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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 11/27/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
11/27/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on Nov 26, 2019 01:15 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, we provide a quick follow-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mike Babcock story from yesterday, there is connected accusations about another coach in the NHL and speculation that he’s been let go from his job with the Calgary Flames and we get into some trade talk about Kyle Turris. Finally, despite speculation the Edmonton Oilers are looking to make a trade, the GM has a different idea.
Babcock/Marner Maple Leafs Story True
It was reported yesterday that back when Mitch Marner was a rookie, he was singled-out by then coach Mike Babcock, asked to make a list of players on the team in order of their effort level. That list was shared with the team, really putting Marner in an awkward position. The story is true.
In a follow-up, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reached out to Babcock and the response he received was, “I was trying to focus on work ethic with Mitch — focusing on role models — ended up not being a good idea. I apologized at (the) time.”
Marner himself addressed the report in a media scrum and admitted it was true but that it was a long time ago. He was surprised by the request to make a list and said, “I was lucky enough that the guys that were there with me, none of them took it to heart.”
Since the story became public, there have been more and more media members and other stories about other coaches that have come to light and it’s not a good look for those being accused and hockey in general.
Bill Peters Removed as Head Coach?
After these reports about Babcock surfaced, former hockey player Akim Aliu said, “Not very surprising the things we’re hearing about Babcock. Apple doesn’t fall far from the Tree.”
We’ve covered the story on Aliu’s allegations and the response from the Flames in another article but Pierre LeBrun of TSN has added that two more former players and teammates from Rockford are backing Aliu’s allegations regarding Peters. With these allegations likely true, and with how quickly the NHL was to make a statement, speculation is that Peters has been fired.
In a tweet that has since been removed, David Amber of Sportsnet wrote that Jeff Marek reported Peters’ termination on Tuesday.
There are conflicting reports here however, with some saying that he has not been terminated. Mark Villani, reports the Flames have said, “Bill has not been relieved of his duties, we are continuing this ongoing investigation right now.”
It appears likely this doesn’t end well for Peters but this is a situation we’ll keep an eye on. It might be that Peters resigns amidst all the backlash and bad PR he’s receiving. At the very lest, bad press would be saddled to the Flames organization should they keep him.
Kyle Turris Frustrated in Nashville
Jared Clinton of The Hockey News reports that Kyle Turris is growing frustrated with his situation in Nashville and lack of playing time. Turris remains a healthy scratch despite injuries to key players and a series of losses.
Clinton writes:
At this rate, with Turris consistently out of the lineup and coach Peter Laviolette seemingly possessing little-to-no interest in reinserting the pivot back into the lineup, one imagines Poile would be amenable to the idea of re-homing the 30-year-old center if for no other reason than to get some salary cap relief. Turris’ $6-million cap hit –
That said, Clinton also writes that Poile likely doesn’t want to move Turris for next to nothing considering what it cost to acquire him — Samuel Girard and Vladislav Kamenev and a second-round pick.
Oilers to Wait a Couple of Months to Make Move
Kurt Leavins of The Edmonton Journal writes that Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland was on Bob Stauffer’s 630 CHED show yesterday. During that interview, Holland addressed rumors the team was looking to add via trade.
Holland insinuated that the Oilers intend to keep the same roster for the next couple of months and then, depending on where they are in the standings, could make a significant addition that will help the team ensure a playoff birth.
Kreider Isn’t Thinking About His Contract
Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider isn’t thinking about his contract, speculation of a trade, or status as a pending unrestricted free agent. When asked, Kreider said he hasn’t thought about it at all.
Kreider said:
“I’ve been around long enough to understand that there is a hockey component to this and there is a business component to this and there is no value in combining them. I understand the interest and the question, but I don’t think it’s useful to talk about it.”
The post NHL Rumors: Flames, Maple Leafs, Predators, Oilers, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Nov 25, 2019 02:05 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news about the Edmonton Oilers and their needs heading into their scouting meetings, the Vancouver Canucks are planning to negotiate with one of their goaltenders and is Nicklas Backstrom negotiating his next deal with Washington without an agent? Finally, is Monday’s St. Louis Blue game versus the Nashville Predators going to be a blood bath?
Oilers Needs and Immediate Plans
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal tweets that the Edmonton Oilers had their pro scouting meetings in Las Vegas while on their current road trip. A shopping list of sorts was produced and on GM Ken Holland‘s list is a right-handed, third-line center that can win faceoffs and an offensive left-winger that can play on the second line.
This is not the first time Matheson has tweeted something like this as he specifically mentioned Jean-Gabriel Pageau a few days ago as a target the Oilers might have in mind.
Allan Mitchell of The Athletic notes that options for that third-line center spot include Pageau, Joel Ericksson Ek, and Mathieu Perreault. Mitchell notes the price for Pageau would be high. He also writes of Perreault:
He doesn’t play centre in Winnipeg; the organization is flush with options. He could slide into the No. 3 role with the Oilers immediately. His offensive ability would be a welcome addition to Edmonton’s bottom six forwards and he can help on the power play.
In other Oilers news, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is dealing with a hand injury and missed Sunday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. It is expected he will also miss Wednesday’s game versus the Colorado Avalanche. Outside of that, the injury isn’t too serious. Jujhar Khaira should be back with the team on Wednesday, also recovering from a hand injury.
Canucks Want Markstrom Back
As per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest edition of “Saturday Headlines” Jacob Markstrom and the Vancouver Canucks have yet to formally begin contract extension talks. That said, Friedman notes those discussions are expected to “intensify” over the coming weeks.
Despite having some depth at the goaltending position, it is believed that the Canucks want Markstrom back. If they are successful, they will then decided what to do with goalie prospects like Thatcher Demko and Michael DiPietro, possibly keeping all three.
Backstrom Negotiating Deal Without Agent
We mentioned in yesterday’s rumor rundown that the Washington Capitals and Nicklas Backstrom were beginning contract talks. There’s been an interesting wrinkle added to the story.
“I’m told … that he has begun talks with the Capitals without an agent,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the latest edition of “Saturday Headlines.” That’s an interesting approach by Backstrom but not an unfamiliar one in Washington where Alex Oveckin did the same thing when he signed his last deal.
There is always a risk that the player will leave money on the table in this sort of situation but if you know what you want and what you’re worth, especially if you know you want to stay in your current situation, Backstrom likely has a number in his mind and this should be too difficult a negotiation.
He’ll likely be looking for a slight bump on his current $6.7 million contract.
Predators vs Blues to Get Nasty?
Ken Campbell of the Hockey News writes that tonight’s game between the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues should be one to watch. After Robert Bortuzzo of the Blues viciously crosschecked Viktor Arvidsson and got away with only a four-game suspension, the two teams play each other just two days later.
There is a sense in Nashville that the NHL Player Safety committee dropped the ball here and that they need to send a message. Long gone are the days of head-hunting in the NHL but Campbell still contends “Get your tickets and set your PVRs because the Predators will be out for blood.”
The post NHL Rumors: Oilers, Canucks, Capitals, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Nov 25, 2019 12:20 pm
In one of two posts for today’s NHL rumor rundown, there’s a disheartening story that starts off the day’s rumors and news. It focuses specifically on allegations that Mike Babcock intentionally singled out one of the Toronto Maple Leafs best players and there’s speculation that this could have been a factor in Babcock’s termination and said player’s delay in re-signing with the team.
Babcock’s Mistreatment of Players
While neither Mitch Marner, Mike Babcock nor the Toronto Maple Leafs have confirmed the story, there’s a disheartening rumor going around (and from multiple sources) that during Babcock’s tenure in Toronto, he had a tendency to mistreat the players. A recent article from Toronto Maple Leafs beat reporter Terry Koshan has gone into some detail, specifically citing one story that involved a rookie and the head coach.
Koshan wrote for the Toronto Sun:
Babcock was alleged to have asked one of the Leafs’ rookies to list the players on the team from hardest-working to those who, in the eyes of the rookie, didn’t have a strong work ethic. The rookie did so, not wanting to upset his coach, but was taken aback when Babcock told the players who had been listed at the bottom.
Ian Tulloch of The Athletic and Leafs Nation digs deeper into the story, tweeting confirmation of the rumor when he wrote,”I heard about this Babcock story when it happened, but I didn’t want to bring it up until I could confirm it was true. The rookie he did this to was Mitch Marner.”
He goes into more detail on Leafs Nation where he writes:
As the story goes, Mike Babcock was frustrated with Mitch Marner for his perceived laziness in the first half of his rookie season. According to multiple sources, during the Father’s Weekend road trip in January of 2017, Babcock asked Marner to rank his teammates’ effort level that season in order of 1 through 20, ranging from the hardest working to the laziest.
Tulloch adds that Marner put himself at the bottom of the list because he knew he needed to improve but when Babcock showed the list to other players, where names of players like Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak were at the bottom, the team was furious — specifically with Babcock for putting Marner in that position.
The story goes that seeing his coach do this brought Marner to tears.
Former Babcock Players Have Come Forward Too
Marner hasn’t made comments about the story but other players have gone public with their distaste for Babcock since it was announced he’d been let go. Of the most viral, former NHL player Mike Commodore has used social media to blast his ex-coach.
Commodore has been having a field day with the news, making comments and posting photos of Babcock packing and leaving the organization. Some have criticized Commodore for his disrespectful remarks but Former Leafs player Mark Fraser has said, “Anyone who thinks @commie22 needs to lay off Babs just doesn’t understand how much hate players have for him. It’s beyond him scratching @commie22 or saying he was out of shape. #NHL players are a very very small population of athletes and people.”
What he’s referring to is Commodore’s claim that Babcock intentionally ended his NHL career. He tells a story of how he played for Babcock and was given a fat test and Babcock singled him out in front of the rest of his teammates saying he was way overweight. He then essentially benched Commodore until his contract ran out.
Commodore claims he told off Babcock and was never as out of shape as Babcock insinuated and when it came time for him to sign with a team as a free agent and Detroit was interested, Commodore asked both Babcock and GM Ken Holland if they really wanted him there due to their history. Babcock told him yes, they signed him and Babock then proceeded to bench him over and over, eventually ending his career.
Is Marner’s Story Why Babcock Was Fired?
It’s not fair to suggest this is the reason Babcock was terminated from his coaching contract, nor is it fair to claim this is the reason Marner took so long to re-sign with Toronto before this new contract was completed, but how does one not connect the dots and say, in some way, it played a factor?
If the reports are accurate that 90% of the players wanted Babcock gone and most of the team knew of this incident, no one should be surprised there was some hesitation on Marner’s part to sign long-term if the thought was that he’d be playing under Babcock for years to come.
That said, there is an argument that releasing this story now is piling on a coach who has already been let go. Bob McKenzie of TSN, for one, had said he’s not reporting on the story and others should have done so during his tenure, not after.
The post NHL Rumor: Babcock’s Mistreatment of Maple Leafs’ Marner appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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