NHL Rumor Mill – April 27, 2022
What’s the latest on Carey Price’s future? Will the Canadiens attempt to trade Shea Weber and Jeff Petry this summer? Should they try to trade for Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois? Find out in today’s NHL rumor mill.
LATEST ON THE CANADIENS
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Stu Cowan reports Carey Price’s uncertain future took another turn yesterday when it was reported the Canadiens goaltender would be traveling to New York for an appointment concerning his surgically repaired knee. He’s listed as day-to-day but Cowan thinks he may be done for the season.
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (NHL Images).
Price has four more seasons remaining on his contract worth an annual average value of $10.5 million. Cowan doesn’t expect the 34-year-old goalie to retire with that much money left on the table. The Canadiens could end up placing him on long-term injury reserve next season depending on the status of his knee. A trade at this point seems impossible.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports Price still hopes to be in net for the Canadiens’ season-ending home game against the Florida Panthers on Friday. The netminder also wants to resume his playing career next season. Nevertheless, the ongoing uncertainty over Price’s knee will generate plenty of speculation over his future during the offseason.
Cowan also noted that Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber has been on LTIR all season. He’s signed through 2025-26 with an annual cap hit of over $7.8 million. General manager Kent Hughes will attempt to trade Weber’s contract during the offseason. He’s also expected to shop blueliner Jeff Petry, who has three more seasons left with an AAV of $6.25 million.
MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marco D’Amico suggests Petry’s improved play of late will make him easier to move. The 34-year-old defenseman reportedly requested a trade and Hughes appeared to have a deal in place before last month’s trade deadline but it eventually fell through.
D’Amico suggests Petry will draw interest from teams with salary-cap flexibility looking to build a competitive roster this summer. He also pointed out this summer’s free-agent market is thin on comparable defensemen with John Klingberg and Kris Letang as the only standouts.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes tried to offload Weber’s contract to the Arizona Coyotes before the trade deadline but they opted to take on the remainder of Bryan Little’s deal from the Winnipeg Jets. The Canadiens GM will try to entice teams seeking to reach the cap floor to take Weber off his hands. However, that could involve bundling that contract with a sweetener such as a quality draft pick, a prospect or a decent young player.
The Dallas Stars were said to have had an interest in Petry as a potential replacement for Klingberg when it was rumored the latter might be shopped at midseason. That died out when the Stars decided to keep him as they pressed to clinch a playoff berth. Perhaps there’s a fit in Dallas for Petry if Klingberg departs as expected via free agency in July.
D’Amico also took note of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s recent speculation suggesting Pierre-Luc Dubois’ name could be in this summer’s trade market if he’s unwilling to sign a long-term contract extension with the Winnipeg Jets.
The Canadiens have plenty of tradeable assets to acquire the 23-year-old Dubois if they’re not interested in a long rebuild. However, D’Amico believes the Habs should remain patient as it’s clear they’re not just one player away from being contenders. He felt they must stand pat and continue replenishing their prospect pool with more elite talent.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dubois’ contract situation will be worth watching this summer. I believe and the Jets will hammer out a long-term extension.
Should Dubois become available, I think interested clubs will want assurances he’ll sign a lengthy deal with them. He’s just two years away from UFA eligibility and they won’t want to give up quality assets on a player who could walk away in 2024.
I still don’t understand the rush by Habs to unload the LTIR flex of Weber
Is it not in their best interest to keep that flex
Re trading it…. Why would Habs have to offer a sweetener to teams like Yotes ???
Yotes have to reach the Cap floor… what player actually wants to play in Bettman’s nightmare 5,000 seat Uni barn (for 4; possibly 5 or more) years ?
Yotes should be giving up a pick, or 2, for that privilege
Yotes get a whopping and greatly needed $7.9 M * 4 against the Cap; for a measly $6M (actually less with Escrow)
Here is a convoluted multi-team , multi-player move that just might work ….
AFTER SB paid to Price….
To Arz …. Price at 50% retained by Habs; Weber full whack; Habs 1st (‘23… Lottery protected)
To Krakken …. Price (@ 25%…. Yotes retain 50% [of 50%] )
To Habs…. Drieger (from Krakken) ; Leaf’s 2nd (‘23) and Jets 2nd (‘23) via Krakken ; Habs 2nd (‘24) back from Yotes
Yotes…. for $12 M (less escrow) get well needed dead Cap of $10.3 M * 4; and a 1st…. Giving up a 2nd
Habs replace Price with Drieger …. saving $9.5 M in Cap * 2, followed by $13 M in Cap *2…. gain 3 2nds…. But give up a lottery protected 1st
Krakken replace Drieger with Price …. Saving almost $1M per in Cap for two years…. at price of Two 2nds
Will this happen…. Absolutely not…. Was just for Ships ‘N Giggles
Pengy, you sure ARE, a creative man !
I just LOOOOVE, all those crazy ideas 🙂
BUT, even saving millions on cap space, the lady thing Hans should do, IMHO, is hey rid of 1st round choices .
Still, keep’em coming !
“last thing Habs should do”……damn phone can’t write in English
Absolutely Patrick… fully agree
Again just a Ships ‘N Giggles proposal
Re Ur phone “can’t write English”…. Ditto here….and …
I hate auto-correct ; and
Siri is very much in my bad-books…. I keep changing the Siri voice as my way of giving Siri the proverbial Bird…Mofo Siri
The Yotes could sign an ECHLer to a big contract to reach the floor if they had to. You underestimate their advantage.
Teams are trying to unload bad contracts, not just the Habs, so it’s like supply and demand. Who will give up the most to unload?
THAT’s why a “sweetnener”.
From MTL’s perspective, there’s no way I’m trading a 1st for Driedger and cap relief. I doubt Price will waive either. If his career is truly coming to an end, which looks likely, he’ll want to retire a Hab, and has stated as much.
You still have to give the team acquiring a bad contract SOMETHING for the benefit of ridding yourself of the contract. It’s usually a mid-level pick, and well worth it.
LTIR contracts count fully in the off-season, and you can only exceed the cap by 10%. Trading Weber’s contract provides flexibility to be able to sign or trade for an asset in the off-season that without cap relief might be impossible.
Perhaps Weber & Price’s contracts will end up in Minny to offer the Wild some cap relief for the next 5 years of HORRENDOUS buy-out cap hits from the Parise/Suter buyouts.
Could Dubois be open to an offer sheet? We’ve seen more of them of late.
The only offer sheets that have worked are wild over payments. Would any team want to give up 4 1st round picks for Dubois? That’s what it would take.
Hi Brock
I agree that OS are often large overpayments
That said… the successful OS just needs to be enough that Jets either can’t or won’t match
3 years (taking him to UFA status)…. $1M Sal each year; $21.5 M in SBs spread over 3 years…. would Jets go for that?
If not…. Compensation only 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Your point re Dubois Sr being with Moose org is very valid
An official OS only becomes official with both sides signing AND it being registered with the NHL
actual OS (offered to player and agent) happen all the time
We only hear about them one a player has signed (accepted)
I’m sure his agent will take many calls and enter into good sets of dialogue (when free agency opens )…. His (agent) job is to do what is best for his client … listening to offers also strengthens his bargaining position with Jets and has the benefit of opening the door to a better end contract
I think the only way the Jets wouldn’t match is if the offer was over $10 million and the compensation was the four 1st round picks. They’re going to have to pay him at least $8×8 as it is if they want him on a long term deal. He’s the #1 on this team for the next decade.
I don’t see PLD being moved….. Mark Scheifele on the other hand maybe a different story.
Pengy, the Jets’ owner is one of Canada’s wealthiest people. No way he’d ever accept being offer-sheeted.
He didn’t bring the Jets back to Winnipeg to get wealthier. He did it because he thought the Jets should be back in Winnipeg, and he could make that happen. No way her permits it to be dismantled by outside forces.
Excellent point Pete
I think he stays for many reasons
That said…. There is always a walk away point in any negotiation
I’m saying over 90% likely he stays
If he really “wanted the Jets back in Winnipeg,” he should’ve hit up Arizona, not Atlanta.
If only Bettman cared about other franchises the way he adores Arizona for whatever reason.
I think you touched on this Pengy but I have no idea as to why you would even need to consider trading someone on LTIR unless you are getting back a desired asset in return. The idea of trading Weber + a quality draft pick makes no sense to me. Lyle, Pengy, anyone… can some explain why Hughes is looking to do this?
Hi Habman 67
That is my befuddlement… the advantage all to Yotes… $6 M (less escrow) to get a massive $7.6 M * 4 when they absolutely need to get to Cap floor…. That MUST be worth picks to them
Habs should NOT be giving assets
Keeping Weber and the LTIR flex…. Isn’t that a bonus? Use at beginning of year to maximize space… then once on LTIR…. Insurance company reimburses for cash outlay
I’m stymied
In my seriously limited understanding of the LTIR, what I understand is this:
Habs gain no benefit by having Weber on the LTIR. He is actually a negative, because you can only go 10%(?) over the cap in the off-season, when Weber would *not* be on LTIR; that only happens once the season begins.
So, in the off-season Weber’s $7M cap hit actually hinders what the Habs can do. Once the season begins, they can be over the cap to the tune of Weber’s hit, but it hurts their options on July 1 as his contract counts towards that 110% limit they can have.
With that in mind, the Habs would be better off to get rid of Weber’s contract. Whether that is worth adding a sweetener, I’m not sure, but that is why the Habs would want to get rid of it.
Like I say, I *think* that’s correct. Happy to be corrected by anyone who knows better!
The main reason why the Canadiens would want to shed Weber’s contract is they cannot accrue salary-cap space over the course of the season if he’s on LTIR. Teams that are under the cap can accrue salary-cap space that can be put toward adding a player or players by the NHL trade deadline. Teams that are over the cap because of LTIR cannot do this. That also has implications if teams are trying to call up players from the minors.
Thanks Pengy, Paddy, Lyle!
If pld isn’t open to signing an extension with one Canadian team is he willing to go do with another?
This all wild speculation. His dad is part of the Manitoba Moose organization, so his parents are living in Winnipeg. Dubi will likely be a Jet for a long time.
I didn’t specifically mean I had heard said speculation. But it does seem to be anot uncommon thing that people prefer to play south. Could be taxes could be weather. Dunno. But I want to clarify my comment was only me musing out loud.
I would think a team like Vegas would be interested in acquiring Weber’s contract. They could use the LTIR relief in a big way. Seeing how desperate they are the Habs could probably get a little more from them than any other team.
I have no idea why any team trying to win would give up an asset to acquire a player on LTIR?
As a few posters have said it hurts your flexibility in off season and during the season, which is accurate.
The only upside is a team that wants to hit the cap floor without paying the salary, a team like Arizona. Pretty small market of buyers out there IMO, so Habs would likely need to add a little something.
The Jets traded the Little contract (2 yrs left) and a prospect who played 8 games this season when NCAA season ended in return for a 4th rd pick.
So the Jets have to give up a little bit to move the contract. I would expect the same for a Weber deal.
Budget teams that want to spend as little as possible, such as the Coyotes, can and do acquire such contracts to help them reach the salary-cap floor. As I explained, that’s why the Coyotes acquire Bryan Little’s contract from the Jets. Everyone knows he’s all but retired and the Jets placed him on LTIR as they were going to exceed the cap ceiling. The Coyotes don’t have to put Little on LTIR because they’re not bumping up against the cap ceiling but instead list him as being on injured reserve.
I believe that the Jets and PLD will work something out.
As for the Habs, obviously, the key date is May 10. What happens in the lottery will affect their future, both short term and long term. Should they prevail, they will wind up with a Centre lineup featuring 2 young stars in Suzuki and Wright, a reliable veteran in Dvorak and a solid 4th line center in Evans. Should this happen, they’d be much better off building around their own centers rather than spending a king’s ransom to pick up a player from another team.
I wonder if Yzerman would be interested in Scheifele. Maybe if he can be taught to be better defensively? I really like his offensive ability.
Who would Detroit be willing to trade though and is Yzerman really going to give up the requisite 1st round pick that would need to be included?
PLD to NYR for Lafreniere, Chytil, Nemeth and a 1st. PLD slides into 2C with former teammates Panarin and Copp.
I don’t see the Jets making that trade. Not going to suggest that Lafreniere is a bust, way too early, but right now 6 or 7 of the guys drafted in that top 10 are likely more valuable players. That isn’t great for a #1 pick…
Ha ha, Good one!
I may have been reaching with 6-7, more like 3 or 4. Jets would probably make that trade if it was Byfield coming back instead (if they couldn’t sign PLD long term).
Sure with what cap space? PLD will want close to 8×8 and the Rangers don’t have that kind of cap space long term when they will need to resign other high end pieces.
League should just move Coyotes, Arizona has proven this is a failed market.
Either move to Houston for rivalry with Dallas and not upset divisions and conferences or move to Cleveland/Cincinnati to give Blue Jackets a true rivalry