- Morning Skate
- Posts
- NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 12/04/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
12/04/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Dec 03, 2019 01:30 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the search for a backup goaltender in Toronto continues, there is news on the status of Kyle Turris in Nashville, additional destinations for Hall are considered, and Marc Crawford makes a statement in Chicago where he’s under review for allegations of abuse.
Maple Leafs Need Backup Badly
“We’re always looking at the trade market every day for every position,” GM Kyle Dubas said of his search for a backup goaltender. Luke Fox has reported that the Maple Leafs know they have issues at that position and ones that could be bigger than a simple trade or waiver pickup.
Dubas added that more than adding a second-string goalie, what he would really like is for the team to put together “a good game in front of Michael [Hutchinson] here in the coming stretch and give him opportunity as well.” Still, as much as that would help, Hutchinson is not likely the answer in Toronto. His stats are not good and as the Maple Leafs start to string wins together, they need their goaltending to match.
What’s amazing is that, at one point, the Maple Leafs had all of Curtis McElhinney, Calvin Pickard and Garret Sparks playing backup to Andersen and now have none of those netminders.
Turris Has Not Asked for Trade
Despite the fact he’s been a repeated healthy scratch from the Nashville Predators lineup, forward Kyle Turris has not asked for a trade from the organization.
Paul Skrbina of the Nashville Tennessean reports that GM David Poile says everyone in Nashville is in Turris’ corner and writes:
Laviolette and Poile both have referred to Turris’ grounding as a “lineup decision.” Both have said Turris is still part of the team, with Poile going so far as to say he expected Turris to play for the team again.
Poile also said Turris has not asked to be traded. And Turris said he wants to play for the Predators.
Turris commented on how this season has been going for him despite his being consistently out of the lineup. “Last year was a bunch of different things,” Turris said last week. He added:
“This year, I’ve kept my confidence. I feel good. I’m just focused on playing my game. I think I’ve been trying to create a lot and do what I’ve done my whole career.”
Don’t expect a buyout for Turris. He’ll either be traded or be inserted back into the lineup at some point.
More Landing Spots for Hall
Adam Gretz of NBC Sports has chimed in on the Taylor Hall conversation and ranks the best destinations for the left winger. He’s got the usual suspects on his list like the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, and San Jose Sharks. Gretz also added the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, and Carolina Hurricanes.
The issue for a lot of these teams is salary cap. Looking at the salary structures make it difficult to see how some of these organizations can fit Hall in without the New Jersey Devils retaining salary.
Marc Crawford Makes Statement
In the latest report of abuse or potential abuse coming from coaches or authorities in power in the NHL, Marc Crawford is under investigation by the Chicago Blackhawks until a thorough review can be conducted.
You can check out the link to the story of what Crawford has been accused of, but in the wake of the results of that review, Crawford has made a statement. “Marc would love to address these very old allegations, however out of respect for the Blackhawks process, we are going to refrain from comment at this time.”
These allegations are likely only going to become louder and more frequent as those affected make their stories public. Former Detroit Red Wing Johan Franzen tells a disturbing story about Mike Babcock and it’s not just players either. Reporter Andy Strickland said he too [tweet deleted] was verbally attacked by the former Maple Leafs coach.
The post NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Predators, Blackhawks, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Dec 02, 2019 01:30 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are more teams that are rumored to have interest in Taylor Hall and one team seems to be the best fit. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens are in the conversation but their problems might be more immediate. Finally, what is the status of Mitch Marner and when will he return to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup?
Who Wants Hall? Avs the Favorites
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic speculates that a number of teams are in the running when it comes to conversations about where left-winger Taylor Hall might end up. As was reported by LeBrun over the weekend, the Devils are listening to offers on Hall, with the likelihood being he is traded in the coming weeks.
Among those teams in the mix, the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks are at the top of the list.
LeBrun writes:
It’s still early in the process, and I think you’ll hear about a lot of different teams. Some will call out of curiosity, others will get more serious and some will drop out and return late, which is a lot of what was heard during the Stone derby a year ago.
The Colorado Avalanche were heavily rumored this weekend as interested. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported he had heard New Jersey has scouted Colorado this season in the event there was a fit there. There are many who believe he’s the perfect fit to help them make a run towards a Stanley Cup. Imagine that forward corps finishing out the regular season? Their top two lines would be dangerous.
Changes to the Canadiens?
One of the teams also in the Hall conversation is the Montreal Canadiens. That said, they have bigger problems that might need addressing before Hall is available.
Eric Engels of Sportstnet wonders what the Canadiens are going to do to put an end to their eight-game winless skid. Engels believes GM Marc Bergevin has to address the issue, whether that means roster changes or coaching adjustments. It appears Bergevin has already gotten to work.
The Canadiens waived goaltender Keith Kinkaid on Monday morning signaling what might be the start of some changes. Engels wonders if replacing head coach Claude Julien could be another option.
But, are the Canadiens in on Hall? LeBrun said he’s heard no concrete evidence the Canadiens are actually interested. And, because the Habs are a bubble team thanks to their recent slide, it might be hard for Bergevin to justify sending a lot to New Jersey if Hall doesn’t extend.
Status Update on Marner Injury
According to a report from Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, Mitch Marner rejoined the Maple Leafs for a full practice on Monday. Marner is out with a high-ankle sprain injury and if he’s ready, the earliest he’s eligible to be activated from LTIR is Wednesday.
New head coach Sheldon Keefe said on Mitch Marner’s status: “Based on his performance today, it doesn’t look like he’s too far away.”
This is great news for Maple Leafs fans who are seeing some turnaround in the results after Keefe replaced Mike Babcock and a return for Marner is just another thing to give the team a boost and move them up the Eastern Conference standings.
The post NHL Rumors: Hall, Marner, Avalanche, Canadiens, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
Recent Articles:
Latest News