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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 05/18/2020
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
05/18/2020 edition:
By Jim Parsons on May 17, 2020 01:40 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, is Josh Lievo of the Vancouver Canucks going to be ready to play if the NHL resumes games? Are the Toronto Maple Leafs moving on from prospect Jeremy Bracco? Have the Edmonton Oilers decided the fate of d-man Kris Russell? Finally, which older free agency defensemen might still find employment in the NHL next season, and did Jason Pominville just retire from hockey?
Canucks’ Leivo Not Ready
Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that Vancouver Canucks forward Josh Leivo isn’t currently one of the many players getting healthy enough to resume games thanks to the NHL pause. A season that would have otherwise been over for a lot of injured players is now likely again since players have had extra time to rest and heal. However, Leivo, who fractured his kneecap during a game on Dec. 19, would not be ready if the season were to resume anytime soon.
That’s not great news for the Canucks as he had already passed his career-high in points, posting 19 points in 36 games.
No Role on Maple Leafs For Jeremy Bracco
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox notes that an exit interview was conducted with Maple Leafs prospect Jeremy Bracco following the cancellation of the AHL season. That means he will not be among Toronto’s ‘Black Aces’ (additional players on-call) for the stretch run and playoffs.
The last few months have been tough for Bracco as he struggled to repeat his strong offense and Toronto was unable to grant his midseason trade request. He will become a restricted free agent this summer and will likely try to latch on with another team.
Oilers Russell and Benning’s Futures Tied Together
Mark Spector of Sportsnet recently answered a few questions about the current blue line for the Oilers, focusing a lot of mailbag time to Kris Russell. Spector hints that the Oilers have determined Russell is too costly at $4 million per season to keep in a third-pairing role. They will try to move him this offseason.
How successful they are in doing so could hinge on what Matt Benning signs for. Spector writes:
GM Ken Holland’s ability to move Russell’s contract will impinge on what the GM will offer Benning, a fellow third-pairing guy who is a restricted free agent (with arbitration) coming out of a $1.9 million deal. Benning turns 26 this month and is properly priced for his role. In an ideal world, a GM moves out the older, more expensive players while keeping the younger, cheaper one.
Spector does believe that Benning will be traded if Russell can’t be, making room for either Caleb Jones or Evan Bouchard.
The Market For Aging Defensemen
James O’Brien of NBC Sports took a look at what aging free-agent defensemen might get in the offseason. Among the names he looked at were Dustin Byfuglien, Mike Green, and Andy Greene.
O’Brien notes that if Byfuglien is healthy enough to return next season, he’ll get some interest around the NHL but will have to sign a 35+ contract. If he’s asking for more than one year, some teams may remove themselves from the running.
34-year old Mike Green is currently the property of the Edmonton Oilers but there’s no guarantee he’ll re-sign there considering he played so few games before an injury took him out of their regular-season stretch run. He may get another look with the Oilers but he might be looking for work.
37-year old Andy Greene was traded to the New York Islanders at the deadline and could draw some interest in free agency.
O’Brien also mentioned Justin Braun, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Ron Hainsey as names to watch, while suggesting UFA blueliners like Jonathan Ericsson, Jay Bouwmeester, Deryk Engelland, or perhaps Andrej Sekera could retire.
Pominville Takes Coaching Job
While Jason Pominville hasn’t officially announced his retirement from the NHL or the game of hockey, his accepting a coaching job with the Lanaudiere Pioneers, a youth hockey team near his hometown of Repentigny, Quebec, suggests he might be hanging up his NHL skates.
According to the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski, the Pionniers announced Friday that Pominville will be an associate coach at the pee-wee and midget levels, and he will also serve as a special adviser and skills trainer.
Pominville told The Buffalo News in March that he came to terms with his playing career likely being over.
The post NHL Rumors: Canucks, Maple Leafs, Oilers, UFA Defensemen, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 16, 2020 12:50 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, Maxi Domi discusses where things are at with the Montreal Canadiens and details any talks the two sides have had. There is an update about the potential of Peter Chiarelli joining the Arizona Coyotes organization in an executive role and just how likely that is. Finally, Radko Gudas commented on his chances of staying with the Washington Capitals and fourth-line NHL players might get shafted.
Domi and Canadiens Not Talking Extension
According to Arpon Basu, forward Max Domi has said he wants to stay in Montreal and he’d like to do so on a long-term deal. Still, the two sides are not talking contract and he’s not sure where he fits in their long-term plans.
Basu quotes Domi when he writes:
“As of right now, no, there hasn’t been much discussed. But, again, there’s so much stuff going on that’s more important than my contract in the world, so I understand. All I can really tell you is I want to be in Montreal, I want to be here, I love playing in Montreal, I love my teammates, I love this team, I love this city. So, my hope is to play here for a long time and that hasn’t changed from the time I played my first game here. So that’s that.”
There is a catch. Domi wants to play center. Domi said he’d do what was asked of him by the coaching staff but Basu wonders if Domi speaking at such great length about his desire to be a center means anything about his upcoming contract talks. He adds:
But if Domi’s desire to play centre is a deal-breaker for him, aside from the financial considerations he may or may not feel are in play, it would make his next contract complicated because the Canadiens could better use him on the wing with Suzuki and Kotkaniemi emerging and Danault firmly entrenched at that position for the foreseeable future.
Related: Top 15 NHL Power Forwards
Chiarelli Not Joining the Coyotes
Last week, Steve Simmonds reported that he’d heard former Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli might be joining the Arizona Coyotes. He wrote, “An old rumour now circulating again: Are the Arizona Coyotes considering bringing in Peter Chiarelli in a senior position above GM John Chayka.”
The rumors of Chiarelli becoming part of the equation picked up steam when president and CEO Ahron Cohen had left the organization. According to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan, the two things are not connected.
Cohen’s failure to secure a new arena, along with the new owner wanting to install one of his own people is likely why Cohen was let go.
From Morgan:
Meruelo wants someone with a specific and extensive skill set on the business side, and I expect him to tab someone from his business relationships whom he trusts; a known associate. I don’t think there will be an actual search. I suspect Meruelo has someone in mind already.
Radko Gudas Hints He’s Gone From Washington
Radko Gudas was recently interviewed in the Czech Republic about his concerns regarding the NHL starting back up. His interview was translated by Alexandra Petakova of Russian Machine Never Breaks. While discussing the league, the more interesting takeaway from the interview was what he said about his own status with the Washington Capitals.
The veteran defenseman seemed to hint that he wasn’t sure he’d be part of their future plans due to tight cap space and said, “a lot of the guys with contracts about to expire” will end up leaving the Capitals this offseason. He included himself in a group that also includes Ilya Kovalchuk, Brenden Dillon, and Braden Holtby.
Fourth Line Player Will Get Snubbed
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the growing sentiment around the NHL is most of the money being taken out of the hands of the general managers will trickle down to fourth-line players.
Friedman noted that the executives he spoke with said the NHL will likely see a huge spike in league minimum salaries. What that means, is for agents who have clients that walk the line of third and fourth line duties on NHL teams, their top job will be to sell a GM that their player is not fourth-line material.
The post NHL Rumors: Canadiens, Coyotes, Capitals, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 15, 2020 12:12 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, are the Toronto Maple Leafs looking to acquire LTIR contracts? Is P.K. Subban expecting a change in New Jersey? A former Edmonton Oiler great has officially retired and what are the Winnipeg Jets doing about their backup goaltending? Finally, did the Chicago Blackhawks almost trade Duncan Keith back in 2004?
Maple Leafs Looking for Dead Money Deals
Frank Seravalli of TSN suggests the Toronto Maple Leafs could be on the lookout for some contracts that will give them extra cap flexibility next season. Those deals would come in the form of long-term injury reserve contracts for players who will never play and their salaries give the team a bit more room above the cap ceiling.
With both Nathan Horton and David Clarkson’s deals coming off the books at the end of this season, Seravalli believes Leafs management will be on the hunt for replacements.
Seravalli notes Ryan Kesler’s contract may be the most suitable for the Leafs as he still has two years remaining on his contract with the Anaheim Ducks. As Seravalli reports, 80% of the salary owed to Kesler is covered by insurance but the veteran forward still carries a cap hit of $6.875 million per season. He also lists Marian Gaborik, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, and Brent Seabrook as options.
Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman doesn’t necessarily agree the Maple Leafs will go this route. He notes, “They knew they were starting last year without Travis Dermott and Zach Hyman. It wasn’t an easy dance for them — or Vegas — last season.”
Related: Top 10 NHL Backup Goaltenders
Backup Goalie Options for Jets
Ken Wiebe of The Athletic took a closer look at some backup goaltender options for the Winnipeg Jets if they don’t re-sign pending free agent Laurent Brossoit. He notes the Jets could try to acquire St. Louis’ Jake Allen and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk via trade, or they could go the UFA route and try to snag the New York Islanders’ Thomas Greiss and San Jose’s Aaron Dell.
While the Jets have Eric Comrie in their system, Wiebe doesn’t believe the Jets are banking on him as an option. He writes:
Given all the upheaval from this season, Comrie played the fewest games since turning pro (23, including 20 in the AHL), so that could be a consideration in the discussion as well. It also increases the likelihood a veteran is brought in, at least to compete for the backup job.
Related: Do You Know Your Maple Leafs Trivia?
P.K. Subban Hints At Changes
In my opinion, I’m still one of the top defencemen in the league,” P.K. Subban told Men’s Journal earlier this week. Understanding that this past season was the worst in his career as an NHL star, “When I’m in the biggest games, the biggest moments, I feel that I’m one of the players that teams would love to have on their team and that they can rely on, and that’s always been my game.”
Subban noted that he was dealing with big adjustments going from Nashville to New Jersey and suggested he’s positive good things will come. He said, “So it’s an adjustment, but I definitely believe that there’s better things to come for me in my career, whether it’s winning a Norris Trophy or Stanley Cup.”
Subban didn’t say that he felt he might leave the Devils but there has been speculation the team might be considering moving his $9 million contract after such a poor season for both he and the team.
Blackhawks Almost Trade Duncan Keith
As part of an interview with former Blackhawks general manager Mike Smith, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus discusses how Smith claims Bob Pulford had planned on trading defenseman Duncan Keith.
Lazerus writes:
Now, Smith calls this a “grapevine thing,” so take it with a grain of salt. But to him, it’s a perfect example of how right he was for the job, and how wrong Pulford was. The way Smith tells it, Pulford was this close to trading then-prospect Duncan Keith to the Flyers, packaging him with three other players to bring 34-year-old Jeremy Roenick and 34-year-old Tony Amonte back to Chicago in the twilight of their careers.
Keith’s name comes up in trade rumors from time-to-time now, but back then, he was on the verge of becoming a star and a critical component to the many Blackhawks Stanley Cup Championship wins.
Ales Hemsky Retires
In a Q and A with The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, former Edmonton Oilers forward Ales Hemsky admitted that he’s been forced to retire from hockey.
Hemsky said:
“I was hoping I would come back. I was working out for a year, skating. I was thinking I was getting better. I realized I wasn’t. I didn’t want to talk about it. I was just doing really bad – really depressed.”
He says after trying to come back in Europe, that dream is over and he’s finally at peace with his decision and is going to enjoy the time with his kids.
The post NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Jets, Blackhawks, Subban, Hemsky, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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