NHL Rumor Mill – March 9, 2024
The 2024 trade deadline has passed but questions remain about the trade candidates who didn’t move. Check out the latest on Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark, Pavel Buchnevich and Jakob Chychrun, plus an update on the Devils in the NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT NEXT FOR MARKSTROM AND THE FLAMES?
CALGARY SUN: Wes Gilbertson wonders what happens next for the Flames and Jacob Markstrom. After weeks of trade speculation, the 34-year-old goaltender remains with the Flames, but there are questions about his future in Calgary.
Gilbertson wondered if the two sides could patch up their relationship if they hadn’t already. Markstrom has two years left on his contract with an average annual value of $6 million. However, does he want to stick around through a retooling process?
Markstrom was linked to the New Jersey Devils with a rumored deal in mid-February having fallen through. The Devils opted instead to acquire Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens and shipped Vitek Vanecek to the San Jose Sharks for Kaapo Kahkonen.
Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames general manager Craig Conroy yesterday claimed there weren’t any issues in his relationship with Markstrom. Nevertheless, the former Vezina Trophy finalist’s future in Calgary will remain the subject of speculation in the offseason, even if a deal with the Devils is no longer possible.
BIG OFFSEASON MOVES COULD BE COMING FOR THE DEVILS
THE ATHLETIC: Despite the Devils’ acquisitions of Allen and Kahkonen, Peter Baugh reports Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald is expecting to go “big-game hunting” for a goaltender in the offseason.
The acquisition of Kahkonen was more about removing Vanecek’s $3.4 million AAV through next season from the Devils’ books. With Allen signed through next season and the Canadiens retaining half of his $3.85 million cap hit, Fitzgerald had the cap flexibility to bring in a bigger-name starter.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fitzgerald elaborated on why he couldn’t land someone like Markstrom before the deadline, claiming that the asking prices were too high. That market might change during the offseason. Whether he’ll revisit efforts to land Markstrom remains to be seen.
Allen will return with the Devils next season as their backup. Kahkonen won’t be re-signed, but a solid performance in New Jersey should help him land with another NHL club this summer as a free agent.
Fitzgerald also said he remains interested in signing Tyler Toffoli when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He traded the 31-year-old winger to the Winnipeg Jets after efforts to re-sign him before the trade deadline failed.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t doubt Fitzgerald’s sincerity. Toffoli played very well during his short tenure with the Devils. However, he’ll likely be among this summer’s top free agents and could prove too expensive to bring back to New Jersey.
DID ULLMARK REJECT A TRADE TO A WESTERN TEAM?
THE SCORE: Kayla Douglas cited reports from Boston that the Bruins didn’t aggressively shop goaltender Linus Ullmark leading up to the trade deadline. GM Don Sweeney said he was happy he stood pat with his goaltenders, adding he was pleased with the tandem of Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
Douglas noted that ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported the Bruins had a trade in place to move Ullmark to an unnamed team, but Ullmark invoked his no-trade clause “based on geography”. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Servalli claimed the deal was with the Los Angeles Kings.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy cited a source indicating that the deal was not with the Kings. He cited another NHL source claiming 14 of the teams on Ullmark’s 16-team no-trade list are all in the Western Conference.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If that’s the case, moving Ullmark in the offseason could get complicated if that’s the Bruins’ intent following this season.
BLUES RETAIN PAVEL BUCHNEVICH
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Lou Korac reports St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong declined to say if there was any interest in Pavel Buchnevich leading up to the trade deadline. However, he said he was very pleased with the 28-year-old winger’s performance and hoped to sign him to a contract extension this summer. Buchnevich is signed through 2024-25 with an AAV of $5.8 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t know how many teams called about Buchnevich. The media rumor mill had him high on the list of top trade candidates leading up to the deadline. Armstrong probably got a lot of calls about him, but it’s believed his high asking price discouraged potential suitors.
SENATORS HANG ONTO JAKOB CHYCHRUN
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Senators GM Steve Staios insisted for the last two months that his club wasn’t trying to trade Jakob Chychrun. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old defenseman was the subject of rumors leading up to Friday’s trade deadline.
The assumption was the market for Chychrun would pick up once the Vegas Golden Knights acquired blueliner Noah Hanifin earlier this week. The Tampa Bay Lightning were said to be among the suitors.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chychrun has a year remaining on his contract. Staios has said he’d like to sign him to a contract extension this summer. Perhaps he’ll gauge Chychrun’s value in the trade market if the two sides fail to agree to a new deal.
Hey Sweeney … clean up in isle 4 …. You would think he would’ve spoke to Ullmark and asked him about a trade to certain teams before it got out in the press … this story is weird & I’m confused
Yeah, why even bother without talking to him first.
Bruins banking on their goaltending to carry them through the playoffs as it has all year! When they get knocked out oof the playoffs that will be the excuse they need as well as salary to trade Ullmark! Market will heat up when the better teams lose in the playoffs due to weak goaltending!
Mixed bag from a NJ perspective, but mostly not good. Toffoli return was disappointing, but getting Vitek off the books was a positive. Currently Devils sit 10th in the lottery. I would not trade that pick for Markstrom. Perhaps Ullmark. Not sure what other goaltenders would be available, Saros? Fitz job depends on him getting a #1 goalie. The other GMs know this. I see a brutal overpay coming, and perhaps he still doesn’t get a top tier goalie.
You’ll be happy with Jake Allen. he’s a solid #2 and super in the room.
He’s the kind of guy who makes teams better.
Thanks! I hope so. But also hope it does not get upgraded to a second.
If it’s upgraded to a 2nd, it means the Devils would make the playoffs next year. Not too bad a trade off.
The Flames are wasting Wolf; they should have just traded Markie and gotten Wolf the rest of the games this season to prepare him to take over the reins or at least split time with someone else next season. Maybe they do that with Markstrom for a while then trade him at next year’s TDL. Either way, Wolf needs to get more games.
He’s still pretty young, his small sample size in the NHL isn’t exactly pretty.
This year, 5gs 1-3-1 with a 3.91 goals against and an .878 sv%
Granted , small sample size, but this does not appear to be a guy ready to be taking the reigns anytime soon.
Totally agree. Even if he has a hard go on the remaining games it’ll give him the summer to work on more pointed areas of his game.
Trade Deadline Winner – Kyle Dubas, currently ruining two franchises at once.
Trade Deadline Loser – Sidney Crosby, all time great forced to watch him team circle the drain with no way out.
Sad.
Hahaha… love the comment about Dubas. No sympathy for Crosby. Most of the greats don’t go out on top, especially in the cap era I’d say, where it’s that much harder to extend championship contention as the decline sets in. Dubas so far is definitely not helping. But the Cups they won are more than most get.
Penguins in full on collapse mode.
The long slow spiral into mediocrity and another bankruptcy is well under way.
Sadly this time theres no Lemieux or Crosby riding over the horizon to rescue them.
Crosby is an all time great. Even as a Penguin hater its sad to watch whats left of a brilliant career be wasted by incompetent management.
That being said Im going to enjoy the Pens freefall into obscurity and irrelevance, its going to be glorious.
I realize this is hyperbole but do agree in general with you overall post; save of course “going to enjoy”…. replace “enjoy” with “hate” or “resent” or “rue” or “loathe”…. You get my point.
Anybody here know average house prices in Denver? Might have to uproot my family when Crosby goes to play with MacKinnon to get a couple f more cups.
Don’t feed the troll. He’s only using that language to bait you.
I’m enjoying his rhetoric. That kinda talk is now and will be a reminder of how good pens fans have had it that they inspire so much jealousy. Gonna need that pick me up here and there over the next several years until our next run of greatness.
I doubt bankruptcy. Ownership has deep pockets. Pitts fans don’t deserve a team if they fail to support the team during the hard times. Having two of the all time greats since the late 80’s and 5 championships and going all in every year. The fans owe this to the franchise to continue to cheer and support this team during the rebuild.
Pens fans failed to support the team last time they went ketplunk cause of the blatant attempts by ownership to try to sell them poop and call it gold. “Come see superstars Ramzi abid and Milan Kraft!” Pittsburgh sport fans have too much pride for that.
Chrisms, let’s not forget Alexei Morozov, Kris Beech, and the incomparable Alex Stojanov.
$115.03 M. Let that sink in a bit.
That is the actual total Salary paid (regardless of who pays; retention, Club, or insurance company for those on LTIR) for the players on the Vegas club that are NOT showing as playing for Henderson.
Now that is for 20 “healthy”, 4 on IR, 2 on LTIR… So 26. To get to 23, back out Cotter, Amodio, Thompson and top 23 actually gross $112.7 M in 23/24.
Yet still under Cap, and still have their 1st in ‘24. Now that is a great use of the rules. I don’t for once believe they’re cheating…. But boy are they taking advantage of the situation.
Upside… loaded for bear in playoffs if all get healthy
Downside…. They have not made playoffs yet; and could actually miss. Unlikely, but possible.
MacCrimmon certainly was (is) aggressive.