NHL Rumor Mill – May 13, 2024
What’s the latest Canadiens’ speculation? Would Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev be a good fit with the Penguins? Check out the latest in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
LATEST ON THE CANADIENS
MONTREAL GAZETTE: In Stu Cowan’s latest mailbag segment, a reader asked if the Canadiens might trade their first-round pick (fifth overall) in this year’s draft given their prospect depth.
Cowan believes Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes intends to keep that pick and use it to draft a scoring forward. The only way he sees Hughes moving that pick is for a young, established NHL scorer.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rumors linked the Canadiens to Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras this season. That first-round pick would be part of the Ducks’ asking price.
Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras (NHL Images).
Speaking of Zegras, a reader asked Cowan how strong the Habs’ rumored interest might be in the 23-year-old forward. He doesn’t know because Hughes can’t publicly comment about players under contract with other teams.
If it were up to Cowan, he’d definitely be interested in Zegras if he’s available given his scoring ability. He also pointed out that Zegras is close friends with Canadiens winger Cole Caufield. The duo are playing together on Team USA at the 2024 World Championships.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cowan speculated Hughes could keep an eye on how well Zegras and Caufield perform together in that tournament.
We must remember that Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has repeatedly denied Zegras is available in the trade market. That doesn’t mean he won’t entertain offers. Verbeek might listen if Hughes pitched a package with the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft as the centerpiece.
WOULD KALIYEV BE A GOOD FIT WITH THE PENGUINS?
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Austin Stanovich believes the Los Angeles Kings have a natural trade partner for Arthur Kaliyev in the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A promising young winger, the 22-year-old Kaliyev struggled this season with the Kings. He’s completed his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights.
Stanovich believes Kaliyev might interest the Penguins. They need to get younger and improve their power play. He suggested a swap for winger Jesse Puljujarvi, who has a year left on his contract at an affordable $800K.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaliyev is expected to be traded this summer and could regain his scoring touch elsewhere. Whether the Penguins could be a destination remains to be seen. The Kings probably won’t be interested in Puljujarvi given his offensive struggles and the double hip surgery he underwent last summer.
If the Kings felt inclined to sign Dubois long term at 8.5 million per season, they just might do anything.
Toronto will be going all out for defensemen.one change they should consider is moving Reilly to center much like their moving all star red Kelly.Reilly is a good skater who is always up ice and who might excel as a center.
Ala Red Kelly?
He played D in Detroit,and Toronto turned him into a center after acquiring him.
Might work.
Marner and Tavares for Sorokin and Nelson.
why not(besides JT not waiving or not wanting to return to the Isle….)
leaves LEafs $ to sign Pesce
As an Isles fan I can tell you none of us want that slow floater back.Hard to look at we would boo him on every shift. He skates in quicksand and will always be hated. No thanks. Sorokin and Nelson for Marner, Woll and 1st round pick. If the leafs offended that Lou would hang up the phone.
I don’t think we’ll see a deal that involves 2 players from the same team combined for 21 million moving in the same deal.
The question is if the Leafs go for the true #1 goalie or grab 2 top 4 D. they cant afford to to both.
is Woll the answer?
Sorokin is a huge chip if the Isles move on because of Roy
I’d keep pick #5 and take the guy getting little respect in the mock drafts, Cole Eiserman.
At 6.00 197 he’s a bigger Cole Caufield and all he does is score goals. His lack of 200 ft game is supposedly the “problem”.
The Habs have tons of 200 ft players, some pushing hard to get to the big team and that’s fine, a solid rebuilding strategy as far as culture and systems.
You can pay for scoring or draft it, one controls cost and one puts you up against the cap.
Give me the recent rebirth of Habs development and skill coaching established by new management.
Habs don’t have anything to offer Anaheim for Zegras even if he has fallen out of favour, and that’s a big if. young D like Harris and Barron with late 1st would be a joke for Anaheim, they would work with Kaliyev types.
Habs have a lot of potential in prospects upfront right now… I would move the 5th pick for top 6 help.
On the fence for Zegras…has the dazzle Montreal fans will appreciate but …
Do they, DS? Who? Of all the forwards they brought up last year, only Roy showed promise.
Their strength is their D.
@LJ
thats on me…. you are correct..i thought habs loaded?roy and mesar are it? was it different a year ago?
I’d be hesitant to trade the 5th overall pick. Certainly not for Zegras. I would like for the Habs to inquire about him but not at that price. In the Habs current situation that pick should be traded only for a forward not more than 25 years old who’s already established himself as a solid and consistent scorer. Not many of those available. Whichever forward they draft at #5 will become their top forward prospect by far.
Also I saw a report from the Fourth Period that the Habs were offered a young forward with top 6 potential in a trade for Xhekaj but declined. Obviously we don’t know the player involved or the extent of the deal and we certainly don’t know how accurate it is. But Hughes should not be afraid to trade Xhekaj if it’ll bring in a forward with top 6 potential. I appreciate what he brings to the team but he’s a third pairing guy with limited offense who can be replaced.
Why trade for Zegras at the cost of the #5 pick when the Habs can take any one of Lindstrom, Iginla, Catton, Helenius, all centres the Habs have been seeking longer than Ahab has been chasing Moby Dick.
And if they want a scoring winger Sennecke is a better skater than Eiserman and has size.
All of the above, or someone else, can be drafted at no cost, saving the cap hit Zegras would bring and spending it on a UFA. IE, 2 player for the price of what Zegras would cost.
The # 27 pick, however is a different story. No issue with bundling that along with a few D for a scoring forward.
Xhekaj stays unless it is a crazy good offer. He’s too unique to flip for a prospect or middling forward.
LJ if they trade Xhekaj for a top 6 forward, that player will need to have the toughness and grit that Xhekaj brings. I think Hughes will try to use his picks and Dmen to move up in the top 10 or just outside to get one of the players you mentioned. 2 picks in the top 12 would be nice.
Hey LJ, Lindstrom might not be around at #5 IMO. Kinda has the stuff NHL teams covet: Speed, size, skill, vision, physical. Seems like a high floor even if the offense doesn’t translate to NHL, which is sometimes the concern when projecting 18 year old offensive players.
D Men seem to slide every year, due to how long they take to develop, plus harder to project it seems. Why I’m thinking he might get scooped earlier than his ranking.
I agree Ray, that D tend to slide, although every pundit and his canary has teams ahead of the Habs drafting D (after Celebrini, of course).
But Iginla would be a good consolation prize if Lindstrom is gone.
By the by, a while ago you wondered about Holloway for Mailloux. Thanks, I’ll pass. Mailloux has the size and toughness in a D that teams need in the playoffs, and he does provide insurance if the Habs do indeed get an offer they can’t refuse for Xhekaj. No disrespect to Holloway …
yeah i think trading for Zegras could work but not for the 5th overall
could Montreal trade #5 for a later pick+a player and turn the later pick into Zegras..?
they did pull off the Dach deal recently
Suzuki, Cole, Slav, Zegras, Dach, Newkirk starts to become a solid mid 20s core
Possible, DS, a lot of moving parts that would have to mesh.
But again, why forfeit the # 5 pick? They are highly likely to get a good player and thei Habs are several years away from seriously competing for the Cup.
Habs should draft Lindstrom with their first pick and Andrew Basha with their second. (if he’s around) That kid is the hidden gem in the first or second round.
As good as the boy McKenna is, those two generate havoc by themselves.
It would take the 1st and more to get Zegras…Anderson, and all 5th liners in the world won’t do.
I like that Basha kid too SOP. His uncle is a customer of mine, play golf from time to time. Says the kid has character too.
I feel like the Puljujarvi experiment is over. However, 800K is not horrible for a 4th liner..?
I dont think the Habs trade there 5th over all way to many Very Good forwards avalable there!!
They also have Jets pick in the first round its around #20…? to trade and one of there young D/men
should get a good forward…?
or a Goaltender….?
Habs have 2 more 1st picks in the 2025 draft,
Calgarys one, that will be a top 10 pick as they are rebuilding & The Habs pick @…. ❓
Re Arthur Kaliyev on Pens
Sure we’ll take him.
Pens need to get younger, bigger, stronger, grittier
Kailiyev at 6’2″, 210 is certainly bigger than most in the NHL. At 22, great addition, makes team younger.
However, switching him for Pulljarvi (taller but 5 pounds lighter) who is almost 4 years older, gets team younger (very slightly) but not much of a change (if at all) overall for the team.
Pens very happy to trade 4 for 1 deal that gives LA over 3,000 NHL games experience for Kaliyevs 188:
Accairi, Eller, Smith, Nieito
LOL!!!
Make it 5 for one; add Pulljarvi into the deal.
I would not trade Eller.
Re Habs and 5th overall
IF Lindstrom is still available after the 4th pick has been made; would Habs go for :
Yaeger (Pens ’23 first rounder); Poulin (Pens ’19 first rounder); Broz (’21 2nd round); Accairi and Eller?
Three team deal:
Ducks get: Cerelli, retain $4.5M on Marner, TML 1st, Bolts 2024 and 2025 and 2026 2nds
Tampa gets: Marner at $4.5M
TML gets: Zegras, retains $1.903M on Marner, Ducks 3rd, Tampa 2025 6th
Ducks would be like the lady in the Ikea commercial….”start the car, start the car”
Zegras had a considerably down year…. 82 game pace just 16 G, 25 A, 41 points.
Cerelli (albeit older) is a slight bit bigger; and this year was much better than Zegras. Much better.
Any Marner trade will be after his signing bonus is paid. Holding $4.5 M in cap is actually then only $320 K in actual cash.
The deal then would be $320 K cash and Zegras for the better player (Cerelli) and a 1st and 3 2nds
That is a considerable overpayment to Ducks. They would take that deal in a minute.
Leafs flip Marner for Zegras (a huge downturn in production); get a 3rd and a 6th; only net $3.3 M in Cap savings and have to give up a 1st as well. This would not benefit the Leafs overall
Tampa nets just $2.1 M in Cap space, converts Cerelli (C) with 7 more years at reasonable Cap; into Marner (W) who will take best offer come July 1st, 2025 (and Lightning don’t have the Cap space for the amount Marner’s dad is asking for); and has to give up 3 2nds… I don’t think Lightning take that deal.
In addition, Leafs agreeing to Marner to a key Div rival is unlikely.
Ducks retaining $4.5 M Cap ($320 K) and getting a mid rounder in a 3 or 4 team deal; does make sense for both Leafs and Ducks.
8787, yup, there are 7.25 million reasons why a team will wait until July to acquire Marner. Also, because a trade depends on a waiver of his NMC, Mitch will likely want to consider more than one destination. Although this suggests a prolonged process, I could see where the trade occurs early July.
Marner has almost 2 months prior to free agency to ponder his future. If TML informs him that he is not in their plans after next season, Mitch could decide to leave now and be in the mix with all the UFA signings. The only sticking point is that Toronto would have to reach agreement on a trade. Locking up a 27 year old Marner for nine years (2025 plus 8 year extension) would surely interest at least a handful of teams.
Leafs wouldn’t have to do the 8 year extension; new team could once they acquire him after signing bonus is paid.
Marner can be extended by any team that has him up to and including trade deadline next March.
If he is traded at the trade deadline, then the new team can only extend him by 7 years; unless (I believe) the new team gets him just before the trade deadline AND gets contract extension (8 years) done by the trade deadline
Why, pray tell, would the Toronto Maple Leafs want to acquire Zegras and his attitude at the cost of Marner plus a 1st round pick?
Ridiculous!
1) There are FAR better players for the Leafs to target than Zegras should Marner wave his NTC.
2) This trade does not address either of Leafs greatest needs, a #1 goaltender or a top pairing RHD to partner with Morgan Reilly.
Johnny Z
Why would the Leafs give up Marner AND a 1st AND retain salary to get a one dimensional winger in return?
The Leafs need help on defence, particularly the right side and a legit #1 goalie.
Pesce, Montour, Théodore, and Weegar, or Lindholm are defence they should be targeting.