit with injuries like that of Christian Wolanin (shoulder), Andreas Englund (lower-body), Erik Brannstrom (hand), and Cody Goloubef (undisclosed).
The Senators have recalled Max Lajoie and Christian Jaros but that may not be enough . Garrioch quoted head coach D.J. Smith who said:
“It’s just a case where we’re going to try to get through tonight and then we’ll have Zaitsev back and hopefully Goloubef,” Smith said Friday morning. “You don’t plan on this many guys getting injured and, unfortunately, Zaitsev having to go home for a day.
Don’t Expect Heavy Oilers Ice Time to Drop
In today’s NHL, it’s not odd to see the big stars getting most of the ice time. In fact, to see the numbers heavily skewed is pretty common. But in Edmonton, there is concern Connor McDavid and Leon Draistaitl might be playing too much.
McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are 1-2 in league scoring and average ice-time at 62 and 61 seconds, but coach Dave Tippett says that’s not a concern.
Tippett said:
“All those guys’ (McDavid, Draisaitl, Oscar Klefbom) minutes get skewed because of our power play. It’s unique.” …”I’m always thinking, ‘You can’t do that or you’ll be tired.’ But they can stay out there because of the offensive-zone time.”
It’s the fact they get so much time on the power play that he’s not concerned about them getting over-exerted any more.
The post NHL Rumors: Coach Changes, Senators, Capitals, Oilers, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Nov 22, 2019 01:50 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is buzz around the Maple Leafs who got their first win on Thursday under new coach Sheldon Keefe, the Buffalo Sabres are getting frustrated with the NHL system while they try to complete a trade and the Calgary Flames just can’t catch a break.
Maple Leafs Win, Keefe Signs
New head coach Sheldon Keefe picked up his first win in his first game as the Maple Leafs head coach and most watching the game commented on how they were watching a team that looked like the handcuffs were taken off. They probably were.
Prior to the game, Travis Dermott took part in a pre-game interview and said, “The boys wanna play for him. He lets us play to our skill and that’s exactly what we needed.”
Struggling defensemen Tyson Barrie scored a goal and said, “That style that you saw tonight you’re going to see a lot more of it.”
Those might have been subtle shots at Mike Babcock or they might have just been excited players because that always happens when a big change happens.
The Maple Leafs also took care of a bit of housekeeping as they signed Keefe to a three-year deal that includes the remainder of this season. As for Mike Babcock, the Maple Leafs will have to continue to pay him for this year, plus three more at $5.875 million per season. We was given a flat salary over an-eight-year term with a $3 million signing bonus. That’s an NHL record for salaries going to coaches at the same time.
Babcock Coaching Again?
In speaking of Babcock’s salary, that makes it difficult to imagine him coaching again anytime soon. The panel on TSN Insider Trading asked if he’d be considered for the new Seattle job.
Pierre LeBrun explained how the Maple Leafs might force any new team to pick up his entire ticket if they want to hire him and there’s no guarantee he wants to coach again, or at least anytime soon.
“Mike Babcock right now wants to decompress. He’s going to do a lot of skiing this winter, that’s his focus. Certainly I think he’s going to take his time. It’s not a guarantee that he will coach again. I think he will. I think he’s going to miss it too much.”
LeBrun did say if there was one team that came to mind, it was the team in Seattle. “I think they’re going to want to talk to him. Again, Seattle probably [is] looking to hire a coach between January and June 2021. So will he be available a year from now.”
Flames Ready For Major Shakeup
Darren Dreger took to social media on Friday morning and said, “Yup. Some sense a major shake up is coming,” when speaking about what the Calgary Flames might do after losing their sixth-straight game on Thursday night.
Dreger did say that at this exact moment in time, it’s hard for any team to do something big so many players on LTIR, which is a similar problem plaguing the Buffalo Sabres.
In respect to how long coach Bill Peters leash might be, Dreger said, “Coach? I don’t see Treliving doing anything knee jerk…yet. We’ll see. Adversity can be a good thing.”
In a story of kicking a team while they’re down, the Flames’ plane had to make an emergency landing last night thanks to mechanical issues.
Related: Jack Adams, the Man and the Award
Sabres Getting Frustrated With NHL System
During that Trading Insider segment, Dreger reports Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill has made offers for forwards but the trade market is gummed up a bit. He’s finding the process of trying to get something done quite frustrating.
Between salary-cap constraints and injuries, not much is happening. Dreger noted speculation that Botterill would like to make one or two trades soon.
The post NHL Rumors: Sabres, Maple Leafs, Flames, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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