NHL Rumor Mill – October 7, 2023
Check out the latest on Predators’ goaltender Juuse Saros, goalies to watch as waiver candidates, and which Blues defensemen could be the odd man out this season in the NHL Rumor Mill.
TROTZ SAYS SAROS IS PART OF THE PREDATORS LONG-TERM PLANS
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun recently reported Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz wants Juuse Saros to be part of the club’s long-term plans. The 28-year-old goaltender is in the second-last season of his four-year contract, paying him an average annual value of $5 million.
Trotz told LeBrun that he’s already reached out to Saros’ agent to determine their thoughts on discussing a contract extension. Whether the Predators are rebuilding or retooling, he wants his starting goaltender on the roster.
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Saros has occasionally surfaced in the rumor mill this season as some pundits have suggested he could become trade bait given his contract status and the current state of the Predators. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2025 and his current deal plus his status among the league’s best netminders would make him an attractive trade target around the league.
The presence of promising Yaroslav Askarov also prompted questions about Saros’ future in Nashville.
Trotz is obviously keen to keep Saros but we’ve yet to hear what the goalie wants to do. It’s probably fair to say that he’ll be willing to listen to whatever the Predators GM is willing to pitch for contract offers.
The earliest the two sides can technically begin contract talks is July 1 of next year. However, they can get the ball rolling with casual discussions regarding the framework for a new deal.
If the two sides fail to reach an agreement on an extension Saros could become a trade candidate sometime during the 2024-25 campaign. For now, however, it appears that he won’t be shopped this season.
GOALIES TO WATCH ON THE WAIVER WIRE
DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuck discussed goaltenders they’re watching on the waiver wire as teams finalize their rosters for the upcoming start of the regular season.
Among the notables are Detroit’s Alex Lyon, Toronto’s Martin Jones, Montreal’s Cayden Primeau, Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Los Angeles’ David Rittich, St. Louis’ Malcolm Subban, Florida’s Anthony Stolarz and Pittsburgh’s Magnus Hellberg.
Luukkonen was the name that most interested Yaremchuk, who wondered about his chances of clearing if he gets put on waivers. Seravalli pointed out that the Sabres have sufficient cap space to carry three goalies to start the season without putting Luukkonen on waivers.
Lyon and Jones are also fascinating names for Seravalli. He doubts the Leafs will head into this season with three goalies. He also indicated the Canadiens had yet to make a decision about Primeau.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Seravalli also wondered about Stolarz’s situation with the Panthers but that’s been rectified with Spencer Knight being loaned to their AHL affiliate soon after this report aired on Friday.
The intrigue over what those clubs will do with their extra goalies is mostly due to pundits pondering what the Tampa Bay Lightning will do to address the loss of starter Andrei Vasilevskiy. He’s out for a couple of months following lower-back surgery, leaving them with Jonas Johansson and his 35 games of NHL experience and 29-year-old rookie Matt Tomkins.
Most believe the cap-strapped Lightning could pluck one of these aforementioned goalies off the waiver wire to bolster their depth between the pipes until Vasilevskiy’s return. We’ll learn their intentions between now and Tuesday.
LATEST ON THE BLUES
THE ATHLETIC: Jeremy Rutherford recently examined the St. Louis Blues’ depth on defense to determine who’s in beyond their top four of Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko.
Rutherford noted they have five defensemen battling for four positions if they opt to carry eight for this season or three spots if they carry seven. He thinks it could come down to Marco Scandella or Calle Rosen. Both are in the final season of their respective contracts.
Scandella carries a cap hit of $3.275 million plus a seven-team no-trade list making him difficult to move. Rosen wouldn’t fetch much of a return as a depth player but there’s a risk that he might not clear if placed on waivers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If push comes to shove it’ll likely be Rosen as he’d be the easiest to move.
would buffalo entertain thoughts of trading olofsson for roslovic and bean. would anaheim trade gibson to cbj for merzlikins and 3 of the following players. boqvist danforth foudy bemstorm peeke bean robinson blankenberg or berni. cbj needs to do something before the season starts.
Were I the Jackets’ GM, I’d take Olofsson for Roslovic and Bean in a heartbeat. Better forwards are, probably, pushing Roslovic off the team and trading Bean allow Blankenburg to stay as the 7th D.
Why would Columbus do that?
It has been 4 years since Gibson posted stats above merely league average.
Gibson is no better than Merzlikins, if he is even as good at this stage of his career!
i would offer phil same deal also for hart. save the season for cbj trade merz now and get somebody else. with a good goalie they have a chance to have a nice season this year
No one is going to accept Merzlikins in a trade with his crappy play and cap hit. The best the Jackets could hope for was that Elvis would clear waivers and spend time in Cleveland to regain his confidence. Unfortunately, the Jackets have already returned Jet Greaves, their only healthy goalie who is a starter, to Cleveland.
that was the reason i said merz and 3 players so u could get rid of a bad contract. rebuilding teams with cap space will take a bad contract if u give them enough value back. i know i wouldnt but im not a gm
Send Comrie down. Might get taken but has some salary so a reduced risk . I think they have to see Levi carry the load before any move . I think he can
Monday night will feel like Xmas eve . Bored with preseason
Sabres are in a big need for a right defense who shoots right, and without it I see a weakness. Maybe Justin Schultz fits here or Tyler Myers short term. Like Ottawa I see a nice Sabre season falling a little short of the playoffs because there is a possiblity of 5 teams coming out of the Metropolitan. PS- Pionk would look good on Buffalo as well. thx
I watched the Pittsburgh/Buffalo game last night, and if the Sabres fail to make the playoffs this year, it will be because of their back end. The D did not look good enough, even with the additions of Johnson and Clifton. And although Levi looked good last year, it is still a bit of a crapshoot relying on a goalie with only 7 games of NHL experience as your number one while expecting to make the post-season.
how about boqvist roslovic and merzlikins for comrie and olofsson or would u need 1 more playerbean peeke or danforth to do this
I see the Bruins just waived Boqvist, Steen and Zboril. Boqvist I could see Boqvist as I don’t think he played as well as his skillset, or well enough to beat out others such as Lauko. Steen is dissappointing as I would have liked to see him make it but and givin’ and honest shot. He played better than Heinen so waiving Steen better not be at the expense of Heinen making it. Zboril getting waived is really dissappointing as I do not think he got a fair chance from Montgomery or the Boston media. He played in two preseason games had a point, 6 hits, 2 blocked shots, and was a plus 2. All I have been hearing is Ian Mitchell and how Montgomery has a “history” with him. Well boy wonder was giving 4 games to play in, had no hits, 3 blocked shots, and was a minus 2, to go with zero points. Sorry, but that is not playing better than Zboril, nor is an offensive defensive who has not shown any ability to produce good enough to make the Bruins.
Buffalo hung out young goaltender Devon Levi last night and he let in 7 Goals‼️
No way they let nim stay in the NHL this season the kids only 21& need AHL experince
Looks like They will go with 24 yr old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and 28 yr old Eric Comrie…………
But if they want to make the playoffs they will have to Trade for a Real Starter from the
Jets 30 yr old Connor Hellebuyck❓
or
Bruins 30 yr old Linus Ullmark who maybe Avalable..❓
a 1st pick and a prospect….maybe🤔
When is the last time a goalie returned a first round pick? Hint. He just retired
Took me a while to figure that one out Chrisms.
Another reason not spend a 1st on a tender.
Lehner also went for a 1st after Schneider.
But Buffalo would take a mulligan on that if they could.
Good call captain. Missed that one.
If that’s the way Buffalo plays defense this season, it won’t matter who is between the pipes.
Buffalo could trade Comrie and Olafson for Gibby
If the Ducks retain $1M then they send a 3rd as well.