- Morning Skate
- Posts
- NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 04/22/2020
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
04/22/2020 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Apr 21, 2020 02:15 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the Columbus Blue Jackets have tried to sign a player, only to see the contract get rejected by the NHL. There is more talk about where Dustin Byfuglien will land. And, Taylor Hall and Alex Pietrangelo spoke about their plans for free agency.
Blue Jackets Will Sign Grigorenko in July
Earlier Tuesday morning it was reported that the Columbus Blue Jackets tried to sign Mikhail Grigorenko and give him another opportunity in the NHL. He signed a one-year contract for the 2020-21 season. The contract was tossed out by the NHL.
Grigorenko has played the last three seasons in the KHL with CSKA Moscow and the $1.2 million deal that Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported he’d signed to return to the NHL was half of what Russia was willing to pay him to stay. In the end, he may still join the NHL, but it won’t be until July.
The NHL has rejected the Grigorenko contract because the filing window for deals starting next season has not opened yet. Teams can sign previously drafted players within their own systems or undrafted players that have never played in the NHL, but they are not allowed to sign a player like Grigorenko who would fall under the typical free agent status.
The Blue Jackets have issued a statement:
Earlier today, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced the signing of forward Mikhail Grigorenko to a one-year contract for the 2020-21 National Hockey League season. The contract subsequently has been rejected by the NHL Central Registry due to a misunderstanding with regards to the filing window. We have been in contact with the league and Dan Milstein, Grigorenko’s agent, and the contract will be filed on July 1.
As reported by Jeff Svoboda, Mikhail Grigorenko has stated that he expects his deal with the team to be filed with NHL come July 1, and he sees the Jackets as a good fit: “The opportunity is the big thing here, and Columbus is a team that can offer that. I’m really excited to join the team.”
More Possible Destinations for Byfuglien
Chris Johnston of Sportsnet believes that at least 20 teams would be in on the conversation if Dustin Byfuglien made himself available in free agency but Sportnet’s Mark Spector doesn’t believe he’ll return to action. Teams like Florida, Toronto and Minnesota have been tossed out there as teams that might be interested.
Clearly, there will be questions about his conditioning, but some of that could be overlooked depending on what he might ask for and how dedicated he makes himself to getting into shape — something that could be tricky if players aren’t skating. Money might not be the concern for Byfuglien considering what he walked away from.
Pietrangelo to Explore His Options
Pierre LeBrun reports St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo intends to explore all his options in free agency knowing that the salary cap questions could directly affect what he’s going to get during the offseason.
Pietrangelo said:
“I’m going to explore all options, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you’re not sitting back there with your agents and your family laying out everything on the table, thinking about every possibility, that’s really what you should be doing. When you have a growing family, it’s one of those things where if you can put yourself into a position where you’re somewhere long term, it’s a little bit easier than having to pick up and move potentially every couple of years.’’
There is news that St. Louis wants to hang onto him, but concern about what his ask will be and how easily the Blues can fit that ask into their current salary structure.
Hall Says He Wants Long-Term Security Now
As for Taylor Hall, LeBrun noted that he asked him what he wants to do and if he’d consider a short-term deal now to get through what may be aches and pains with the changes in salary cap over the next one or two years. Hall said without hesitation, he said he’d rather go for long-term security now.
Hall believes he’s just lucky to do what he does for a living and in the scope of this disease and how it’s affecting the world, and potentially his contract, he’s trying to stay grounded through all of this.
The post NHL Rumors: Hall, Pietrangelo, Grigorenko, Byfuglien, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Apr 20, 2020 12:55 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is speculation about the Florida Panthers moving Aleksander Barkov, what the Montreal Canadiens will do with Tomas Tatar, and will the Philadelphia Flyers try to re-sign Justin Braun? Finally, what happened in Vancouver between the Canucks and Nikolay Goldobin?
Could the Panthers Trade Barkov?
In a recent New York Post mailbag segment, Larry Brooks talked about the idea the Florida Panthers could use Aleksander Barkov as a trade chip and the chances the New York Rangers might be able to acquire him. The idea here being there is any truth to rumors the Panthers may want to make changes and cut salary.
Brooks says Adam Fox and Kaapo Kakko, along with players carrying no-trade clauses (Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, and Chris Kreider) as untouchables for the Rangers. Anything else would be on the table for a player like Barkov who is signed through 2022.
Barkov does have a no-move clause that kicks in following this season and a modified no-trade in 2021-22, so if the Panthers didn’t do something soon, he’d need to be willing to waive to leave the organization.
What Happens With Tomas Tatar?
Pat Hickey of The Montreal Gazette looked at the likelihood the Montreal Canadiens will trade Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, or Phillip Danault and noted that keeping them together should be an off-season priority.
All three players are set to become unrestricted free agents next summer and all having worked well together, the team should consider extensions. Tatar sounds like he wants to stay too, crediting Gallagher and Danault for his success since joining the Canadiens and said:
“If you look at different players with different teams, I realize more and more how important it is to fit with a team and a system. I’m probably having the time of my life since I got to Montreal.”
Tatar was mentioned in trade rumors at the deadline but the belief is that moving the soon-to-be 30-year-old won’t fetch the Canadiens much in return. Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin could probably get a three or four-year deal done with the winger for around $5.5 million per season.
Flyers to Re-Sign Braun?
Flyers beat writer for Philadelphia Inquirer/DN, Sam Carchidi tweeted that the Flyers interest in re-signing defenseman Justin Braun could depend solely on their ability to trade defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.
There was some talk about moving Gostisbehere to the wing and it’s not unheard of as players like Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Burns have made the move before, but the idea is said to be viewed as not a long-term option for the Flyers.
Canucks on Goldobin
Knowing there was a chance he might head back to Russia, Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning said he’d touched base with Nikolay Goldobin’s agent. Goldobin will be playing next season and the following year with CSKA of the KHL.
“We tried to move him at the (trade) deadline, but didn’t have any success,” Benning said Monday. He added, ?”We tried to work with him and give him chances, but over the last year, other people in our organization have moved by him and we have young players who are going to need an opportunity, too.”
The post NHL Rumors: Barkov, Canadiens, Flyers, Canucks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
Recent Articles:
Latest News