NHL Rumors Update

NHL Rumors Update for 08/21/2020

August 21, 2020

The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.

 

08/21/2020 edition:

By Jim Parsons on Aug 20, 2020 01:30 pm

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on the status of Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher after taking a cross check to the face. With that, is there any supplemental discipline coming for Matt Niskanen? In Edmonton, one scribe suggests the Oilers will kick tires on two big-name and expensive goaltenders. Finally, in Columbus, there is talk that head coach John Tortorella could get fined for walking off on reporters.

Could Tortorella Be Fined by the NHL?

After just 40 seconds of a post-game media avail, veteran coach John Tortorella walked out of his committed time with the gathered media, refusing to answer the second question asked. When Neal Mchale of Inside Hockey asked about what the team can take away from this unique playoff experience Tortorella said in frustration, “You know what guys? I’m not going to get into the touchy feely stuff and the moral victories and all that. You guys be safe.”

TSN’s Darren Dreger notes that he believes the NHL might have finally had enough of this kind of behavior from the coach and sees this as a slap towards everything the league has tried to do make hockey meaningful during a pandemic. Dreger said he thinks Tortorella will be fined and added the league might argue, “We’re trying to do something here to keep the game relevant, for the most part it’s been great, and we don’t need a poopy pants like you showing up the media 40 seconds in.”

Oilers Could Kick Tires on Markstrom and Lehner

In a recent article for The Athletic, hockey insider Pierre LeBrun suggested that Robin Lehner and Jacob Markstrom will be the two key goalies this offseason to watch and that their deals will influence what happens with the rest of the goaltenders.Wondering where they might land or who could show interest, LeBrun said, “Edmonton would be another possibility.”

LeBrun says about the Oilers:

Mike Smith, 38, is UFA this fall, so there’s a natural opening alongside Mikko Koskinen, 32, who still has two more years on his deal at a $4.5 million AAV. The problem, as it is for so many teams, is that the Oilers don’t have much cap flexibility. But if you’re looking to take the next step as an organization, finding a true No. 1 has to be a top priority. A Lehner-Koskinen tandem would do that.

By the way, if for whatever reason Markstrom isn’t able to re-sign with the Canucks, I think the Oilers will inquire on that front as well.

source – ‘LeBrun: Lehner, Markstrom expected to set tone for UFA goaltending market’ – Pierre LeBrun – The Athletic – 08/19/2020

This is quite the interesting take on the Oilers situation because the team is so tight to the cap and while the club needs to make a decision on the goalies, goaltending wasn’t a glaring weakness for the franchise this past season.

In other news, the Oilers loaned back Philip Borberg to Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. It is expected, after how he impressed this season, that Broberg will return to Edmonton for training camp with a legitimate shot to make the team.

Flyers Niskanen Facing NHL Hearing

The Department of Player Safety has announced a scheduled hearing for today with Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen. As most people know by now, Niskanen cross-checked Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher in the face and while head coach Alain Vigneault says “in my estimation Gallagher seemed fine” and adds that it’s not Niskanen’s fault Gallagher is a shorter player who got cut on a “hockey play.”, the league doesn’t seem to agree.

Niskanen was not penalized on the play, but it certainly was a penalty.

Gallagher Could Have a Fractured Jaw

Following the game, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports tweeted that it was circulating that Gallagher allegedly sustained a fracture in his jaw. LeBrun tweeted on Thursday that Gallagher has been scheduled for a CT scan today but that it was his understanding that Gallagher would not have to leave the bubble.

If Gallagher misses any real time, that would be a huge loss for the Canadiens despite his only having one goal in the playoffs. It was on his back of his inspired play that the Canadiens found the energy to get a big win against the Flyers.

Hurricanes to see Big Changes

ESPN.com’s Emily Kaplan speculates the Carolina Hurricanes could lose a few key pieces this offseason. She names pending UFA defensemen like Sami Vatanen, Joel Edmundson, or Trevor van Riemsdyk as potential exits and wonders if Justin Williams has played his final NHL game.

Kaplan also says she expects the budget-conscious Hurricanes to stick with their affordable goalie tandem of Petr Mrazek and James Reimer for one more season.

By Jim Parsons on Aug 19, 2020 11:35 am

In today’s NHL rumor rundown, it appears there is more clarification as to why Tuukka Rask left the NHL bubble and the Boston Bruins in the middle of a playoff run. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, there is news on what the Sabres might do about Brandon Mountour’s next contract. The St. Louis Blues got good and bad news on Tuesday, and are there questions for the Montreal Canadiens, specifically regarding what to do with Brendan Gallagher?

Rask Had a Family Emergency

On his show Tuesday, WEEI morning show host Greg Hill said he spoke to Tukka Rask about his decision to leave the Bruins — a choice Rask has received both support and heat for — and got further clarification on what fueled his decision.

Joe Haggerty appeared on TSN690 radio and said that he’s hearing Rask has lost his motivation to play hockey, but according to Hill, this is about something much more serious.

Hill explained, “I can tell you that he [Rask] got a phone call in the bubble from his wife, because there was a medical emergency with their daughter.” He added, “Basically the kind of situation where I believe Tuukka Rask did what every parent would do and was obviously very concerned.”

Hill went on to say that Rask was advised their family seek medical help for whatever is ailing her and said that after he spoke to his daughter it was clear what the right thing to do was. Hill adds:

… he did speak to his daughter and his daughter did express something to him about where he was and what her situation was, which I think would lead any father, any parent, especially one who feels like that’s their most important job, parenting, to want to rush to be with their family at that time. Personally, I can’t imagine being away from your family, away from your young kids, hearing your daughter say what she said, and not being panicked.

Hill said it was an easy decision to come home and that even if he were to have tried to stay and battle it out with his teammates, his head wouldn’t have been in the right place to be an effective goaltender.

Sabres To Let Montour Walk?

The Buffalo Sabres may have decided that defenseman Brandon Mountour is not worth the price they’ll be required to pay if they’d like to keep him. According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, speculation is out there that the team will leave Montour unqualified.

Montour has had a somewhat bumpy start with the organization and when Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams was asked about the fact he’d need to play at least $3.525 million to keep Montour, if he’d elect not to do so, Adams said, “that’s definitely not something we’ve talked about.”

Tarasenko Getting Shoulder Checked Out

The St. Louis Blues got good and bad news Tuesday as it was revealed that Vladamir Tarasenko is leaving the team bubble and returning to St. Louis for further evaluation on his surgically repaired shoulder. He will likely miss the remainder of the series against the Vancouver Canucks.

Head coach Craig Berube said of the Tarasenko news: “I’m not going to jump to conclusions on anything. He’s not feeling right, so that’s why he’s going to get it looked at. It is concerning, but we’ve got to wait and see.”

The good news is that Berube says Ivan Barbashev has been “cleared” and will skate with the team. The Blues have battled back and are now tied 2-2 with the Canucks in their best-of-seven series. They play Wednesday night in the final game of the evening.

Questions About Gallagher in Montreal?

After the Montreal Canadiens lost a close game on Tuesday to the Philadelphia Flyers and went down three games to one in the series, it’s certainly understandable there might some tension. The Canadiens are now on the brink of elimination.

But, Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher seemed to let it show a bit more than he might have liked during his post-game comments. Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin were benched for most of the third period as the Canadiens tried to tie the game up. He was asked my media about that said:

“If the coach feels other guys are going to do the job better than you, that’s his job. It doesn’t mean I sit there and accept it, but my job is to play, so when I’m put on the ice, I’m just trying to help out.”

It’s a fair answer but there is some speculation in Montreal that this won’t go over well with GM Marc Bergevin. Muller did admit that it was simply a matter of trying to find a spark. “I had to go with my gut on who I thought was going,” Muller said. But, as Arpon Basu points out in a recent article on The Athletic, this has to be concerning for Bergevin who has a saying: “there are guys who get you to the playoffs, and there are guys who get you through the playoffs.”

Basu writes that Bergevin may need to take a closer look at what Gallagher is for this Canadiens team. He writes:

But Gallagher has now scored one goal in his last 16 playoff games, dating back to the second round of the 2015 playoffs. His contract is up at the end of next season. If Bergevin truly believes that saying of his, what was he thinking as he watched Gallagher stapled to the bench in the third period Tuesday?

When asked about a potential injury that might be affecting his playoff performance, Gallagher seemed even more frustrated and “I’m fine.” as he was leaving the conference.

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