NHL Rumor Mill – December 15, 2023
Zach Parise eyes a return this season, more speculation about Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro, plus updates on free-agent Ethan Bear, the Canucks’ Andrei Kuzmenko and the Red Wings Jonatan Berggren in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
PARISE AIMING AT RETURNING THIS SEASON
THE ATHLETIC: Chris Johnston reports a source claims unrestricted free-agent winger Zach Parise is ramping up his conditioning with an eye on returning to action this season.
Parise, 39, wasn’t willing to face the grind of an 82-game schedule this season. He remained home with his family in Minnesota but has regained his desire to play and has been working on getting into game shape.
Unrestricted free agent winger Zach Parise (NHL.com)
Johnston said there’s no timeline when Parise would return but multiple clubs are aware of his progress and expressed an interest in signing him. Among them are his former club, the New York Islanders. It’s believed Parise wants to pursue the Stanley Cup and some of the teams looking at him are those with legitimate championship ambitions this season.
Parise will have to sign a contract before the March 8 trade deadline to be eligible to play in the postseason.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Parise will also be an affordable signing. His last contract with the Islanders was a $750K base salary with another $750K in performance bonuses.
COULD THE SHARKS TRADE FERRARO?
THE MERCURY NEWS: Curtis Pashelka recently noted the trade rumors swirling about San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro. Unlike other Sharks popping up in the rumor mill, Ferraro is signed beyond this season (through 2025-26) plus he carries an affordable $3.25 million average annual value on his contract.
General manager Mike Grier has said he’s willing to listen to offers on just about anyone on the Sharks roster. Trading Ferraro, however, would say something about how long the Sharks rebuild is expected to last.
Ferraro’s teammates and head coach David Quinn praised the blueliner’s skills, work ethic and positive attitude. Meanwhile, he recently said he wants to remain with the Sharks and be part of a possible resurgence.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The attributes and team-friendly contract that make Ferraro so valuable to the Sharks also make him an enticing target in the trade market. Unlike the Sharks’ pending UFAs, Grier doesn’t have to move him this season. The Sharks GM can afford to be patient and wait for the right offer.
TIDBITS FROM FRIEDMAN’S LATEST “32 THOUGHTS” COLUMN
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman suggests the Washington Capitals could offer free agent Ethan Bear a two-year contract. Other clubs interested in the 26-year-old defenseman were proposing a one-year deal with the possibility of an extension next offseason.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: TSN’s Chris Johnston and others had Bear all but signed with the Capitals to a two-year deal. It hasn’t happened yet but that doesn’t mean it won’t. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Friedman noted that the Canucks still haven’t taken Andrei Kuzmenko off their first power-play unit. “If he was removed from that, I’d be worried about his status in Vancouver,” he writes. He’s not convinced the 27-year-old winger will be traded soon but he believes the Canucks are “going to know the possibilities.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks insist they want to work with Kuzemenko to improve his overall game. He seems to have responded well in his last two games, tallying two goals including one on the power play.
Jonatan Berggren has two goals in his three games since his recent callup with the Detroit Red Wings. Friedman isn’t sure if the 23-year-old winger has gone so far as to request a trade but he wants more of an opportunity.
I wonder if Toronto could acquire lyubushkin for a couple of mid level draft picks and then trade bertuzzi to Calgary for hannifin and then use klinbergs ltir cap money for a forward with sandpaper.
Bert has a NTC, and Hanifin will more than likely sign in Boston when a UFA.
Bertuzzi is human sand paper. There aren’t many in the league with his offensive skill set. It’s just not being realized in Toronto…because it’s Toronto. (Having watched him play in Detroit, my suspicion is his struggles this season are related to how O’Keefe plays him, and how soft OKeefe wants that team to play)
Bruins fan here, I loved Bert in Boston. Great playmaker, grit and can score. The playmaking was a nice surprise. You will like him come playoff time.
Why on earth would the flames trade Hanifin for Bertuzzi. The flames aren’t trading with Brad.
Why would the Leafs want him back?
Do you mean: Bertuzzi plus a 1st round pick plus a top prospect for Hanifin?
Certainly Calgary isn’t trading Hanifin for Bertuzzi straight up.
That’s not how LTIR works!
Bertuzzi isn’t going anywhere. All this negative talk will go away come playoff time. Look what he did in Boston. He has a history of elite play during the playoffs going back to the AHL days. TML fans just need to chill (if that is even possible).
Ed.
He has only been in one playoff. In nhl last year with bruins. He did get his points
5 g 5 helpers. But still a minus 4. For the series. Long way to go before he is considered a playoff beast
Whomever signs him long term swill wish they did not
Kind of with ya on that MB4, I like how Bertuzzi played for stretches in the playoffs, and then a total brain fart giveaway would happen that led directly to a goal against. Like brutal.
Played with creativity and grit, which is kind of rare, but man, some of the plays he made in his own end were reckless and costly. Can you coach that out of him? I dunno, but DET could have decided to buck up and extend him, chose not to.
Can I just add that Keefe, or any NHL coach, isn’t asking anybody to play soft.
Ray, I don’t agree with:
Can I just add that Keefe, or any NHL coach, isn’t asking anybody to play soft.
I do think a coach warns players of playing a certain way that may lead to penalties. I don’t think they use the word soft; however there is a certain way that they want them to play ie skill and not heavy on the forecheck we don’t want to get into trading hits etc.
Maybe Caper, but I’m skeptical that they would do that. Every coach wants players to be aggressive on the forecheck, get to the dirty area in front of the net, win puck battles which includes separating a player from the puck.
They just do, as that wins games for every team. I can’t understand a world where a coach wouldn’t want that as it doesn’t seem logical to me.
Now if a guy is running around like a chicken with his head cut off and getting outside the structure they need to play to win, than ya, but that is different than playing with “sand paper or grit”.
IMO.
MTL has a rugged right handed shot by the name of Jonathan Kovacevic. He’d be very cap friendly for a team like Toronto. So would Lindstrom.
Parise might be a fit with the Jets, looking for more depth at centre. Maybe Jonathan Toews also.
It would suit Chevy’s style of looking for low risk signings and from Minnesota.
Sheifele is the #1 and Lowry is the #3 and while Namestnikov has played really well as #2C that is an area for improvement on the club.