NHL Rumor Mill – March 8, 2024
The trade deadline is at 3 pm ET today. Check out the latest on Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm, Jacob Markstrom, Frank Vatrano, Jason Zucker, Jakob Chychrun, Bryan Rust, Ryan Johansen and more in the NHL Rumor Mill.
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils scratched winger Tyler Toffoli from last night’s game against the St. Louis Blues for trade-related reasons. No indication as to which teams are calling about him or potential destinations.
TSN: Pierre LeBrun said it’s not 100 percent that Toffoli gets traded as they still believe they can get back into the playoff race. However, the teams that were in on Jake Guentzel before he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes also kept tabs on the Devils winger.
New Jersey Devils winger Tyler Toffoli (NHL Images).
Chris Johnston reports Vancouver Canucks center Elias Lindholm isn’t going anywhere. It was rumored he would be on his way to the Boston Bruins had the Canucks acquire Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s not happening now.
Johnston thinks the Canucks could try to add one more piece before the deadline. They were believed to have an interest in Arizona Coyotes winger Jason Zucker. Speaking of Zucker, Johnston tweeted the Coyotes held the veteran winger and defenseman Matt Dumba out of last night’s game against the Minnesota Wild for trade-related reasons.
Darren Dreger reports Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom remains in the rumor mill. He believes the New Jersey Devils want to make one more attempt to acquire the 32-year-old Markstrom, who has a full no-movement clause. A rumored trade that would’ve sent him to the Devils last month reportedly fell through over salary retention amid speculation that Flames ownership nixed the deal.
Johnston believes the Winnipeg Jets could try to add a depth forward or defenseman…The Ottawa Senators have received some interest in Jakob Chychrun as well as Erik Brannstrom…The Montreal Canadiens remain open for business. The players they want to move (Jake Allen and David Savard) have a year remaining on their contracts.
THE ATHLETIC: The Philadelphia Flyers hope to find a trade partner for Ryan Johansen. They acquired the 31-year-old center on Wednesday from the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Sean Walker trade.
Johansen cleared waivers on Thursday and was reassigned to the Flyers AHL affiliate. However, general manager Daniel Briere said he informed the center to stand pat for a day or two as they attempt to see if another team could use him.
NEW YORK POST: Mollie Walker reports the Rangers are eyeing a reunion with Anaheim Ducks winger Frank Vatrano, who is signed through next season with $3.65 million cap hit. They’ve also been linked to St. Louis Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich but the Blues would have to retain part of his $5.8 million cap hit.
DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Kevin Allen reports rumors of the Red Wings acquiring Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust are running hot. However, he believes it’s unlikely to happen as the Penguins haven’t asked Rust to waive his no-movement clause.
THE SEATTLE TIMES: Geoff Baker reports the Kraken’s improving odds of qualifying for the playoffs could complicate a possible trade of winger Jordan Eberle. Contract discussions were underway but reportedly stalled on Wednesday. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes Eberle will be traded by today’s deadline.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Brian Hedger considers Jack Roslovic to be the Blue Jackets’ most likely trade candidate. The 27-year-old forward is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marc Dumont reports The Toronto Maple Leafs were among the clubs that inquired about Canadiens defenseman David Savard. However, those teams have balked at the Canadiens’ high asking price.
BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: Jason Moser lists Erik Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons and Victor Olofsson among the Sabres’ most likely trade candidates as today’s deadline approaches.
Very very sad day for Penguins.
Lose great player and get absolutely run over in a trade. Completely bamboozled
Kyle: Hi Sir Don, we need 1st, good roster, good prospect at least, and net Cap space for Guentzel
Don: Hush hush sweet child and drink up your bottle of Absynth before we talk trade.
What a crock
At the very end once documents were faxed to NHL; Donny put on his David spade mask and Airline Steward uni and said to Dubas “B-Bye”.
Dubas went down to his basement, stripped to his tightly whities, put on his dad’s 45 of 10CC’s “I’m not in love” (“big boys don’t cry, big boy’s don’t cry”)on the gramophone; put his Kevin Bacon mask (from Animal house) on; bent down and got 10 cricket bat strokes from Niedermeyer…”thank you sir may I have another”
Absolute travesty
Ask 1st, Good roster, good prospect for Guentzel.
Waited until many trades had been made already, until collective NHL available trade cupboard had dwindled
Not only gave up Guentzel but ALSO Donny insisted on Penguins top AHL player; and got him!, Two-fer!!
1st…. Nope… and before any of you say … “but wait, read the fine print” ….. this is a 2nd; plain and simple. No way Carolina gets past Rangers AND either Bruins or Panthers. So the 5th ain’t happen ing either. 2nd (mid/late 50’s in draft order) is what Pens get
Players…. All rec’d are smaller than average:
Roster player… rec’d Cane’s absolute worst +/- player, ABSOLUTE worst. He’s -15; playing middling minutes; That’s on a team that’s +32
Player value??? Dubas fell into his “Accairi trap”….Where he rewarded term and a 60% raise for 3 years of steady decline in play; ONLY because he was familiar with him as his previous GM. So he goes back to his Leafs’ yearbook and looks for a player who has 3 years of decline… BINGO!!
Dubas’s moves in the off-season got them in this pickle…. His moves to over-pay for underperforming bottom 6. Now he has his most expensive bottom 6 player, and has him at $4.5M for 2 more years after this. Ouch!
Prospects??
Ponomorev…. 5’ 9 1/2”, 180….. may sometime play some bottom 6. More than likely AHL career
Koivunen …. 5’ 10 1/2” , 160….fair numbers in Finland…. Most likely an AHL career, outside chance he gets a couple of NHL games in 2-3 years
And for those here saying…”wait, what about Cruz. He’s a PPG guy for UofW”. 6’ 1” , 183. Well Penguins DON’T have Cruz. They have a document that says they have the right to sign him. He has to agree to it though. That document has an expiry date.
Dubas got schooled by Donny. Absolutely schooled.
The only way this gets any upside is if somehow miraculously Bunting does a 180; plays with Sid and Rust and becomes a plus player racking up points
More trades to come you say?
Watch Dubas forge Rust’s signature on waiving his trade protection, retaining 50%, paying a 3rd team a 1st in ‘26 to retain another 25%; flipping Rust to Vancouver for UFA Lafferty and 4 conditional 1sts (all conditional on no rain happening at all in Vancouver from April 1st through September 30th), and rights to 3 diminutive community college players; rights expiring Monday
Oh by the way. Dubas’ previous trade of their top (before Ty Smith) AHL player (and a pick went in that deal, let’s not forget)….he’s got his first NHL hat-trick, is 5-2-7 and plus 2 in 7 games on one of the league’s bottom teams. His trade replacement coming to Penguins is 1-1-2 and -2 in 7 games with Penguins.
Bloody, get your own blog if you intend to write novella length posts, dude.
Sorry Paul
Venting
I’m angry as hell and had to explode
Started writing, couldn’t stop
You get the point…. Dubas screwed Pens huge in the trade; Waddell is getting a bonus check.
I’m canceling my lecture today and heading to a pub.
And wasn’t trying to demean BlueJackets. Sorry if that came across that way
Agreed,
The long and winding road…..only worked for the Beatles
Noted Habfan30
We’ll also never find our stairway to heaven
We also lost 1/2 off Jake Shakes (we get 50% off milkshakes when he scores). Can’t see promotion continuing. So sadness continues
Well, 87Pengy87, that’s your take. You are entitled to it. Another is that he (Dubas), got a boat load of assets for a player on an expiring contract and Ty Smith.
The trade was so bad, I actually feel like Pengy today. 15-20 years older (I think Pengy is in his 60’s ??) and very bitter.
Guentzel was the top UFA on trade board and was expected (by ESPN, The Hockey Writers, The Hockey News; SN, TSN and many more) to get (at the very least) a 1st, good prospect; fair roster player with term
Instead, had to give up additional player (Penguins top AHL player) and only got
2nd
Overpaid/underperforming bottom 6 winger
2 low/middling prospects
Rights only to another player (B prospect)
So return was far below all media’s expectations
I need a drink
Because more 💩 = better 💩!
They didn’t get what they wanted or needed, but they got quantity of what they didn’t want or need. Winner winner 🐓 dinner!
For his next act, Dubas will turn Crosby into a “boatload” of magic beans. He won’t settle for just some. Definitely gonna require a “boatload” to make it happen.
He’s nobody’s fool!
Dubas didn’t screw up. He came in, try to give it another go, likely because that was the directive from ownership. If it didn’t happen, time to move on. So now he is.
Fan expectations, on this site anyway, were way too high for the Guentzel return, and for the performance of this team. His value was nowhere near what Hanifin’s was. He isn’t the problem, perhaps you guys were just wrong?
Dubas isn’t destroying the team, the best players got old. They don’t have young replacements coming up because they have been trying to win cups for the last 15 years and took home 3 of them.
This is after 2 in the 90’s.
Poor Pen’s fans.
Quit whining already, because it ain’t gonna get any better for a while, so I hope it stops soon.
Hate to see what happens if Crosby decides he would like to chase another cup somewhere else. I don’t know what he wants to do, but if he does, it won’t be happening in Pittsburgh.
Settle in for 5-10 years as that is how long this will take.
Have a great weekend!
Good to have you back, Pengy, and thanks for sticking with one team this time around.
Have to agree with you. No 1st and no top prospects is ridiculous- just a terrible deal. You don’t wait to trade players of that il til the Thursday before you deal them much earlier so everyone still has assets…
If you have decided you are “rebuilding-retooling” with Crosby Letang and Malkin still in the mix- just re sign Guentzel and insist a limited no trade clause…as a opposed to full- none of those guys you acquired kick start a rebuild..
I have been on this site for over 10 years now…
8787
This is the best post ever written for multiple reasons…1st great creative writing
But most of you are
100000 % correct ….
I have written several posts here in the past on Dubas and his smoke and mirrors transactions….
Patrick Marleau to canes with 1st to clear cap
Marchant for Malgin
Kadri and 3rd for Keefoot
Barrie
Anderson for Mrazek less 500 k in salary
Matt Murray fiasco….
And so on…
GREAT POST DUDE …
THX
Thanks
Just got mad and totally wound up; and just kept typing.
Not as familiar with what Dubas did for Leafs. Had to look up Bunting’s stats and history and had previously looked up Accairi’s.
I now recall the Marleau including 1st to Cane’s deal. Wow Donny again!!
Marchant was traded for Malgin? Are you serious?
Those others you mentioned, Wow!
We’re stuck with Dubas for quite a while and that is not comforting.
I guess you guys are dancing in the streets now that he’s gone?
He literally blew this deal and although team got younger; it got smaller as well.
Time will tell on the prospects, but even if they do eventually somehow make the NHL; it will be past Crosby’s time.
Crosby looked completely dejected when they interviewed him. I’m hoping he re-ups in the summer but I couldn’t really blame him if he decides to leave.
Finals of either Edmonton or Vegas vs either Florida or New York will not surprise me.
They hired Scooby Dubas.
What did you think was going to happen?
Well I knew that Toronto kicked him to the corner and he failed there; but I’d no idea that he’d done so badly (see above what Kal El listed as some of his mistakes).
Then Dubas screwed up the off season by loading up (and overpaying) for mostly depth/4th liners.
There was no way anybody could have realistically seen him miss out with this trade on at least getting a 1st; let alone having to also give up Penguins’ best AHLer AND take back a tough contract with term.
2nd, bad contract, two B prospects and rights to another B prospect for the top player on the trade bait board AND top AHL player; is absolutely ridiculous.
He would have been better off with just asking for a 1st and a good prospect; keeping Ty Smith.
What’s next? I’m very afraid.
Told you buddy when John Henry bought the team! Just look at the Boston Red Sox for your comparable! Trade away potential big contracts, lower payroll,raise ticket prices and laugh all the way to the bank! 87 should look for a way out?
Hope you’re wrong, but fear you just may be on to something
The leafs should trade nylander to Pittsburgh today for Crosby and give syd a chance for a stanley cup !
Can’t see him going; although I certainly wouldn’t blame him.
Dubas is destroying the team
I’d have to move to Denver though as I can only see him moving on from Penguins to play with MacKinnon.
Hextall destroyed the team.
Hextall kicked the team in the nuts when they were down; and giggled while doing so.
Dubas is trying to finalize the destruction.
If this ends up with Crosby leaving; then it’s on Dubas.
.
Savard is not a player the Habs “want to move” right now. If Hughes is blown away with an offer, he’ll accept it but he’s not looking to move Savard. Allen is who he wants to move at the right price. Tanner Pearson too.
The only way this turns out positive is IF Jake signs as a free agent which I feel is a legit opportunity. Everyone knows him and 87 have had a tremendous bond on and off the ice. Cross your fingers pens fans and hope 59 returns home!!!
That would make my day. Donny W has first rights on offer though.
Maybe Crosby calls Jake on July 1st and tells him that he’ll sign an extension if Jake signs with Pens.
Not sure the Cap space will be there though.
Can Dubas send one of the prospects and his prized 3rd winger back to Donny for the rights to Ty Smith and Jake once Cane’s have been eliminated?