NHL Rumor Mill – October 17, 2023
An update on the speculation linking Canucks winger Conor Garland to the Predators, pondering the possibility of a contract extension for Devils goalie Akira Schmid, and the latest on the Sharks in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
LATEST GARLAND CHATTER
NASHVILLE HOCKEY NOW: Michael Gallagher weighed in on a Saturday report by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman linking the Predators to Vancouver Canucks winger Conor Garland.
Friedman said the Predators were among a handful of teams (including the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets) said to be interested in Garland. The Canucks gave permission last week to the 27-year-old winger’s agent to speak with other clubs regarding a trade.
Vancouver Canucks winger Conor Garland (NHL Images).
Gallagher points out that Garland’s agent Judd Moldaver also represents Predators captain Roman Josi. Friedman also said that the Canucks would want a defenseman in return, prompting Gallagher to suggest that Tyson Barrie, Alex Carrier, Dante Fabbro and Jeremy Lauzon are four NHL-level options who could help the Canucks immediately.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks have a pressing need for depth in right-side, right-shot defensemen. Barrie, Carrier and Fabbro could address that issue for them. However, moving one of them could leave the Predators thin on the right side of their blueline unless they’ve got a suitable replacement they can promote from the minors.
Friedman also indicated that the Canucks want to free up between $1 million and $2 million in a Garland trade in order to gain some cap flexibility this season. Barrie’s $4.5 million cap hit it too close to Garland’s $4.95 million. Carrier and Fabbro would be better financial options for the Canucks as they’re each earning $2.5 million on one-year contracts.
IS A NEW CONTRACT IN THE WORKS FOR SCHMID?
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: James Nichols cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculating on Monday whether New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald is working on a contract extension for Akira Schmid. The 23-year-old goaltender is in the final season of his entry-level contract.
NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky reported Schmid’s agent Allain Roy said contract talks have not started yet. Nichols also got the same story when he spoke with Roy
Nichols acknowledged that things could change quickly. He also suggested that a new contract for Schmid could put an end to the recent talk of Fitzgerald monitoring the goalie trade market.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fitzgerald doesn’t have to rush into signing Schmid, whose rights belong to the Devils after this season. He could be evaluating the young goalie’s performance over the course of this season before initiating those discussions.
WHICH PLAYERS COULD THE SHARKS MOVE AT THE MARCH TRADE DEADLINE?
THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens recently listed 10 questions the San Jose Sharks must answer after their season opener. Among them was who GM Mike Grier might move before the March 8 trade deadline.
Stephens noted the Sharks have eight players eligible to become unrestricted free agents next July. They include forwards Alexander Barabanov, Anthony Duclair, Mike Hoffman and Kevin Labanc as well as goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen. He believes they could factor into future trade discussions if they perform well this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Duclair and Barabonov would draw the most interest and the best returns for the Sharks. Both indicated their interest in re-signing with the Sharks but they could have more value as trade chips this season.
Hoffman is a one-dimensional 33-year-old scoring forward whose production has been in decline over the last three seasons. Labanc, 27, has struggled since reaching a career-best 56 points in 2018-19 and was a healthy scratch in their first two games of this season.
Once considered a future starting goalie, the 27-year-old Kahkonen has had difficulty filling that role with the Sharks and the Minnesota Wild before them.
Eric Brannstrom to Vancouver
Connor Garland to Nashville
One of Nashville’s 3 second round picks next season to the Sens.
Everyone wins.
I like it.
Garland is much more valuable to a team than Brannstrom, who is a low end 3rd string defenseman on a good team. If I was Vancouver, I would only make that deal if I really want to get rid of Garland’s salary, and if that was the case, Garland would have been gone last year. What if you sub Shane Pinto in for Brannstrom, via Nashville as suggested, with a little more than a Nashville second round pick back to Ottawa? Maybe a 2 and a 4? Or Lauzon plus a 4th back to Ottawa?
Garland for Pinto would be a great trade but doesnt work for Ott as they cant even afford to sign Pinto, let alone add 4.95m
Unless there is other salary coming back from Ottawa?
Where I was going with that was an attempt to satisfy all three teams: (1) Nashville want, and could use, Garland (and they have cap space) so they get him, (2) Vancouver want to shed Garland’s salary but get something of fair value in return and recognize they are building for the future, so they get Pinto, (3) Ottawa has a nightmare situation with Pinto, but they want a positive way out so this is a solution in that they get a useful young tough defenseman in Lauzon who is signed for additional years at $2m. This is what some reports were saying that they wanted to sign Pinto for, so strategically Lauzon slots in the cap space Ottawa had allocated. I also think that they want a little more than Lauzon straight up for Pinto so enter a 4th rounder coming back to Ottawa from Nashville. As for Ottawa’s salary cap issue, they wanted to sign Pinto yet they only show $62k space on Capfriendly, so obviously they were going to do something else to free up some cap space likely to around the $2m mark. Maybe they found a team willing to take Joseph, but Pinto wanted more $$$ so they said no to trading Joseph, or maybe they would move someone else, or maybe they put Norris on LTIR for the time being.
Connor Garland is a solid player but at $4.95 will be a tough sell unless say Vancouver Calgary want to swap Garland and Hanifan ??
So ott is dumping salary and getting a second? Not sure that’s how it works.
And the whole point for Ottawa is to shed enough salary to sign and keep Pinto.
The names being bandied about are in order of who they’d like to move:
1.Kubalik (yzerman genius dumping that deal on Pierre)
2.Mathieu Joseph who looks to be earning that contract.(trade him to Montreal–habs move Monohan to center take back considerations)
3. Brannstrom which then leaves them a D short and still not enough room to sign Pinto.
Dark G , you seem to be missing that the entire league knows the situation that the Senators are in therefore all of the proposed players being shipped out are going to be getting a return of less than their actual value or in some case Ottawa may have to add a little something as incentive. Perhaps a team loses a key player and needs to fill a gap or a team is off to a bad start to season and wants to shake things up that may soften the blow. Right now Ottawa will be fortunate to get a 4th – 6th round pick for Brannstom or Kubalik straight up. I can also see a GM picking up one of those players and flipping them at the TDL for a better return. Ottawa needs the cap now and that is the rub.
Kinda what ferby said. If it was somehow flipped that ott was sending out brannstton and a second it would make for sense.
It’s only a dump if there is no need from other teams. I would not consider Branstrom a low level 3rd. If you’ve seen him play, he’s a great player, and I highly doubt he’s the one leaving. Definetly no sweetner on that move, especially if a team needs a defender. I think as long as the team keeps winning, Dorion just keeps waiting. Invevitably a good player will go down on a good team and then ottawa goes from a position of weakness to strength.
To say Yzerman dumped Kubalik is laughable. The guy can score and if Ottawa wasn’t in cap trouble they’d be getting a good return back from a guy like that.
One thing for sure , Dorion won’t be making anymore deals without a rubber stamp from Staios first.
Owen. You seem to be missing the point of teams knowing ott wants/needs to dump salary. That almost always either costs assets or results in getting a significantly diminished value in return. I.e. my pens stealing smith this offseason.
Garland also a salary dump. So no one is eager to help either Van or Ott?
Brannstrom is not a salary dump. Right shot, offensive defenseman, 5/6, making what right shot 5/6 guys make. Good player, at value, filling a positional need.
Joseph is definitely a salary dump.
…. and… Brannstrom is an active quick defenseman with a decent pass out of his end, but he is small, he can get out muscled, and still prone to making too many bad decisions. I am not saying that Ottawa’s defensemen are terrible, but I don’t consider their group to collectively be top 12 either, and Brannstrom is 3rd string with them… so I rest my case.
Barabanov could be this year’s Barbashev .
Buy low and don’t wait until the TD
Schmid is young for a goaltender . Looked ok in his first start
I think the Devils D is not that strong
( for Stanley favourite ) outside of Hamilton and Marino
I don’t see Barrie as good fit in Vancouver at his salary and he’s a PP point type of Defensemen and he’s not knocking Hughes out of any ice time, they need that guy that’s good in his own end with some size and grit and at 2.0-2.5m per year, mind you every team needs that guy 😂
Canucks should talk to the Coyotes sending them back Garland for Sean Durzi.
Sorry pengy. Friedman not around to man crush on no more.
Now if we could just get rid of Rudwhedel…LOL
Pengy would be sooo happy..