Latest on P.K. Subban, Eric Staal, Jiri Hudler, Andrew Ladd, Loui Eriksson and many more in part one of your Sunday NHL rumor roundup.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SPORTSNET’S “SATURDAY HEADLINES”.
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin confirms defenseman P.K. Subban won’t be traded.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: And with that, the recent flurry of the dumbest trade speculation of 2015-16 mercifully draws to a quick close.
Still no indication the Carolina Hurricanes are shopping Eric Staal.
Damien Cox reports the Carolina Hurricanes have not asked pending UFA captain Eric Staal to waive his no-trade clause, he hasn’t waived it and there’s been no contract talks about a hometown discount. Cox also wondered how the change in the Islanders ownership could affect pending UFAs Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen.
Friedman speculates the Islanders and Florida Panthers could be on a short list of clubs with interest in Winnipeg Jets left wing Andrew Ladd, as they have the cap room to take on the remainder of Ladd’s $4.4 million cap hit.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those clubs also have depth in young forwards to draw up if the asking price is a good young player.
Suspended Tampa Bay Lightning winger Jonathan Droun could also remain in the rumor mill leading up to the trade deadline.
The San Jose Sharks are in the market for a backup goalie, while the Calgary Flames might seek a replacement for the injured Karri Ramo.
Their list of teams seeking forwards includes Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles Kings, the Islanders and Anaheim, although the latter is playing well right now and might not have a pressing need to address that factor. The Kings, Montreal, Pittsburgh, San Jose and Tampa Bay are looking for defense.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM GARRIOCH’S LATEST “INSIDER TRADING.”
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports teams are calling the Calgary Flames expressing interest in winger Jiri Hudler and defenseman Kris Russell. Both are UFAs at season’s end. The Flames hoped to re-sign Russell but he could earn over $5 million annually on the open mark and they could be unwilling to pay that much. Some wonder if the Flames will pursue a goalie at the deadline.
Despite the Carolina Hurricanes’ playoff push this season, they’re still looking to move pending UFA Eric Staal. Others who could be available include defenseman Ron Hainsey and forwards Kris Versteeg and Nathan Gerbe. Forward Jeff Skinner is also thought to be available but his $5.75-million annual cap hit is tough to move.
There’s interest in Toronto Maple Leafs winger P.A. Parenteau and defenseman Roman Polak. Good luck moving oft-injured winger Joffrey Lupul.
It’s believed the Flames have opened contract talks with pending RFA stars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, who will be expensive to re-sign. “Only Monahan is eligible for an offer sheet while Gaudreau can be signed with a bridge deal.”
The Philadelphia Flyers wouldn’t mind moving defensemen Mark Streit ($5.25 million through 2016-17) and Nick Schultz ( $2.25 million through next season) and winger Matt Read ($3.625 million through 2017-18).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Since last June, Flyers GM Ron Hextall was able to shed the salaries of Chris Pronger, Nicklas Grossmann, Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Scheen. He might find a taker for Streit, Schultz or Read. Of the three, Schultz is the most affordable.
The Edmonton Oilers are shopping forwards Lauri Korpikoski ($2.5 million next season) and Teddy Purcell (a UFA this season) along with blueliner Justin Schultz.
San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson seeks a defenseman.
The Bruins are trying to re-sign pending UFA winger Loui Eriksson but they’re apparently not close to an agreement.
Despite the P.K. Subban rumors, it’s believed the Montreal Canadiens will instead try moving pending UFAs Dale Weise, Tom Gilbert and Tomas Fleischmann. It’s believed there’s mild interest in center Lars Eller.
It’s believed the Vancouver Canucks will ask defenseman Dan Hamhuis to waive his no-trade clause. They would also like to move UFA winger Radim Vrbata.
It could take a trade of Winnipeg Jets winger Andrew Ladd to set the marketplace for forwards leading up to the Feb. 29 deadline.
WHO’S UP FOR GRABS IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE.
TORONTO SUN: Mike Zeisberger looks at each club in the Western Conference to determine their needs and who could be available.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: You can check out Zeisberger’s Eastern Conference trade deadline preview here.
Eric Staal, 9 goals. 31 points and $9.25M salary. Hometown discount and wait till somebody on the open market overpays?
heres a rumour for you
habs fire therrion end of the season name boucher as his replacement
get rid of about 11 million in salary 3-4 players and signs Stamkos who had his best success with boucher who started out in the Habs system
How much are you planning on paying Carey Price in this scenario?
It would be possible cap-wise but it would come with significant future departures: Patches.
I don’t know if Montreal has the franchise wide depth it would take to be a top heavy cap team.
they shouldn’t have a problem in 2 yrs in resigning price if they land stamkos and for depth they have enough depth to fill out the 3 -4 lines and 5-6 defense plus the pto contracts and short term free agent signing
besides if teams like Chicago, Los Angles , Anhiem and lets not forget Minnesota can do it why cants the habs
Matt Read is actually producing now which should help is marketibiliy. I can see nick Schultz to the Kings given the Lombardi trade history.
I don’t understand Philly – why are they dumping salary? They already are fairly young – Matt Read isn’t that old – that only suggests that they don’t think he is worth his salary – why would anyone else want it then??
I don’t think it is dumping salary as much as creating cap flexibility.
We have too many of the same kind of players…third and fourth liners, and not enough top 6 players. Hextall is also trying to create a team of pieces that fit together and not players that are forced together.
Also, the team is a good 2 years away from competing, so why pay for guys that are more of a compliment to a strong team with a long play-off run ahead, instead of a player that is needed to be in the core.
It is also the 50 contracts issue. The Flyers are always up against the 50 contracts, and to have a spot or two for something that might come up is a nice place to be.
As I said..it is more about cap and roster flexibility. Also…if you can add a second rounder at the same time, you are strengthening the team overall.
The Flyers are stacked with defensive prospects, but are quite thin at forward after Konecny. I can see them drafting heavy at forward, or possibly moving on a younger ufa forward this summer.
Montreal looking for defense? With literally no chance of making the playoffs and already the highest payroll for defense in the league, that’s a strange observation. They might be looking for defensive ‘prospects’ but to add a veteran NHL defenseman at this point seems like a long shot.
2nd highest to Calgary actually.
Not to mention their D was fine in the beginning of the year when their forwards were scoring and making decisions that kept the puck cycling.
With the possibility of the cap going down next year, players with term are gonna be hard to move. Unless the trading team eats part of the contract. Defenceman will be the high ticket items, starting with Hamhuis if he waves his no trade. Personally I think Hamhuis agrees and goes to L.A. and gets the ball rolling. The interesting thought is , if the cap goes down, will this be the summer of offer sheets. I`d love to see a list of players who are eligible for offer sheets this summer.
The # bandied about by the NHL at the Board of Governor’s meeting was still in or around 73 mill for next season. The only way it’s actually declining is if the NHLPA decides not to use their 5% escalator.
Gary Lawless was talking about a 5 year deal for Ladd with a cap hit of 6.25 mil. I hope this does not happen.
Lyle, quite the love fest you seem to have for Subban. Not saying he’s getting traded, but he isn’t untouchable. After all I bet Montreal was expecting a lot more then 5 goals for the dman that ties him for 48th place amongst defenseman. Yes I know the rest of his stats and he’s having a decent year but he isn’t having a $9m season.
There’s no “love fest”, Caper. It’s simply a fact: The Canadiens aren’t trading Subban. Maybe someday toward the end of his contract. Not this season, not this summer and not for the foreseeable future.