NHL Rumor Mill – October 26, 2022

by | Oct 26, 2022 | Rumors | 20 comments

In today’s NHL Rumor Mill: the latest Patrick Kane speculation, updates on the Canucks and Wild, and Barry Trotz hints he might be interested someday in coaching an Original Six franchise.

LATEST PATRICK KANE SPECULATION

SPORTSNET: ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski appeared on the Jeff Marek show last week where the future of Patrick Kane was among the topics of discussion.

Marek speculated the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames could come calling if the long-time Chicago Blackhawks winger becomes available in this season’s trade market. He and Wyshynski ruled out the Florida Panthers given their lack of draft capital to use as trade bait.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t doubt Kane could attract interest from some or all of those clubs if he’s willing to be moved before the March 3 trade deadline. The problem, of course, is salary-cap space. Leaving aside Kane’s full no-movement clause, his $10.5 million cap hit would be difficult to move even in a year when teams had plenty of salary-cap room.

According to Cap Friendly, the Lightning will have $3.5 million in trade deadline cap space. The Panthers will have $5.27 million, the Hurricanes $6.8 million, the Avalanche $1.4 million, and the Flames $6.05 million. That’s assuming they don’t have to dip into their respective cap space between now and deadline day to replace key players sidelined by injuries or use it to address other roster needs.

The Golden Knights, meanwhile, have no projected deadline cap space so I don’t them getting involved in any bidding for Kane. Those other teams, meanwhile, must either clear significant cap room (which they can’t afford to do without weakening their roster depth) or convince the Blackhawks to retain up to half of Kane’s cap hit. Even then, that won’t free up enough for some of them to acquire him.

Those clubs can try to include a third team in the deal to spread Kane’s cap hit around and make it more affordable. Doing that, however, means having to sweeten the deal for the Blackhawks and the third team to make it worth their while.

I’m not suggesting it can’t be done. Nevertheless, such a move could seriously deplete a club’s depth in draft picks and prospects to add an expensive playoff rental player.

WHAT WILL THE CANUCKS AND WILD DO?

TSN: Darren Dreger reports that the Vancouver Canucks aren’t about to hit the panic button over their poor start this season. However, he feels they’re getting “dangerously close to having to put everything on the table.”

One option would be a “hefty renovation” involving shipping out key players for draft picks. Another is a short-term fix involving a trade but there’s no guarantee the right player will be available in a timely fashion. The third could be replacing Bruce Boudreau as head coach.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I touched on this subject yesterday. What usually happens this early in the season is the coaching change. It’s the easiest move to make and sometimes it can quickly reverse a struggling team’s fortunes. Canucks management could surprise us and go with the other two options but I think replacing Boudreau is their likely choice.

Pierre LeBrun cited remarks made by Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Michael Russo regarding his club’s slow start. Guerin had said, “We’re not going to trade our way out of this,” putting the onus on his players to improve. The Wild GM stuck by his remarks when LeBrun contacted him.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild have since shown signs of improvement by going 2-0-1 after losing their first three games.

TROTZ IS INTRIGUED ABOUT COACHING AN ORIGINAL SIX CLUB

NHL.COM: During an appearance on the “Cam and Strick” podcast on Tuesday, former NHL head coach Barry Trotz said he’d be intrigued by the notion of coaching an Orignal Six franchise if the opportunity presented itself.

For now, Trotz said he’s not quite ready yet to return to the NHL coaching ranks. He was fired by the New York Islanders on May 9. He spent 23 seasons with the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and the Islanders, winning the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 and guiding the Isles to consecutive conference finals appearances in 2020 and 2021.







20 Comments

  1. I keep repeating…. Any deal for Kane …. WILL be with a to-through deal

    Blackhawks retain 50%, to-through team retains 25%

    At TDL…. after escrow…. To -through team cash hit in the range of $210K – $220 K…. and that could be less if they dump back to end team; a crap UFA contract…. If it was a league min UFA …. at TDL after escrow; that cash outlay …~ $210 K to $220 K… so they could net zero cash; gain a pick; just for absorbing a cap hit!!

    Recent years cash outlays in that range( $210 K – $220 K…. If they don’t flip back a crap contract) . garner 4th rounders; sometimes 3rd rounders

    If Kane is at or very close to a PPG at TDL…. wouldn’t a contender be willing to give up a 1st and prospect to Chi plus a 3rd or 4th to the to-through team …. To get a top line superstar 3-time cup winner @ only 25 % on the Cap $? Methinks they certainly would

    • Chicago is winning right now. What if THEY add at the TDL?????😁

      • Fair point JZ

        I just don’t see them still in the mix at TDL

        Even if they are…. “Adding” will be limited

        I can’t see Toews or Kane back in 23/24…. Rebuild…. Why give up assets to add at deadline if at best they are a bubble team?

        Time will tell…. But my gut feeling is that Kane (at least) is moved in-season

  2. knowing Vegas, they will trade a critical piece off their roster, because their owner needs his toys. So look forward to Vegas acquiring Kane but trading away Pietrangelo or another important player

  3. I’m pulling a Pengy here… in this morning news page I posted the following before reading the item on the rumors page:

    But on a serious note, any thoughts on Barry Trotz comments regarding coaching pressures on Canadian teams (as well as NY teams) and an offer from an original six would intrigue him? Fanning the flames or prediction?

    • No one asked anyone about a phase used by many to describe the original teams that started this league to what it is now but am I or anyone supposed to be surprised that there might be some that don’t care about the original six?…. Brilliant.

      In this case, I was asking about a good coach’s comment stoking the fire in two or possibly three Canadian maket teams and one being of the 6.

  4. As a person who only got into NHL in the 1980s, I think it’s time to stop going on and on about the “original six” because most fans outside of those really do not care. The “expansion era” is already 14 years longer than the original. I know I may be alone here, but I guess I just do not see why coaching an “original six” team is glamorous :0)

    • Compare it to coaching the yankees or dodgers
      Vs miami or tampa. In mlb.
      The overall history make it special

      • yeah I mean I guess I kinda get it, but there are a lot of fans that don’t care in this new generation haha

      • No it doesn’t.

    • the Saint,

      I agree with you, the term original six has lost its “original” significance. I say that as a life long Detroit Red Wings fan and a Carolina Hurricanes fan.

      As a side note, the Detroit Cougars (Red Wings) were originally the Victoria Cougars and they were not the first professional hockey team in Michigan, nor was the NHL the first professional hockey league.

    • The same could be said about any franchise or player.

      Orr, who cares?
      Crosby, who cares?
      Howe, who cares?
      Rocket Richard , who cares?
      Gretzky, who cares?

      I don’t think you had to be alive to enjoy the history of the game. Like it or not, the original 6 are the history.

      Much like Orr, Richard, Howe, who most here were probably not alive in their playing days.
      Yet, they still get brought up pretty often .

  5. Yeah, but Mrbruin4, if the Dodgers had remained in Brooklyn, then yes. Same with the Giants in New York.

    But the so-called “original six” last competed as a 6-team league 55 years ago. Any fan 40 years old and up at that time is either dead or in likely no position to be paying a whole lot of attention to hockey. At what point do you file it away as ancient history? 55 years before the 1967 expansion of 6 teams there was no such thing as the “NHL.” The “Original Four in 1917 were the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Arenas,

    In the 55 years since that 6-team addition (when each was essentially handed a pile of crap with which to get under way – a formula followed right up through to the last expansion before Vegas), the Original Six have won 22 cups while expansion teams have won 31 – and the gap might have been a lot wider if most of the expansion teams had not been saddled with washed-up players and minor leaguers.

    Time to put that anachronism to bed, I think.

    • George

      It is all about marketing they have their own original 6. Gear. Hats shirts. Etc. Money train I personally don’t care about nhl before 1970

      • I get that Mrbruin4 … but who’s left to market it to who can recall those years? I bet a lot of today’s fans feel as you do about the league beyond a certain point, in your case 1970, and in theSaint’s case sometime in the 1980s.

        My own earliest recollection of the NHL probably came when I was around 10 – and that was 1948, which means – to me anyway – the Original Six was only really relevant for 19 years

      • George might as well grin and bear it. It is not going anywhere in our lifetime The original 6 will out last us both

      • You’re probably right Mrbruin4, but I still have to chuckle when I hear some of the more prominent pundits talk about the Original Six like they’re recalling first-hand experience.

        Ron MacLean was 6. Bob McKenzie 11 and none among Pierre Lebrun, Darren Dreiger and Elliot Freidman were even born when expansion occurred in 1967.

        Not sure why hockey personalities feel like they need to constantly mention it whereas I don’t think I’ve ever recalled the NBA, NFL or MLB wax nostalgic about “the good old days” in the same manner.

  6. Actually, I double-checked my figures and since the first season of the 1967 expansion – 1967-68 – the so-called Original 6 have won 20 cups – not 22 – while expansion teams have won 34. So the gap is wider.

    And 9 of those 20 were won by one team – the Montreal Canadiens. Next highest is Detroit with 4, Boston and Chicago with 3 each, the Rangers with 1 and Toronto 0.

    11 of the 30 cups won by expansion teams were by members of the original 6 team addition in 1967/68, with their first coming in 1974 by Philadelphia, by which time those teams were finally starting to close the gap in calibre, so 6 of the Original Six wins owed a great deal to the fact the “other 6” were not quite competitive.

    As an example, Montreal finished the 1969/70 season tied with the NYR with 92 points, just 7 back of Chicago, but failed to qualify for the playoffs due to goal differential. Meanwhile, St. Louis finished 1st in the expansion division with 86 points while Oakland were the last to qualify with 58 pts – 34 back of the Habs and Rangers.

  7. “Bruce there it is”
    Losing Boeser and Q Hughes is not going to help . Pens next up and likely the beat goes on

  8. I see where the Islanders have placed Kieffer Bellows on waivers – former 1st round pick – 19th overall – just hasn’t been able to cut it.

    Wouldn’t surprise me to see Arizona or Vancouver put in a claim. especially with Boeser and LAzar going on LTIR.

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