NHL Rumor Mill – July 29, 2021

by | Jul 29, 2021 | Rumors | 91 comments

What does the future hold for trade candidates Jack Eichel and Vladimir Tarasenko in the wake of yesterday’s free-agent frenzy? Read on for the latest in today’s NHL rumor mill.

THE ATHLETIC: John Vogl provides an update on where things stand with the Buffalo Sabres’ efforts to trade Jack Eichel. The Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers could still be in the mix but the Minnesota Wild have dropped out. The Los Angeles Kings’ free-agent spending spree (Phillip Danault, Alex Edler and Andreas Athanasiou) takes them out of the equation.

Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (NHL Images).

Vogl indicates the Sabres feel teams are offering too little for Eichel while the interest parties feel the Sabres are asking too much. Teams with cap space that could benefit from a first-line center like Eichel include the Ducks, Rangers, Seattle Kraken, New York Islanders, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Just because most of those teams have the cap space to acquire Eichel’s hefty contract doesn’t mean they will. His neck injury and the Sabres’ high asking price are the big sticking points here.

The Kraken lack suitable assets in draft picks, prospects and young NHL talent to make a suitable bid. The Islanders still have to re-sign Anthony Beauviller, Adam Pelech and Ilya Sorokin.

The Predators are already carrying two expensive centers in Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen and won’t be keen to add a third unless the Sabres agree to take Duchene or Johansen in return. The Devils, meanwhile, are building around young centers Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes.

Vogl’s colleague Michael Russo reports the Wild backed out because they’re fed up with the Sabres’ high asking price for a $10 million star with a neck injury. Meanwhile, Hailey Salvian wonders if the Calgary Flames could be positioning themselves to make a bid for Eichel with $12.9 million in cap space.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild could get back into it if the Sabres reduce their price. However, I think their focus is on re-signing Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala. As for the Flames, GM Brad Treliving probably kicked tires but I don’t think he’s planning a serious bid here. His bold moves were signing Blake Coleman and acquiring Nikita Zadorov.

Eric Stephens observes the Ducks can afford Eichel if general manager Bob Murray can convince Sabres GM Kevyn Adams to take back a salary in return, suggesting Adam Henrique or Rickard Rakell as options. He anticipates the Ducks would also have to part with a promising young center (other than Trevor Zegras) and their 2022 first-round pick as part of the return.

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks believes Chris Drury’s first summer as Rangers GM can be distilled by whatever decision he makes regarding Eichel. He speculates the Vegas Golden Knights could be among the Eichel suitors after shipping out Marc-Andre Fleury’s $7 million cap hit to the Chicago Blackhawks. Brooks believes there’s no need for Drury to rush into a deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I think the Ducks and Rangers are most interested in Eichel. Nevertheless, I don’t see them pulling the trigger until the Sabres reduce their price and they get assurances Eichel’s health has improved.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: David Schoen reports Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon poured cold water on the notion of his club pursuing Eichel. “We’re not likely to be involved in other discussions,” said McCrimmon. He pointed out they’ve spent the money available to them and addressed their needs going forward.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights made several moves, but none that addressed their obvious need for a true first-line center. The only nod in that direction was signing third-line center Mattias Janmark. As things stand now, they’ll be heading into 2021-22 with Chandler Stephenson and William Karlsson remaining as their top-two centers.

They might not be in on Eichel but that doesn’t mean they don’t make a move for another center before training camp. Maybe they make a move for Mika Zibanejad if the Rangers decide to make a serious pitch for Eichel? Yes, Zibanejad has a no-movement clause but maybe he’d waive it for Vegas. Something to ponder, folks.

THE ATHLETIC: Jeremy Rutherford reports a source believes the St. Louis Blues are diminishing Vladimir Tarasenko’s trade value the longer they hand onto the unhappy winger. The source feels Blues GM Doug Armstrong miscalculated the situation by seeking too much in return. Where once there were four teams interested in Tarasenko there are now still at least two but the options are dwindling following yesterday’s activity in the free-agent market.

Rutherford believes the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils make the most sense as trade destinations. The Devils have plenty of salary cap space and would like to add a top-six forward. The Hurricanes have $15.4 million in cap space and need scoring but they must also re-sign winger Andrei Svechnikov. He also wondered if the Blues might include Tarasenko in a pitch for Jack Eichel.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Armstrong has indicated he wouldn’t have any problem with Tarasenko returning this season but I don’t think that’s in anyone’s best interest right now. The Blue GM could be forced to accept less than his asking price to move him now. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

The Devils could be out if Brandon Saad accepts the contract offer they pitched him yesterday. If that falls through, maybe they’d be willing to pursue a Tarasenko deal if he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause.







91 Comments

  1. Buffalo is a mess. If you Thought they were bad this last season, next they are going to be be so far behind they will think they are first. Three consecutive first overall picks might change things (with Dahlin) in about 5 years.

    Who is playing the twine for Arizona ? Not much left on the UFA pile -Saad . Still a couple of big trades to happen but that might take until training camp.

    • I still thought Buffalo’s top 6 on paper and D led by Dahlen/Risto/Montour would make them competitive last season.

      Something deeper wrong there which as a Rangers fan makes me wary of overpaying for Jack

      • Been saying the same thing for awhile now. I think Eichel is the poison on the locker room. Bad attitude and teams are picking up on it. Good luck dumping him.

      • Eichel was injured much of the season. Hall did not pan out their. I think buffalo’s woes last season were simply that. Lost their top line centre, Hall needs good line mates to produce. He isn’t a guy that carries the play. Oh then the roster weaknesses.

        Maybe Buffalo can get near what they ask for Eichel if they are also willing to take back toxic contracts.

      • If their issue was losing Eichel last year, what was wrong the 5-6 years prior they finished at the bottom of the pile?

        This team has had plenty of talent, but has bred a losing culture. I can’t say Eichel isn’t part of the problem.

    • Even with his poor start due to residual effects of covid, Zib was still nearly a point per game guy. He has 1 year left at 5.3 mil. Trading him to make room for Eichel doesn’t make much sense. Doesn’t solve issue of adding high end center depth.

      • Agree on Zib. I wonder how much he expects next contract?
        IMHO Rangers should extend and make a deal for Hertl. The Sharks seem to think they can still contend with this core…………..

      • Slick62,

        agree with this – 100%.

        rich

      • We should keep Zinbanejad, forget Eichel !!!!!

      • ds. I’m hoping Zib gets a well structured 6 year deal that keeps AAV at around 8M. Buffalo without Eichel will have around 40 mil in cap space. I’d be willing to part with Kakko OR Nils if they retained at least 20%. Otherwise, let’s roll with what we have and see where we’re at come deadline. Plenty of centers on expiring contracts. Could also look to sign a C or RW for a year.

      • @Slick
        Agenda changes if Chytil takes the next step with a new coach.
        Laf with top 6 minutes will be productive. kid got almost ZERO powerplay time.
        Kakko ended the season strong…
        I just dont like missed coverage by our centers…

      • I don’t really like Chytil at center. Not sure there’s much more of a ceiling. They just gave him 2 year deal. Could still be traded

      • What about Montreal? They are about to free up the cap space with Weber’s LTIR and have a tonne of assets.

        Drouin, Romanov, Evans, Harris/Guhle and a pick might work.

      • What’s not to like about Chytil? He hasn’t seen any top 6 time, ever!

        They rolled the dice , lost on Lias Anderson, lost on Hajek, Howden, etc.

        Chytil is a solid prospect. Better than anyone mentioned above. Roll the dice on another question mark? Then they clearly lost the Stepan, Raanta, Mcdonagh / Miller trades .

        Maybe trade away Miller, Fox , Lafrienere, Kakko for some more question marks? Then they have officially become Buffalo, Edmonton, Arizona rebuilders?

        Can’t wait!

  2. Eichel is a risk but if he’s injured it would be a 10 million LTIR so I believe that wouldn’t count against the cap. It comes down to whether a team has assets to offer and if he’s in the lineup is there sufficient cap room to have quality players on hand.

    Toronto saddled with Brinks contracts to four players., 2-3 of them pure figure skaters that can’t or don’t want to finish a check if their lives depended on it. So now you have a tevolving door of quality players leaving because Toronto can’t afford to keep them because if overpaying others.

    Let’s not kid ourselves though. Lots of teams are heading in that direction. Defensemen hitting 9 mil per year, third liners making 5 mil or more per year, money and term being handed out like tuna samples at Costco.

    Flat salary cap. Someone else’s player is the missing piece for a GM in the belief Shangri-la is just around the corner. Only to offer draft picks as sweeteners to find a sucker to take that same player off their hands once reality of overpayment and underproduction sets in.

    • Frank, teams know that they could put Eichel on LTIR if his neck injury proves to be extremely serious. But they’re not looking to pick him up to put him on LTIR. And they wouldn’t recoup the assets given up to get him. Make no mistake – Eichel’s health situation is a major roadblock to a trade.

    • All so true Frank! But the risk for Eichel isn’t injury and LTIR, it’s injury and Eichel being able to PLAY. How would you like to end up with a $10mil+ player who scores 10 goals a year? THAT’S the problem here.

    • If you are a GM and have to saddle yourself with a small number of players, It’s better if they are Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov, and now Point, and if each is willing to leave you a Fourth liner equivalent below the max because “team”. Yes there will be aging but the ages are staggered, and players with good attitudes who are team guys are not the end of the world, even if they are “overpaid” at contract’s end. The market does seem to demand high prices for elite talent, but these are four drafted guys that have been in the organization full career….there’s a lot to be said for that vs the vagaries of the marketplace.

  3. As I keep saying, Eichel will probably start the season in Buffalo in the hope that he can show the rest of the league that the disc problem will not be an ongoing issue and in the hope that he can put up enough points and stay in the line-up to the point where some teams may be willing to up the ante to Buffalo’s liking.

    If he can’t do all that and opts for the controversial surgery in a last-ditch effort to salvage his career, then that $10 mil goes on LTIR.

    Once again – Adams is between the classical rock and a hard place because he sure as hell isn’t going to make a less-than-desirable trade only to discover that Eichel is perfectly capable of playing every day and putting up big points for someone else.

  4. Eichel has been working out and skating. IMO, Buffalos insistence on rest and rehab has forced Eichel to put off surgery. They got what they wanted in that regard. It’s possible he could play elsewhere and revisit options for surgery next off season. I don’t think he’s willing to put it off to return to Sabres line up. Still think Buffalo should consider retaining at least 20% salary to maximize return. Drury is iol waiting them out. I think he’s ok with Eichel going west as well. Islanders could be landing spot for Tarasenko. Need to replace Eberle and they havnt signed Palmieri either.

    • Would ya do Chytl, Strome , Gorgi and Hajek for Eichel with 20% retained?

      • IHC. Heck yeah. I’d do it. Doubt Sabres would though.

    • Buffalo does not want Eichel to have the surgery. It has never been done in a professional hockey player so they have concerns it will prevent him from playing afterwards. Eichel wants the surgery. That is the rift between the player and franchise. It remains to be seen if another team will allow him to have the surgery.

      Perhaps Buffalo should simply roll e dice and let Eichel have the surgery. Then as compensation insist he comes back to Buffalo and build his stock up by proving the issue is behind him. Then trade him.

      It’s a gamble but they are asking teams to take the same gamble with this trade.

      • I think you’re wrong about the Flames. Tre is ot done, if he comes back with this core and they do nothing again he is gone next year. He wants another top 4d and needs to make a big splash. I don’t know if I like the idea of Eichel, but I bet it’s more than just kicking tires, they have been brought up by many that they are serious pursuers.

  5. As far as Tarasenko is concerned, Jeremy Rutherford’s source appears to be Tarasenko’s new agent. The agent has made a mess of this whole thing from the beginning, not Armstrong. Regardless, I hope the drama ends today, one way or another.

    • Rutherford has recently been called out in the St. Louis sports media for blowing this way out of proportion. Tarasenko is said to be in St. Louis working out with current Blues in the off season, as was one of the first Blues to call and welcome Buch to the Blues. Does this really sound like a player who wants to be traded?

      • Kind of interesting that he hasn’t said a word publicly about being unhappy. I think he got pressured into a “story” by his new agent, who sold him on the idea of playing in New York. Annoying situation.

      • Tarasenko could also be keeping this professional to show other potential team distinction he won’t drag stuff into the public view and respect the prodded.

  6. Danault upset to fall behind Suzuki and Kotkaniemi offensive positions and having a more defense/checking role.

    Welcome to Quinton Byfield , Alex Turcotte, Gabriel Vilardi who will all slot in front of him and of course Anze Kopitar.

    LA signed Danault 6×5.5 or what will be a 4th line centre on the team.

    I like Danault but you have to recognize him for what he is.

    • The centers you mention not named Kopitar have played a combined 70 nhl games (64 by Vilardi, 0 for Turcotte) and have combined for 31 total points (30 from Vilardi, 1 from Byfield).

      I don’t think LA is in any rush to push them ahead of Danault. Nor have any of them earned that quite yet.

      • Captain Obvious,

        Danault felt pressure after 1 year Suzuki and 2 years Kotkaniemi.

        Vilardi will pressure Danault to 3rd line this year and both Byfield and Turcotte will apply pressure inside of two years.

        Point being he jumped out of the frying pan into the fire

      • I think he’ll have 2-3 years of being comfortable. I would not be shocked if LA considers moving one of those young centers in the future. And or 1 doesn’t work out.

        Kopitar has 3 years left and is 33 and more than likely starts into his decline.

      • But this pans got palm trees and sun.

      • That liquid that fish fornicate in? Hard pass.

    • Nice try, HF30, but you know Danault will not be a 4th line centre in LA. Not on that contract and not with his skill.

      • habfan30 ever think of changing your name to habfan30untilyournot1.
        Danault did your team well, very well and is a top player, consistent, reliable, and quite effective in his role. It’s a shame his scoring went south this year but this year could be a one off offensively.
        Honestly the guy a player too bad he priced his way out, aka leafing it.

    • Rob Blake knows exactly what Danault is, and he know what he has for C’s and young players.
      He isn’t a fool.
      He will slide in and take the tough assignments and win the battle more often than not which frees up sheltered offensive opportunity matchups for the young guys.

      It is possible Byfield starts in the AHL after a look at start of the year to get the reps he missed last year due to Covid. Wouldn’t surprise me at all.

      • I heard that Danault’s agent has said that money was not the issue. Give me a break! One thing I’ve learned from 30 years of practicing law is that whenever someone says it’s not about the money, you can be damn sure it is about the money. Danault and his agent, like all players, have the right to sign where they want and for any reason they want. But I wish some of those players and agents wouldn’t talk as if they think we’re all stupid.

        Ray, you are actually making HabFan’s point. Danault will take the tough assignments to free up sheltered offensive opportunity for the young guys. That is exactly what he’s done the past season and a half in Montreal and what supposedly drove him out of Montreal. After 2 seasons, when the young centers are ready to slot up, Danault will be used primarily in a defensive role once again and will whine about it once again. As much as he thinks he may be, he’s not a high end offensive player, though he has often been more than okay on that end. Not as a goal scorer, though.

        That being said, I still wish the Habs had found a way to keep him. He was certainly valuable to them and leaves a hole that won’t be easy to fill. Bergevin stated that after Danault turned down the 6 year, $5m. AAV offer last fall, there were no further talks. It seems to me that a deal could have been made ha dsome more effort been invested. This is another unfortunate example of Bergevin’s hard-line, take-it-or-leave-it tactics that drove guys like Markov and Radulov away.

      • Howard, not sure I am making his point for him, at least how I look at things.
        Here is how I see it: now that Danault has his term and $$ I don’t think he cares who he lines up against or where he starts his shifts. And for that matter what # you put in front of the letter C.
        He will play 18 plus minutes a night against tough competition. Now a 33 yr old Kopitar or the young guys don’t have to.
        He knows what he is good at, he knows what players LA has

        He will be a valuable asset regardless. Maybe it was all about the $$, or maybe it was about Bergevin, or maybe it is sunshine and palm trees. Good player who makes LA better.

      • I never said that Danault isn’t a good player, I said that he isn’t worth the contract dollars and term AND he will find himself in the exact same situation in LA as he was in Montreal within two years.

        Montreal has never had a prototypical first line because the talent simply hasn’t been there.

        The coaching staff created a hybrid, two 20-25 goal guys with a checker, shut down the top line and score some.

        It wouldn’t surprise me if one of the lines tried in training camp to replicate it will be:

        Drouin-Paquette-Gallagher

        It depends on which Drouin comes to camp.

    • Kings see the weak Pacific division and know they have a good chance @ 2nd spot.

      Also Danault was a major key to taking out Vegas as well as a target by both Seattle and Vegas as an UFA this summer.

    • Good call there Habfan. This contract and what Calgary gave Coleman, Seattle gave Schwartz and others hearkens me back to the Johnson trade. Suddenly these deals made what Bowman paid in LITR to Tampa look ordinary

  7. With 28 million in hand Sweeney/Neely did a bad job ….

    Priority…… Hall…Krejci….depth on D….goalie….. build scoring on the 3rd line get size and checking on the 4th line

    • Would ya trade Debrusk for a 2nd/3rd to clear cap space then sign Kregci for2 yrs. 4.5/5 million.

  8. That should read LD & depth on D

  9. Well Buffalo addressed their need for a quality goalie coach. Oh wait. They expect Craig Anderson to play??
    LOL

    Get that man a flack jacket, he’s gonna need i.

    • after they trade Jack how long before Dahlen wants out?

      • No to mention it is likely Power is throwing up repeatedly in a bathroom somewhere

  10. Hall, Ullmark and Lazar for Eichel

    • Beautiful Caper

    • Beauty!

      👏 👏 👏

  11. All in all, the Habs did okay yesterday. There’s always talk about how free agents don’t want to come to Montreal. And the top guys certainly don’t seem to want to. But the last two UFA periods have shown that there are enough guys a level below that who are open to coming to Montreal to allow the Habs to sign some pretty good players.

    There were really only 2 “A” level UFAs who went to market: Grubauer, whom the Habs certainly didn’t need, and Hamilton, who preferred a less-pressured locale and who anyway wanted a lot more money than the Habs would pay.

    After Hamilton, Savard was the top UFA RD available. He won’t add any offense, but will strengthen the defensive play and PK, while adding leadership. Hoffman was the best offensive forward available. He and Caufield will certainly strengthen the PP. And both Savard and Hoffman came in a reasonable money and term.

    Bergevin should still try to add an RD who can contribute offensively. a guy like Vatanen on a 1 year, $1-1.5m. deal would be reasonable. And a third line center will be needed. Kotkaniemi should be given the opportunity to be #2 behind Suzuki, but some veteran backup is needed. If a deal cannot be worked out with the Yotes for Dvorak, there are some UFAs, such as Bozak, Staal and Zajac, who would be useful on short term, low cost deals, I don’t see Krejci. He either stays in Boston or goes home to the Czech Republic. He’d also be too expensive.

    • Howard:

      Remember Norlinder is a good prospect who may stick. Wideman may improve the PP as well.

      I would like to see the young d get a chance, including more ice time for Romanov, whose sparse playing time in the playoffs bemused me.

      • I agree that the kids should be given a chance. I’d like to see Romanov get more ice time; he’s in the starting lineup no matter what else happens. But I’d like to see a real NHL RD line up next to him rather than Wideman. Norlinder is also an LD, and it’s unsure if he’ll be ready. So it’ll help to have a veteran like Vatanen around on a cheap contract, which can be completely buried in the minors if others beat him out for a spot.

  12. I thought the Jets did well yesterday filling their most pressing need, D, with Schmidt and Dillon. They clearly improved.

    The Canucks also improved defensively and got rid of a lot of bad contracts and improved their cap situation.

    The Flyers made out like bandits with Risto and Ellis.

    The Habs can’t replace Weber but Savard and Hoffman were good signings.

    Poorest team the Leafs? Went sideways with their goaltending, signed no one of significance because they refuse to fix their cap problem, watched Nick Foligno walk after paying a first and a fourth draft pick for a guy who played 11 games for them; piece de resistance? Refusing a sign and trade that would have gotten them 2 draft picks for Hyman, then watched him sign with the Oil for nada.

    My Leafs buddy is eating meds like they were smarties.

    • LJ, a word of caution on Hoffman. Don’t get your hopes up too high with this guy. There’s a reason he’s bounced around like a demented Indian rubber ball despite putting up decent numbers – 4 major junior teams (Kitchener, Gatineau, Drummondville, Saint John). and 5 NHL teams and counting (Ottawa, SJ (for less than 24 hours), Florida, St. Louis and now Montreal.

      • Fair point, George. But bear in mind that two of the Habs’ coaches have ties to Hoffman. Richardson coached him in the AHL and Burrows played with him in Ottawa. They’re obviously not concerned. And he’s scored wherever he’s gone.

      • George: yeah, I do remember the sh*& storm around him in Ottawa. I’ve not heard anything since about his attitude, and sometimes perfectly good players get moved. Guess I am whistling past the grave yard …

      • George O

        Hoffman spent 8 years in the Sens organization and I don’t recall any issues till he was run out of town by Karlsson and that was supposedly off ice issues between wife/girlfriend.

        He left Florida because he was looking for a $7 million contract as a goal scorer so he went UFA and the market dried up.

        All he does is put the puck in the net 🙂

      • OK, well time will tell … but this is what I observed in his Ottawa years. Yes, he put the puck in the net … many many times when Ottawa was running up the score he’d gladly get into the act with goals 4,5 and maybe 6 in a romp. But never – and I repeat never – could you count on him to be the catalyst when the team was in a funk – take the team on his shoulders if you will – and lead the way back to winning.

        And from someone I know who follows Florida closely, he was exactly the same there.

        Oh, and show me one major junior sniper who bounced from one team to another involving 4 teams – in two different junior leagues.

        Maybe I’m dead wrong … and if so I will acknowledge it here. But if I’m right I will be saying “I told you so.”

      • George you hit the nail on the head ….Hoffman can score I will give him that but he is one dimensional. Not sure why the Habs felt they needed to add scoring with Caufield about to burst full time on to the scene
        I like the Savard addition , Paquette meh , Wideman is kinda the same mold as Mete. If he gets decent minutes he could be good but if he is getting dressed every other game and 10 minutes of ice time you won’t see him at his best.
        Evans and KK are going to be leaned on to mature quickly. Suzuki has already shown he has the goods. Czikas was the ideal guy to pivot the 4th line. Letting Perry bolt ( pun intended ) was also a mistake IMO. Time will tell

    • If you think the Canucks did well then I’d have to disagree. They cleared out cap for one year and added a monster contract with term.
      They also signed Poolman for 4 years.
      Other than Garland, nothing positive happened. This projects to be major pain for the canucks.
      they better go deep this year otherwise its an absolute mess, fortunately they are in the pacific so making the playoffs shouldn’t be a huge challenge

  13. Boston fans would ya to complete the roster

    To ARZ: DeBrusk & 1st

    To BOS: Dvorak

    • Swing at the fence.

      To Habs: Dvorak & Chychrun

      To the Yotes: Byron, Chairot, Guhle, Ylonen, a ’22 2nd & 3rd rder & ’23 1st & 2nd rder.

      Chariot would likely be able to be moved at the trade deadline as a UFA for a fairly hefty price in draft picks. Byron moved with salary retained at the deadline as well, for a decent return, also in draft picks.

      • few more 1sts thrown in there for Chychrun

        basically Byron and Chairot have no meaniful value….

        I know wi wouldnt offer a 2nd for either of those two players at the deadline but I certainly would offer a 1st just for Chychrun.

      • My team would look like:

        Price
        Allen

        Edmundston
        Petry

        Chychrun
        Savard

        Romanov
        Jason Demers ( sign 2 yrs, $1.5 per)

        Kulak

        Suzuki
        Toffoli
        Caufield

        Dvorak
        Drouin
        Anderson

        Evans
        Hoffman
        Gallagher

        Paquette
        Poehling
        Armia

        Lehkonen, Bozak ( sign1 yr, $1.25 mill)

        I would sign Kotkaniemi & then loan him to the Finnish league, to mature, grow & refine his game for a year or two. I think that would be better for him, than the AHL.

  14. Well, Perry has left for Tampa. Two years, $1m. AAV. Exactly the type of deal I figured he’d get with the Habs. This should have been wrapped up with the Habs two weeks ago. He wanted to come back, the Habs wanted him back. I’m willing to bet Bergevin stubbornly didn’t want to add a second year. Like what happened 4 years ago with Markov. If that was the case, it’s ridiculous, as the cap hit can be buried in the minors if necessary.

    • And so the third/fourth lines are rebuilt for the Bolts. The Grit, the smarts. work will be there.
      Enough scoring. Big question now, con one of the five competing prospects fill the Yanni Gourde role as and energy guy/pest/20 goal scorer, and can one of the others give you 80% of Coleman (harde to believe how good he was and so few noticed). This club certainly has a punchers chance to contend/threepeat. A Bonus is not facing Perry in the finals, again!

    • Crap, a loss for sure. But remember the damned tax advantage in the state of Florida. A million bucks in Tampa is worth what in Montreal? 1.3, 1.5?

      • That or the quest for the cup LJ. After how he played in the playoffs I would bet a few teams were making offers.
        Bergevin, as much as I dislike the Habs, should get credit for getting him last year.
        That is one tough division.

      • Yeah, Ray, the Cup angle is probably an issue, though he did say he wanted to re-sign with the Habs. But if the Cup is a consideration I’d agree with him that the Bolts have a better chance of winning this coming year than the Habs.

      • As has been written up many times before, the tax issue is not as straightforward as you’d think. Taxes are complicated. That’s why we have CPAs getting the big bucks to handle it for us. And, unfortunately, people making that kind of money are very good at avoiding taxes anywhere.

        What I’m trying to say, though, is that with the supposed mutual desire, this deal should have been wrapped up with Perry two weeks ago, before he could even talk to Tampa.

      • LJ,

        He wants another Cup for sure. He could have reevaluated the Habs chances for a second run after Weber & Danault will no longer be in the lineup.

        Let’s be fair about this without the two aforementioned & Perry, the leadership on the team received a major blow.

        Yes they still have Gallagher, Price & Petry, but that is only half of what they had last season.

      • Good point Uwey.

      • Do you think Perry is a regular roster player all year for TBL?
        He’ll be on waivers probably

      • For the love of God will everybody stop with this Florida tax advantage?!

        People who mention this are just parroting the mistakes others spew. Living in Florida I can tell you we have a monks the highest sales tax in the nation and property taxes are higher here in the absence of a state income tax.

        Most importantly the The average state tax in the states that have them is less than 5%. Then, you might want to consider That athletes playing in Texas Florida and Nevada only get the benefit of no state tax when they’re not playing at home or in the other states aforementioned. They pay it everywhere else.

    • Howard, when some of these better veterans get to this stage of their careers and their services are still useful and in demand by more than one team, most will demand that second year – it happened with Simmonds in Toronto. Del Zotto in Ottawa and Foligno in Boston. Those agreeing to the 2nd year get the player.

      • Agreed. Which is why Bergevin should have offered a second year. I seriously think he could have signed Perry 2 weeks ago for 2 years at $1m. AAV. And if Perry’s game would have fallen apart in year 2, the hit could be buried in the AHL.

  15. Bruins have no $$ for Krejci so even if they traded someone off the roster they really can’t take a player back … and they still have Moore to deal with, so it looks like #46 is a goner to bad one more year would’ve been nice … Unless the Bruins have something cooking that let’s go for it took a big hit

    • Send a 1st, Moore & DeBrusk to ARZ for Dvorak
      then whatever cap remains offer a 1 yr deal maybe $3m ish to krejci

  16. I think the Flames did ok. By adding a couple of really good depth players plus the trade for Pitlick I think the Flames bottom 6 will be much better.
    We have a couple of really good young players in the system in Pelletier & Zary plus drafting Coronato the future looks a little brighter.

    I hope Treliving doesn’t do anything stupid and give the farm away to go after Eichel.

    • he should just trade Monohan & Johhny G for Eichel & Okposo 50% retained

      call it a wash and move on

      • You can keep Okposo even if 50% retained.
        Still not sure about Eichels health. Trading two of our best players for someone who potentially could be finished is risky.

      • Exactly Flamefan. Too many are looking at the Eichel who entered the league 6 years ago and immediately became one of the top C in the game – and continued that for 5 seasons – up until the start of this shortened one when that disc, which clearly had been bothering him for the previous 2 seasons at least, really got the better of him to the point where he advocated for a surgery process that makes his team’s management(and I’m sure others) extremely wary.

        And these same ones who keep looking at him as that dominant C are ready to see their teams toss caution to the wind and give up a boatload of young players/prospects, not to mention top pick positions.

        The same ones would then be calling – loudly – for the the head of their team’s GM if he did make such a deal – and his condition does not improve to the point where he spends most of the time on LTIR.

        He has to start in Buffalo and show everyone that the condition is overblown and that he can still produce and remain relatively free of the injury list – THEN Adams can get a much better return.

      • IHC, Surely you can’t be serious? Don’t call me Shirley

  17. You know what sucks?
    Being an Isles fan and being shut out by the “cone of silence”.

    Tarasanko to the Isles seems likely.

    Run silent , run deep.

  18. Coyle would have to wave Jake Debrusk ,Moore , Swayman and a first round pick for Jack. Bruins May need to add prospect like Beecher or Zboril or maybe one of this years picks not named Fabian.

  19. When a player is “low balled” in free agency it is always by the team that they have played for & know them best. So is it really???

    Yet another team will often “swoop in” & give them what they believe they deserve.

    From what history looks like through my eyes on this subject, the majority of those teams that swoops in generally regrets those signings within time.

    Thus I believe the biggest problem is over evaluating what a player is worth , rather than under evaluating what that same player is worth in this league.

  20. i never thought the injury was as serious as led on , i believe its a power move by eichel its a move that’s been done in most sports now the handling of the injury card . think of it this way the sabres put a ton of money in his pocket why wouldn’t they want what’s best for their investment. he’s the captain would not look quitting on your team and another thing their was supposed to be an independent injury arbiter ruling on treatment in june after the end of may treatment deadline . we all know buffalo is a mess but this one smells like eichel being the pain he reported to be

  21. Perrault either Habs. Fills the Québécois quota