NHL Rumor Mill – October 13, 2023
Musing over whether the Oilers would pursue Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark plus the latest on the Flames’ Elias Lindholm, the Senators’ Shane Pinto, and the Hurricanes’ defense corps in today’s NHL Rumor Roundup.
COULD THE OILERS PURSUE BRUINS GOALIE LINUS ULLMARK?
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: That’s the question Jimmy Murphy pondered after watching the Edmonton Oilers get blown out 8-1 by the Vancouver Canucks in their season opener on Wednesday.
Murphy cited an NHL executive source saying a few more games like that from Oilers goalies Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner will force general manager Ken Holland into the trade market seeking a more permanent solution between the pipes. The source claimed they had heard the Oilers expressed interest in Bruins netminders Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman over the summer.
Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (NHL Images).
Ullmark carries a modified no-trade clause and might be reluctant about moving to Edmonton. Murphy also pointed out that both clubs have limited cap space this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s way too early to start pondering whether Holland will hit the panic button and go shopping for a more reliable starting goalie. Yes, the Oilers’ season-opener was awful but it wasn’t just on their goalies. The whole club looked flatter than pancakes for that contest.
I expect Campbell and/or Skinner will improve in the coming weeks. If they don’t, Holland could end up having to shop for help. As for Ullmark, I don’t see the Bruins parting with him unless their season goes off the rails.
FLAMES ARE NO CLOSE TO AN EXTENSION WITH LINDHOLM
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports dialogue continues between the Calgary Flames and Elias Lindholm regarding a new contract for the 28-year-old center. While there’s been no line in the sand from either side, they’re nowhere close yet on a number that works for both sides.
LeBrun speculates the Flames may be looking at Mark Scheifele’s seven-year extension worth $8.5 million annually with the Winnipeg Jets as a possible comparable.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is probably going to go on all season. The Flames can point to Scheifele’s contract but Lindholm’s camp believes his two-way play is worth more. Most pundits believe it’s probably going to cost over $9 million for the Flames to get him under contract.
SENATORS STILL TRYING TO FREE UP CAP SPACE FOR PINTO
TSN: Darren Dreger reports Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion is still working the phones trying to move a player to free up sufficient cap room to re-sign restricted free agent Shane Pinto.
Dorion has been trying to move Mathieu Joseph. Dreger also said he’s had conversations about moving defenseman Erik Brannstrom.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is what happens when you invest $5 million in an unrestricted free-agent winger like Vladimir Tarasenko without first ensuring you’ve got sufficient cap space to re-sign a key restricted free agent such as Pinto.
The Senators seemed to be counting on Pinto accepting a bargain-basement deal given his lack of leverage coming off his entry-level contract. Instead, the Pinto camp has dug in its heels and shows no sign of budging.
Dorion is left scrambling to move a salaried player in a season where most clubs are also pressed for cap space. Many teams can’t afford Joseph’s $2.95 million cap hit or Brannstrom’s $2 million. Those who could will want something else attached like a draft pick or a quality prospect.
NO MOVES COMING FOR HURRICANES BLUELINE
THE ATHLETIC: Cory Lavalette reported on Wednesday that Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said his club is not actively trying to shop a defenseman. However, he said it’s his job to listen if a club comes calling.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pending UFA defensemen Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei were frequent topics of trade chatter during the offseason. The Hurricanes’ blueline depth entering this season also prompted speculation that one of them could be used as a trade chip to land a scoring winger.
Much will depend on the Hurricanes’ performance and where they are in the standings leading up to the March 8 trade deadline.
WHY ARE TEAMS HOARDING GOALTENDERS?
TSN: Chris Johnston noted several teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks are carrying three goaltenders on their respective rosters this season. He thinks a lot of those teams are trying to hold back one of their veteran goalies rather than risk losing them to waivers.
Dorion SMH…Shane Pinto should make it easy on Dorion to clear cap space and demand a trade as there is no way, if I’m Pinto that I’ll be playing for the Sens after this fiasco.
players, gms and agents are all mature enough to understand that this is a business. I expect minimal animosity once the documents are signed.
This. It’s only the fans that get this emotional about things. Do I think Dorion majorly effed up? Yes…especially if Tarasenko turns out to be a bust.
Aside from getting the cap $ to sign Pinto another challenge will be Pinto’s ability to get in game shape and contribute. He’s going to need time otherwise he is risking getting injured by trying to get in the lineup too quickly. People seem to forget he missed pretty much an entire season 2 years ago.
So if and when we hear Pinto is signed, i would not count on him taking shifts in the NHL for 2-3 weeks post signing. He is skating and training, but not at all the same thing.
Pinto will surely need time to get into game shape, Fergy. Which makes Dorion’s lack of willingness to absorb some pain to get him back.
Interesting that we have lost radio frequency from George, he’s usually all over Sens stuff. Hope he’s ok.
I don’t claim to be a hockey genius but I don’t get all the hoopla surrounding Pinto. What kind of money does he earn. He had 35 points last season with a +/- of -21. My simple calculation says he had a positive 14 points. Am I missing something? Like I said….I am not a hockey genius.
Good observation , snuffy but he does have lots of potential and they were counting on him and Norris to be in the lineup to compete for a shot at making the playoff’s. I know it’s early in the year but Stutzle, Greig, Chartier as the top 3 pivots…. that is not going to get them a sniff at making the playoffs. Greig will be a fine NHLer but I believe the plan was ease him in , not throw him in the fire.
In the modern NHL, an almost 1st round pick (32nd in a 31-team draft) entering his 3rd full NHL season is worth at LEAST $2M … Sens have $63,614 in cap space with a 20-man roster 22/23 is normal), and could only dress 19 for their opening game because one player is on IR … they @#$%^&ed up their cap.
in today’s NHL the cap is a tad over 80mil. you take 20 players divide that into 80 and your average per player is 4 mil. you nees space for call uos and depth so that eats the rest. min for a player is 800k rounding up. So for every guy who takes 5 mil team needs a guy to take 3. at 6 mil its a guy at 2…only so far down can you go. so as 1 player takes more others have less. this simple math is lost on so many players, agents, gms and fans. if you take up so much cap that the team needs 2 or 3 min guys you better play like you are four average guys combined into one.
both EDM and BOS are near the cap space, don’t see how BOS could swap one of their goalies without taking one of EDM’s goalies back. Don’t see a Swayman for Skinner deal and highly doubt BOS would want Campbell
Skinner, Hollaway and a 3rd for Swayman
I think that if the Bruins wanted to Trade Swayman it would have happened this summer. I say there is likely more interest in him then Ullmark.
Same token to me Swayman brings back the better return IMO.
Not that informed about how good, or not Pinto is. But Dorion is an idiot for not sorting this out before he jumped the gun on Tarasenko. Kind of like Benning signing players before Pettersson a few years back, that lead to him not having the cap space to go long on Pettersson. And that just turned out great…..
My guess its going to take 9,25-9,5 for sign Lindholm, and that is for 8 years. Can imagine signing bonus level is also an issue
the Bruins could use a center who could run the #1 line they don’t have one … Oilers could use a #1 goalie they don’t have one … do a 2-2 trade make the $$$ work ….Bruins could add a Dman to Ullmark and the Oilers could move a Center plus a piece
A 5 million dollar top 6 winger or a 2.5 million dollar middle 6 centre.
Seems Dorion got the math right when deciding who to sign.
Pinto isn’t Bedard. Time will sort it out.
The Norris issue was the variable throwing the equation off
Stutzle Norris Creig
Stutzle Norris Pinto
Not much different
Stutzle Creig whomever else
Big difference.
Boston in my opinion will not move Sways he is the real deal and their goalie for many years. Ullmark was best goalie in league last year he won’t be given away they are hard to come by would take Nuge to pry him away.
Yep! Nuge + Skinner for Swayman, Zacha
Good luck with RNH NMC!!! 😏
The new deal carries an annual cap hit of $7.25MM, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, or a $50.75MM total value. The deal starts in Toews’ age-30 season and ends following his age-37 year. This likely means that Toews will spend the rest of his career with the Avalanche, something he expressed interest in before the season started.
What scares me about Ullmark is his career playoff record and stats. 3W – 5L .888 sv% and a 3.54 GAA.
Ullmark and Zyboril. For. 1st skinner and Broberg. Oil won’t do it. Or move RNH either. So no match imo
Devon Toews has signed a seven-year contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche. The contract will start in the 2024-25 season and end following the 2030-31 season.
Good job Avalanche!!!! Smart to get it done and T oews is worth it. I think he probably took a discount because he could have gotten much more if he went to market? He’s smart and wants to be a part of what is going on in Colorado. GO AVS!!!!
For Ottawa to be in this much of a cap bind with very few of their younger stars under stable long term contracts is not a good sign.
That team is barely a playoff team & would have to get lucky to be a contender over the next 2-3 seasons.
I know the cap can be a fluid situation, but it really seems like this team is going to have a very small window before the cap forces them to sell off youth needed talent.
Rather confusing comment considering all of their young stars are locked up long term (Brady, Stutzle, Norris, Chabot, Sanderson). That core is all locked up for the next 5 years. All contracts come in around $8M mark … some will be bargains while others might be overpays. $5M of dead cap space comes off next year and the cap will go up as well. So they are fine going into next season.
This season is where Dorion completely dropped the ball. His mistakes were overpaying for Korpisalo, overpaying Joseph last year, and signing Tarasenko. I think he is a terrible GM and needs to be replaced. But whoever takes over is going to be in a good place going into next season. What they do with Chychrun will be the big question.
But I do agree with you that a team who has not been close to a playoff spot since 2017 should not be having salary cap issues. It is actually quite embarrassing as a Sens fan.
Good post Peter, agreed on all points.