NHL Rumor Mill – December 3, 2021
What does the future hold for Canadiens’ Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot? Are the Senators shopping for help? Find out in today’s NHL rumor mill.
LATEST CANADIENS SPECULATION
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Stu Cowan wondered what effect the Canadiens’ recent management changes will have upon Jeff Petry’s future with the club. The 33-year-old defenseman is in the first season of a four-year, $25 million contract.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry (NHL Images).
Cowan speculates Petry could be one of the players the Canadiens move if new executive VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton decides to rebuild the roster. The blueliner carries a 15-team no-trade list. His struggles this season could also make him difficult to trade.
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports he’s spoken with several playoff contenders who value Ben Chiarot. The 30-year-old Canadiens blueliner is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Habs could try to re-sign him but LeBrun believes he could be moved by the March 21 trade deadline.
Chiarot carries a 10-team no-trade list submitted last summer. LeBrun believes the lack of quality rental defensemen could make Chiarot a hot commodity and perhaps fetch a first-round pick.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chiarot’s UFA status means he’ll move before Petry by the March trade deadline if Gorton decides to rebuild the Canadiens roster. While they could get a first-rounder for Chiarot now, that might not be the case closer to the trade deadline.
Several notable blueliners, including Dallas’ John Klingberg, Seattle’s Mark Giordano, Anaheim’s Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson, and New Jersey’s P.K. Subban are also pending UFAs who could become available in March. If that happens, the Habs’ chances of landing a first-round pick for Chiarot get slimmer.
I can see the Canadiens shopping Petry in the offseason if Gorton decides to shake things up. That’s when teams have more salary-cap space and a willingness to spend. Petry’s had a difficult season but his four consecutive 40-point seasons between 2017-18 and 2020-21 will tempt teams seeking an experienced puck-moving blueliner.
WILL A TRADE HELP THE SENATORS?
TSN: Darren Dreger believes Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion is looking for some help for his struggling club. However, it appears it will be up to the current players to find a way out of their current situation.
The Senators have a gaping hole at center with Colin White and Shane Pinto out with long-term injuries. They also need better goaltending and are weak defensively. Dreger believes a trade can’t cover all of that up with a trade or two.
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators’ last-place status in the standings won’t push Dorion to make a move simply for the sake of doing so. The club has assets to make a deal for help at forward but it’s difficult to find at this time of year without paying a big asking price.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: We can’t rule out the possibility of a trade but no one’s going to toss Dorion a lifeline here. Teams will be happy to make a trade with the Senators GM if they feel they can fleece him for one of his good young players.
It’s the same issue facing the Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks. That means the fans of those three clubs are in for a long, miserable season with little or no help coming from the trade market.
Question to all! Would you be happy if your team sent a 1st for chiarat?
No. The guy hasn’t played a full season his whole career. A team will need more than just Chiarot for a 1st round pick.
Last year Chiarot missed games due to a broken hand from a fight. He plays a physical style and still plays most games. You dock him marks for playing a 78 game season?
This is just idle chatter to me, but the only way Chiarot doesn’t bring a first is the timing of a trade, per Lyle’s comment.
Otherwise, he is a top 4 D all day long.
I first is traded for a rental if one thinks that guy is the missing piece of a cup run. Chariot isn’t that guy.
i’d swing low on sweet Chiarot. He won’t be comin’ for to carry me home.
Nicely done!
I read it in James Earl Jones iconic voice.
Definitely. Chiarot played big minutes in 4 rounds of playoff hockey last year, playing against the other team’s best lines. At 6’3″, 234 pounds, he makes you pay the price. The way Colorado’s talented D got pushed around last playoffs by Vegas’ forwards, they would love to add some grit and size to balance things out.
A Chiarot for Shea Theodore trade might correct that and save create some much needed cap space to boot!
Chiarot + Ducks 3rd for Theodore.
Lol, a number 1 defencemen who’s been in the norris discussion the last 3 including last year where he finished 6th and ahead of petriangelo for Chariot and a 3rd. Funniest thing I read today.
Obviously, the Habs aren’t expecting immediate help from trades this season. And that’s fine. What’s needed is draft picks and prospects.
Spot on Howard. Petry should not be dealt until Edmunson is back and we see if that tandem still works. Chairot and Lekohnon I think could fetch a 1st as a package.
Seeing that Koskinen is an RFA at the end of this season, I wonder if Ottawa would be interested in him. Koskinen can’t be a true number one goalie, but being in a 1A and 1B situation with Gustavsson would help the young goalie develop.
This is of course if Stuart Skinner keeps looking good the rest of this season.
That is a lot of Dmen that will be available at the deadline. Curious what others would offer if the Wings made DeKeyser available with half retention on his 5mil cap hit at the deadline. Any of your teams have interest?
3rd or a 4th rnd pick for DeKeyser would be my guess.
Only Kenny Holland would trade for Danny. LOL
Taylor Hall looked good and played well on top line. Shows what can happen with quality players and Swayman was very square all game the kid will be a star in this league. If Rask is signed I’d rather see Linus some how moved than Jeremy sent down. Easy to say now but Vladar and Swayman would have been fine and Linus not signed.
If the plan all along was for Rask to come back with the Bruins, then why would they sign Ullmark in the first place.
Ya Obe, it is easy to say now, but Vladar has looked outstanding.
I get why they signed Ullmark as both Rask (Surgery) and Swayman (12 games NHL experience) were both kind of unknown.
Bird in hand kind of thing.
Ullmark may get it going, not ready to write him off.
Perhaps trying Marchand on 2nd line might be an idea to get the 2nd line going? Can always go back to the big 3.
I agree they had to add/keep an experienced goaltender on the roster Ray. What I don’t understand is giving Ullmark 4 years and $20M. Were other teams lining up to throw that kind of salary and term at this guy? Even without a potential return of Rask this signing baffled me.
They should have signed an experienced backup (maybe just retain Jaro Halak) to a 1 or 2 year deal for half that annual salary.
Lyle, I have a question about the condition on Dvorak trade. What would happen if the Habs acquire another 1st round pick by trading Chiarot and let’s say this pick ends up being in the 15th overall while the Habs pick is in the top 10 hence protected and the Canes pick (which belongs to the Habs) is around 30 overall, which pick would Arizona get?
Hi, Sam. As per CapFriendly, the way I read the conditions of the Dvorak trade is they apply solely to either the Habs own pick or the Hurricanes pick.
“Conditions: The better of Montreal/Carolina’s 2022 1st round pick BUT if either or both are top 10 picks then Montreal will instead transfer to Arizona the worse of Montreal/Carolina’s 2022 1st round pick.”
Thanks Lyle
I think it depends on Price and whether he can/wants to move. If yes, then it’s a rebuild. If not, then a reset and Chariot should be resigned.
Seattle could have had Price for free and passed … his contract cannot be moved …
ARZ will need to stay above the cap floor next season with all that $$ coming off the books.
Only destination I see IF Price wants to go.
Poor Tyler Johnson. Had artificial disk replacement surgery on his neck, and nobody discussed it here. I guess Eichel wore everyone down.