NHL Rumor Mill – November 26, 2022
What’s the latest on the Sharks’ contract talks with Timo Meier? Should the Islanders pursue him if he hits the trade block? What’s the latest on Jakob Chychrun? Could the Panthers move Patric Hornqvist? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE LATEST ON TIMO MEIER
SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sheng Peng reports Sharks winger Timo Meier said there’s nothing new going on regarding his contract extension negotiations. That’s in line with what his agent, Claude Lemieux, said at the start of the season. Lemieux had indicated he didn’t anticipate receiving any offers until the end of this season.
San Jose Sharks winger Timo Meier (NHL Images)
The Sharks could decide to trade the 26-year-old Meier, who is slated to become a restricted free agent in July. “It’s in your head sometimes,” Meier admitted, but he said he’s trying not to get too caught up in it.
Peng recently observed that Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli has Meier at No. 6 on his early-season list of NHL trade targets. He currently has a management annual salary-cap hit of $6 million.
THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Kevin Kurz was asked if he thought the New York Islanders should pursue Meier or Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat if they become available at the March 3 trade deadline.
Kurz believed Meier would be a better fit as he would be a natural to line up alongside first-line center Mathew Barzal. However, he doubted the Isles have the assets to make that deal as bidding for Meier would be fierce. He speculated it could cost them a first-round pick and one of their few high-end prospects, provided Meier would sign a contract extension with them.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hanging over Meier’s contract situation is the cost of the qualifying offer. As I and other observers have noted, while his annual cap hit is $6 million, he’s being paid $10 million this season in actual salary.
Because Meier signed his current contract before changes to qualifying offer rules were made in 2020, it will cost the Sharks (or whatever team were to acquire him) $10 million just to qualify his rights unless he and the team can agree before then on a new contract with perhaps a lower average annual value.
If Meier does hit the trade block before March 3, teams could consider him to be a rental player instead of one they can retain beyond this season.
MORE CHYCHRUN TO THE BLUE JACKETS SPECULATION
SPORTSNET: In a recent “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek mentioned the Columbus Blue Jackets have once again been linked to Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jackets reportedly expressed interest in Chychrun leading up to the opening round of this year’s draft but he supposedly spiked the deal despite lacking no-trade protection. Jackets management denied the story but more than a few pundits claim their interest was genuine.
The Jackets are well-stocked with promising players on their roster (Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger, Adam Boqvist, Yegor Chinakhov) and in their prospect pipeline (David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk) that could entice the Coyotes. That’s assuming Chychrun has had a change of heart regarding his rumored unwillingness to go to Columbus.
UPDATE ON THE PANTHERS
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman doesn’t expect the Florida Panthers will attempt to move veteran winger Patric Hornqvist to make room for Anthony Duclair when the latter is ready to return to the lineup.
Hornqvist is in the final season of his contract with a cap hit of $5.3 million. There’s a belief that Florida GM Bill Zito promised the winger that he wouldn’t be traded elsewhere in order to get him to agree to accept a trade to the Panthers. Friedman doubted that Zito would renege on his promise.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Zito wanted to trade Hornqvist he probably won’t find much of a market for an aging, expensive winger playing fourth-line minutes. Besides, Hornqvist still has an eight-team no-trade list.
Zito’s not in a position of strength here and rival clubs could be more interested in players still in their prime like Duclair, Sam Reinhart or Sam Bennett. It’ll be interesting to see how the Panthers GM handles this situation.
Chychrun confirming the high value on him by having a PPG avg since his return. You have a small window here so best to grab him before his next injury! 😁
That Florida situation goes way beyond just roster moves to make room for Duclair and his $3 mil cap hit. Right now they are able to go with just a 20-man roster with cap “space” of a paltry $87,625.
That’s 12F – Barkov, Tkachuk, Reinhart, Hornqvist, Bennett, Verhaegue, Luostarinen, White, Cousins, Lundell, Lomberg, Eric Staal costing $46,166,667 off the cap – just 6D – Ekblad, Montour, Forsling, Gudas, Mahura, Marc Staal costing $17,666,667 off the cap – and 2G – Bobrovsky and Knight costing $10,925,000 off the cap.
Hurting in a big way is the $6,575,000 in dead space thanks to the Yandle and Darling buy-outs.
They could deal Duclair, but what they’d get in return would have to be picks/prospects types that won’t impact their roster cap – already operating at a bare minimum.
What they can’t do is trade 2 or 3 from their roster whose combined cap hits make room for Duclair since that would lower their roster even more. And to try and go through the remainder of the season with just 20 is folly. Especially if they have minor injuries keeping someone out of the line-up for onlya game or two since there’d be no cap relief so they’d be unable to elevate someone from the minors.
Moving Reinhart would not only make room for Duclair but also a player obtained in return with a cap hit of just under $3 mil, OR the elevation of two or three from their system still under ELC deals.
Not ideal any way you look at it.
Any team with some cap room and a few extra low picks can make out like bandits in a trade with the Panthers. There’s some good players that can be snagged for well below market value.
Man buyouts and retaining cap in a trade are death nails for teams in a league with a hard cap. I didn’t know until recently that when a team retains part of the contract in a trade such as Ottawa’s case with Murray, when he was on LTIR only the Leafs gained the LTIR cap pool to relieve them. Ottawa still had that money counting against the cap. Just another way the cap or mismanagement of it can really hurt you.
Agree, 100%, Ron.
I’d be inclined to take a run at Bennett if it was at all possible.
So very true Ron. And that got me to wondering about just how many teams are operating this year with varying amounts of dead cap space – due to Buyouts (BO), Buried Penalty (BP), Retained Cap (RC), Recapture Penalty (RP), Terminated Penalty (TP).
Here they are in descending order
Minnesota $12,743,588 – Parise & Suter (BO)
Ottawa $8,510,000 – Zaitsev (BP), Murray (RC), Ryan, White, DelZotto, Phaneuf (BO)
Chicago $6,788,463 – Connolly – Borgstrom (BO). Keith (RP)
Florida $6,575,000 – Yandle – Darling (BO)
San Jose $5,145,011 – Burns (RC), Jones – Balcers (BO)
New Jersey $4,725,000 – Johnsson (BP), Schneider, Kuokkanen (BO), Kovalchuk (RP)
Edmonton $4,166,666 – Lucic (RC), Neal – Sekera (B0)
Detroit $4,180,000 – Panik (RC), Abdelkader – Nielsen (BO)
New York Rangers $3,427,778 – Shattenkirk, Girardi, DeAngelo (BO)
Vancouver $2,400,000 – Holtby, Virtanen (BO)
Dallas $2,208,333 – Khudobin (BP)
Boston $2,100,000 – Wagner – Reily (BP)
Nashville $2,000,000 – Turris (BO)
Anaheim $2,000,000 – Perry (BO)
Los Angeles $1,971,591 – Wagner (BP), Phaneuf (BO), Richards (TP)
Pittsburgh $1,916,667 – Johnson (BO)
Buffalo $1,266,667 – Bjork (BP), Hodgson (BO)
Vegas $1,200,000 – Brossoit (BP)
Arizona $990,000 – Ekman-Larsson (RC)
Montreal $833,333 – alzner (BO)
Columbus $441,667 – Wennberg (BO)
Carolina $400,000 – Bear (RC)
Philadelphia $333,333 – Lindblom (BO)
New York Islanders $250,000 – Panik (BP)
Some teams have clearly really hamstrung themselves through their own doing.
Hornqvist was promised not to be traded for agreeing to come to FLA. The simple solution is that Horny gets hurt and goes on LTIR the rest of the year! 😁😁
Trade Reinhart for someone that makes half as much salary is a start there are only a half dozen teams that can absorb his (partial) cap hit……Bennett probably has more value, but it may be best to keep him.
I believe the Panthers don’t have a first over the next 3 years as well. Likely have to give Duclair away .
I have coined a new saying Paciorettied
Chychrun has been good. Shots blocks pp in addition to points . He will move before Xmas
Chychrun will be a senator before the start of the new year you can take that to the bank Mr Bruin bet his last bitcoin on it.. George I have to add some clarity to your greatest d list, I know you said other than Orr they were in no particular order but how can leave the best Ranger d of all time off that list Brian Leetch.
Here’s mine in order of talent
Orr #1 easily he is the best player of all time
2 Bourque
3 lindstrom
4 Harvey he was a bit before my time But I heard he was an amazing player from my uncle
5 Brad Park he was better than a lot of people thought ,real student of the game better defensively than Coffey
6 Larry Robinson
7 salming
8 Denis Potvin
9 Paul Coffey Only because of his incredible offence
He did have some good d
10 I hated him but he was damn good Chris Chelios
Today for lunch Peanutbutter and jam sandwiches dipped in tomatoe soup followed by your favourite brew Bud lite
That last combo of fruit soup and sammiches is absolutely vile.
ROFL!!!
Brad Park was a Ranger first. Rate him ahead of Leetch?
And not just briefly, either, BCLeafFan. Park played 465 seasonal games for the Rangers scoring 95 goals and 273 assists. He also had playoff performances there on about the same scale.
Sorry erase number 10 Chelios, leech is number ten followed chris
Is it too early to place Makar on the list?
He’d make mine.
Mmmnnnnn. Orr greatest player of all time then bourque.
I wonder what team you root for?
Potvin is number 2 all time. Did you watch him play?
Pretty good list…a few differences in my mind. I would flip Lidstrom and Borque (but I’m a Detroit guy, you are Boston). I might also elevate Harvey above Borque. I did see him play, and he would have magical in modern hockey…. gifted with the puck. I would also question your statement that Orr was “easily” GOAT. I don’t question anyone naming Orr the best, as others would agree, but easily ? No. To do so demeans Gretzky, Howe, and, my personal pick as the best ever, Lemieux (my apologies to my fellow Detroit fans).
Looks like the price for Chychrum won’t be coming down anytime soon Ottawa should pay it now. If you look at Ottawa’s defence it’s got to be done. George might not like it but he will love it after it’s done.
Yeah, Leetch was an oversight – but who does he replace?
Re Chychrun – with the way things are going in Ottawa what worries me the most about Chychrun coming here is the almost assured appearance of Murphy’s Law shortly thereafter.
And right now, giving up one 1st, let alone two, could take them out of the Bedard acqusition because, with the way things are going, they’ll have a good % chance of that 1st pick. If lottery-protected next spring, perhaps …
I would slow play this if I was OTT.
Things I would consider:
– nobody has paid it yet as the price is too high for a guy with a mixed history of performance and an injury history. Who are the Sens competing with for him?
– He is young enough to be part of the ongoing rebuild in ARI, so why are they trading him? Either doesn’t want to be there or cost cutting due to lack of revenue. Either way, it reduces the return as contenders are up against the cap and would need to shed a contract so doesn’t help them financially. If he wants out, who says he won’t stay on another rebuilding club. Added risk for the buyer like OTT.
– OTT has a tradeable asset like DeBrincat that can generate a good D prospect that is closer to being ready than a pick, but carries some risk, or can be used at the draft for Chychrun or another D. He isn’t the only game in town this off season.
Chychrun would help every team in the NHL, all about the cost, it is still too high. I think it comes down and if it doesn’t pursue another D when the timing is better. OTT isn’t a contender yet they can afford to be patient. They have no reason to rush this. If he goes elsewhere, so be it.
If true about CLB above, why are they letting him spike the deal? If true, and if he is fine with OTT, even more reason to wait this out.
Trade DeBrincat for Klingberg + a pick if Klinger will come to Ott.
Keep the 2023 1st, give them the next 3 years! Simple!😁
their 1st round pick for 3 years straight?? Like Hell.
Funny you brought up murphy’s law, because i was think conner murphy fron chi would be the perfect fit for Ott not Chyc.
Plus cost wouldnt be anywhere near as steep for chyc.
To the all time Defenseman players listed by some members above. How about Chris Pronger ? I believe he is a top 10 defensemen of all time.
Good catch ND. I hated Pronger, especially the time he tried to run Yzerman and end his career (Yzerman ducked his vicious boarding attempt), but he definitely should be in the discussion.