NHL Rumor Mill – January 25, 2022

by | Jan 25, 2022 | Rumors | 30 comments

The latest Blackhawks speculation includes the Capitals having an interest in Marc-Andre Fleury plus the latest Claude Giroux, Ben Chiarot, Jakub Chychrun and J.T. Miller in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST ON THE BLACKHAWKS

THE ATHLETIC: Scott Powers reports a league source told him anyone on the Chicago Blackhawks could be had in the trade market. That doesn’t mean they’re shopping players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane or Alex DeBrincat. However, they would do so if Toews or Kane asked to be moved and would at least listen if someone came calling about DeBrincat.

Powers considers Toews, Kane and Seth Jones to be pretty much untouchable. It would take significant offers to pry players such as DeBrincat, Kirby Dach, Lukas Reichel and Brandon Hagel away from the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks could end up giving a first-round pick in 2022 or 2023 to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of the conditions for acquiring Jones. However, Powers doesn’t see them giving away a player they covet simply to fill a draft spot.

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (NHL Images)

Powers believes Marc-Andre Fleury will have the best trade value for the Blackhawks, followed by winger Dominik Kubalik and defenseman Calvin de Haan. Fleury and de Haan are unrestricted free agents. Kubalik is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights but the $4 million it’ll take to qualify his rights could dampen his value in the trade market.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell told Frank Seravalli and Ryan S. Clark that she believes there’s a greater than 50 percent chance the Capitals could have a new goaltender by the trade deadline. She thinks they’re among the teams interested in Fleury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Any trade involving Toews, Kane or DeBrincat takes place in the offseason. Swinging the kind of deal it would take to move any of those players takes time and assets that interested clubs probably don’t have right now. That’s assuming Toews or Kane are willing to be traded or that a rival club can make an offer substantial enough to convince the Hawks to part with DeBrincat.

Fleury’s been linked to the Capitals several times in recent weeks as concern mounts over the status of their goaltending. They have just over $2 million in projected deadline cap space but that still won’t be enough to take on Fleury without the Blackhawks retaining some of the remainder of his $7 million cap hit or the Capitals freeing up some cap room. That’s assuming they’re not on his 10-team no-trade list.

SUGGESTED TRADE DESTINATIONS FOR GIROUX AND CHIAROT

SPORTSNET: During their recent “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek discussed possible trade destinations for Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot.

Friedman considers the Colorado Avalanche a good fit for Giroux if he wants to chase a Stanley Cup provided they can make the cap dollars fit. Marek also suggested the Dallas Stars’ Joe Pavelski as another fit for the Avs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avalanche seems to be linked to everybody, don’t they? I don’t rule out the possibility of general manager Joe Sakic making a move by the March 21 trade deadline. However, the Avalanche are pressed for cap space, requiring some creativity on Sakic’s part to take on the remainder of Giroux’s $8.275 million cap hit for this season if he’s willing to waive his no-movement clause to join the Avs.

As for Pavelski, he’s expressed his desire to stay with Dallas. While the Stars could shop unhappy defenseman John Klingberg before the deadline, I wouldn’t be surprised if they retain Pavelski if the two sides feel they can get a deal done before he becomes a UFA in July.

Regarding Chiarot, Friedman believes the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames have an interest in the Canadiens blueliner. He also wondered if the Toronto Maple Leafs might pursue him, pointing out they were interested in Chiarot before he signed with Montreal but couldn’t make it work.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Like the Avalanche, the Leafs also carry limited cap space, though absorbing the remainder of Chiarot’s $3.5 million cap hit wouldn’t be as challenging as it would for the Avs to take on the more expensive Giroux. GM Kyle Dubas has shown the ability to swing deals with a tight payroll in the past so we shouldn’t reject that possibility out of hand.

The Canadiens’ rumored ask for Chiarot is a first-round pick. Don’t forget that Dubas parted with his 2021 first-rounder last year for Nick Foligno. Will he part with another first-rounder for another rental player this year? Stay tuned…

LATEST ON JAKOB CHYCHRUN AND J.T. MILLER

THE ATHLETIC: Arthur Staple weighed in on a recent report by Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman reporting the New York Rangers made a trade offer to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Jakob Chychrun centered around Vitali Kravtsov. The 23-year-old winger is playing in Russia this season awaiting a trade by the Rangers.

Unless there are more pieces to a deal for Chychrun, it won’t address the Rangers’ need for more scoring punch on the wings. Adding Chychrun, who has three years remaining on his contract with an annual cap hit of $4.6 million, could complicate things when left-side defenseman K’Andre Miller becomes a restricted free agent in 2023.

GOPHNX.COM: Craig Morgan believes we should be careful about the rumors regarding what’s being offered to the Coyotes for Chychrun, especially when it gets too specific about the Coyotes’ asking price. He doubts GM Bill Armstrong will get into specifics about what he’s seeking for Chychrun. He’s not going to limit his asking price as that would close off alternatives.

Morgan also dismisses reports that those trade talks are heating up when the trade deadline is two months away, calling it a “media-driven narrative”. He reminds us that agents and league executives love to stir the pot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A sensible take by Morgan. One need only look at the trade market where we’ve seen just one trade so far this month compared to four in December and three in November to see just how quiet things are right now. General managers and agents are probably talking, and some could be dropping tidbits to their media pals to drive to generate some activity, but moves involving notable players appear weeks away.

Business should start to pick up as we go through February and intensify once the calendar flips to March. Whether Chychrun gets moved over the next two months remains to be seen. Armstrong doesn’t have to move him by the trade deadline. He can afford to wait until the offseason to get the deal he likes.

SPORTSNET 650: Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes the Vancouver Canucks could get more than a first-round pick and a highly-touted prospect if they were to trade J.T. Miller. He felt the New York Rangers has expressed some interest in Miller, as well as the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t see the Canucks making any significant roster moves until they’ve hired a new general manager, which should take place within the next couple of weeks. I also doubt they’ll move a core player like Miller if they’re still in the playoff hunt by the March 21 trade deadline. They’re also unlikely to be in a big hurry to move him since he’s still got a year left on his contract.







30 Comments

  1. I certainly hope the Flower has Caps on his 10 team nix trade list

    Crime of the Century if he goes there

    If ‘Nucks are in fact (??) shopping Miller… then a few more ‘Nucks should be available…. Hello Jaro and Luke …. Pens calling

    Jimbo keeps doing his revolving door persona…. Yes we’re trading; no we are not; yes we are; no we’re not….. he’s playing both Palin and Cleese’s parts of the famous “I came here for an argument skit”

  2. That price tag seems a bit high for JT Miller .. he isn’t that much of a difference maker … I’d rather deal for Chiarot, he’s tough and rugged and clears away the front of the net … something the Penguins haven’t had since Ulfie …

    Brian Burke must cringe in his luxury box every time the Pens play a physical team … and watch what happens if they have to play Florida or Tampa in the first round … Dillon’s hit on Blueger will look like a love tap ..

    • Great response Ed it is the absolute truth and unfortunate that the Pittsburgh media never never brings that up

    • You obviosly have knowledge worth sharing, Ed. I think you make this blog better when you offer your insight rather than trying to incite. I, for one, would like to hear more of your thoughts on your team. They’re sort of unusual.

  3. I still don’t get why Arizona would even want to trade Chychrun at age 23?
    Even if they are just gauging league interest, doesn’t that run the risk of alienating your most valuable player who still has 8-10 years of his prime ahead of him?

    • Perhaps it’s to make room for Austin Matthews like a few here truly believe he’ll sign his next contract with.

      • Ron Moore
        Thing is Arizona might just get moved before Matthews contract is finished. Sure theres the Bettmen factor but if there is a f f franchise ready to be re-located…it’s Arizona.

        The only thing that might pack that arena is if Candian teams rent it out for home games with revenue sharing. But then again…that could just show that nothing works there. 😉

    • Foley. Is it possible that maybe Chychrun has expressed a desire to go somewhere and they’re being hush hush about it?

    • It’s because they’re terrible, will never spend near the cap and would rather take three or four lottery tickets in exchange for Chychrun. Arizona is a failure.

  4. If NYR trade for Chychrun, Miller would most likely go the other way in a trade, thus cap hit situation would become easier to resolve. And they could also offer Chytil and some young D (maybe some pic as well) for Hurtl.

    • Not sure if NYR would trade K Miller. Nemeth has been terrible (healthy scratch last night). I don’t see a Rangers trading for JT Miller. One thing they don’t need is another LW and I’m not sure Miller becomes 2C of the future at 30.
      To Arizona: Lundkvist, Nemeth, Kravtsov, and next years 1st.
      To NYR: Kessel and Chychrun

      • @Slick
        add Hayton from AZ

      • Add a piece to a terribly rangers leaning deal?

      • Not gonna happen. They don’t need Nemeth in that trade. Not at that price. And ARI will look for more established young player than Lundqvist as well. Don’t forget, NYR are not the only team looking to get Chychrun. That will be a betting war. And what’s the point to holding on to Miller if they wouldn’t be able to re-sign him anyway if Chychrun comes over?

  5. Curious what everyone’s thoughts are regarding bringing in a new player for a playoff run.

    As a Leafs fan I’d say they could improve upon their RD and LW positions.

    Does it affect team chemistry when a new player is brought in and bumps somebody down the roster it out of town?

    If the Leafs were to bring in Severson and bump Holl down to 3RD or out of town would it affect team chemistry?

    There are a few players I think could help the Leafs but they would have to subtract from what they already have, not simply picks.

    Players I think that could help them :

    Severson and Wood from NJD.
    Lyubushkin and Dzingel from ARI
    Soucy and Jarnkrok from SEA

    Roster players I’d have available in trade would be Dermott, Holl, Engvall, Ritchie

    • So, Trono will most likely have to play a Florida team in round 1. I would think they would need some more grit to survive. I would think Deslauriers and Manson from the Ducks would be the players to target.

      • Hi JZ

        Would absolutely love both Manson and Delauriers on Leafs or Pens

        But Ducks are sitting 2nd in the Pacific…. Hard to see them move Manson if still in a playoff spot comeTDL… as they’d need an equivalent replacement (or better)

        Better option for Ducks is to keep Manson as an own rental

        It’s possible they move DesLauriers…. Will for sure I’d think… IF they are out at TDL

        IF still in come TDL…. I’d guess more likely they keep him

      • A prudent bet IMHO; has a Sunshine state team playing games 3 and 4 of the SCF on The Strip or at high altitude

      • @Pengy, I am counting on the Flames and the Oil to overtake the Ducks as they each have played 7 less games….

    • Hi Daryl

      Leafs fan ( for 5 1/2 decades) here

      Severson in and Holl out 👍👍👍; no chemistry issue IMHO

      Soucy in…… well… you had me at Soucy… big fan 👍👍👍

      Too many changes screw up chemistry…. Cite Penguins all year this year

      1 – 2 adds with only depth out… no issue

      That said …. I’d be lying if I stated that I thought Leaf’s had a chance at a cup this year

      Now about 90% chance they face either Bolts or Panthers round 1

      I don’t see any changes that give a strong chance they can get by Bolts

      Panthers… if Bobo is playing even at a $7 M cap value….heck even at $6M value….. Tough to see any Leaf move that gets them by Panthers. But if Bobo faltering; with Knight’s inconsistency this year…. Now Leafs have a fair shot

      How can you count on a Bobo downturn….. and even if Leaf’s are matched round 1 v Panthers; AND get by…. They meet Bolts round 2

      If a miracle strikes twice (is that realistic that Leafs this year CAN beat BOTH FLA teams?)….

      Are Leafs going to do a triple miracle and beat Canes? Rangers? I have my serious doubts

      If it’s Caps…. Yes Leafs can and should win. Can Caps come out of Metro…. I have serious doubts

      Pens…. That depends on health of Pens team….. would be a great series for me…. I’d love to see quintuple OTs for all 7 games

      Triple miracle….. and then face Knights or Avs💩😭💩😭

      I am sceptical of any path that has Leafs winning 4 series this year

      That said…. Tweaks with fingers; eyes; toes crossed…. No major futures (assets or prospects) given up…. Maybe there are 4 Uber miracles this year?????

      To me… Leafs window now is in June of ‘23 and/or June of ‘24…. AM almost assuredly wearing another jersey on 1/7/24

      • Wings!

      • @Pengy

        I’m not too worried about who the Leafs face…I don’t think there’s an easy series to be had. Hopefully the Leafs can stay healthy.

        I think Holl and Dermott, and Ritchie should definitely be looking over their shoulder. Also think Simmonds should be replaced on the 4th line.

        Severson and Wood from the Devils would look good in the Leafs line up. They could easily displace Holl and Simmonds.

        Would Holl, Ritchie, and a 1st be enough to get a deal done?

  6. What would Miller fetch from the Rags?

    High end & low end.

    • Strome and deangelo

      • Funny. DeAngelo a point per game player on one of the top teams. Cap hit of 1m. Rangers ended up with nothing. Strome will probably walk in summer for nothing. Should’ve moved both when they had the chance.

  7. claude giroux on the Avalanche, I would have to see that one to believe it? Obviously, a great player but what would the Avalanche have to give up to get him and would it be worth it? They didn’t sign Saad and let him go , i think he was around $6MAAV and they wouldn’t do it and Giroux is much more than that @ $8.275. wouldn’t the flyers have to retain a lot to make that work with the Avalanche shipping some good young players back the other way. GO AVS!!!!!!!

    • The Avs are on fire tommyboy, again.
      Not sure what you add to that team?
      No problems scoring, and good defensively.
      Tending coming around nicely with Franky getting hot and Kuemper picking it up.

      If Byram is out long term with the concussions, they may look for a LD to play some larger minutes?

      Pretty solid flippin’ team.

      Only problem is next year as Kadri may have played himself off the team. Will he stay for less? It would need to be a lot less as he will get paid if he tests the market.

  8. Been watching Klingberg for a few weeks.(Out now)
    He is NOT worth 8.5. Not even sure on a trade value. Mid roster forward and a mid round pick but buyer beware. Maybe I caught a rough spot sample.

  9. On the Flyers: I wonder how well any team would fare with following personnel missing: 1st, 2nd and 4th line centers, 1st ,3d and 4th line left wing, top pairing defenseman. No question all teams suffer injuries but picture the Penguins without Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzel, Bleugar, McGinn and Zucker for huge chunks of the season at the same time. Picture any team with similar injury issues. Thus I feel that the jury is still out of the Flyers. Lets put the whole band together and see how music sounds. Just sayin’.

    • Welcome to the world of the Penguins! They’ve endured exactly what you just stated all year long. Finally get healthy, only to lose Blueger, Zucker and Domingue for extended time off.

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