NHL Rumor Mill – December 21, 2024
The holiday roster freeze (Dec. 20-27) is in effect but it hasn’t silenced the trade and free-agent rumors. Check out the latest on the Canucks, Ducks and Avalanche in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
COULD THE CANUCKS MOVE PETTERSSON OR MILLER?
THE PROVINCE: Dave Pottinger cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spitballing a trade that would see the Vancouver Canucks trade Elias Pettersson to the Buffalo Sabres for Dylan Cozens and Bowen Byram.
That prompted some observers to take to social media suggesting a rift could exist between Pettersson and J.T. Miller.
Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (NHL Images).
Meanwhile, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun believes a trade by the Canucks could be imminent. He pointed out the club has been inconsistent this season and believes team president Jim Rutherford and his club’s management won’t sit on their hands.
LeBrun cited league sources saying the Canucks are in the market for a top-four defenseman, a need further highlighted by the absence of Filip Hronek as he recovers from a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli made a couple of recent reports indicating the Canucks are shopping for a defenseman. CHEK-TV’s Rick Dhaliwal advocates acquiring Ivan Provorov from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s difficult to see the Canucks trading Miller or Pettersson but it’s not impossible to believe it could happen. Nevertheless, one would think Rutherford or head coach Rick Tocchet would sort out any issue between those two players rather than put one of them on the trade block.
If the Canucks were willing to trade Miller or Pettersson, the latter would be the easiest to move, assuming the former isn’t asking for a trade. Pettersson’s contract is more expensive than Miller’s but his no-movement clause doesn’t kick in until July 1, 2025, whereas Miller has full no-movement protection. Pettersson is also five years younger than Miller.
COULD THE DUCK MOVE VATRANO AT THE TRADE DEADLINE?
THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens reports Frank Vatrano could become an attractive candidate for the March 7 trade deadline. The 30-year-old Anaheim Ducks forward is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July. He carries an affordable $3.65 million cap hit this season.
Vatrano surfaced in the rumor mill leading up to last season’s trade deadline but the Ducks held onto him. Management hopes to re-sign the veteran winger to a comfortable amount and term length.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vatrano fits in well with the Ducks. He could stick with this rebuilding club to help them see it through but the lure of signing a lucrative contract with a contender could be enticing. Vatrano will attract interest if he becomes available by the trade deadline.
AVALANCHE NEEDS TO BOLSTER BOTTOM-SIX FORWARD DEPTH.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Aarif Deen believes the Avalanche’s bottom-six forward depth needs improvement. He believes they should bring in a third-line center to play alongside Jonathan Drouin.
Deen suggested pursuing affordable options like Juuso Parsinen of the Nashville Predators, Nick Robertson of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jonatan Berggren of the Detroit Red Wings or Mathieu Olivier of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets are reportedly keen to re-sign Olivier so he’s unlikely to be available unless their negotiations go south in the coming weeks.
Buffalo is such a mess and doing so poorly, right or wrong, it feels like a player like Pettersson might just refuse to report to the team, regardless of the consequences.
Buffalo needs to build a winning culture, a working culture they certainly can’t give up good players for Pettersson. No team builds around a player like Pettersson, I had that feeling when Vancouver talked about building around Pettersson and Hughes…Buffalo needs to keep their young defenders
A Trade,
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spitballing a trade that would see the Vancouver Canucks trade Elias Pettersson to the Buffalo Sabres for Dylan Cozens and Bowen Byram.
That could Very well work for both teams
Buffalo need Scoring up front and have lots of young players, EP’s Scoring is double++ what
Dylan Cozens is,.
& Buffalo have to many LD, 6…❓ and only 2X RD…..
They need to drop 2 ofthere left d & add 2XRD,
that Really needs to be addesed in the off season they need to add a good top 4 RD and a tough RD to balance it all out..
Buffalo have lots of young scorers coming and it looks like an other top 5 pick in the draft, lots of good scorers there, Centre & Wing……👍
Vancouver also need a Top 4 d.Man and 23 yr old
Bowen Byram. fits the bill
Win Win for both teams……🤔
Ww
Toss in nils Hoglander and Branstrom with Elias
For Quinn. Cousins byram and Van will do it
Mr, B
i would not bother asking for those to also,
maybe a 2nd pick going back to buffalo
with Elias Pettersson
Elias Lindholm and Zadorov back to nuks. For Patterson and forbert would not interest Canucks,
Zadorov is Way Over paid @ $6.M…❗️
So is Lindholm @ $7.775.M….❗️
Or even better
Elias Lindholm and Zadorov back to nuks. For Patterson and forbert
Zadorov makes 5, not 6 million! Forbort has been hurt the last 2 years!Boston needs to look at a guy like Boeser!
Ww. Zadorov is 5 not 6?? It was not real trade thought as neither Z or Lindholm would wave ntc to van
I’d guess that around 99% of Wings fan would prefer canning the coach and bringing in one that would give Berggren more of an opportunity to trading the guy. It’s getting exasperating to see every decision fly in the face of the underlying numbers. I wish the Sabres would turn it around so the Wings could be in the basement where they belong.
Can only coach so much with that roster. Th defense never was fixed in the off season, only worsened.
Berggren cannot seem to finish, he certainly has had opportunity. He would do better with a change of scenery. But I also disagree with you on the Sabers, they are were they belong. 😉😏
Substandard roster + substandard coach = disaster.
Well, yeah, totally true as far as roster construction, especially on the back end. But as far as the forwards go, deployment is baffling at times if you’re looking at things like expected goal for percentage, chances for percentage, etc. And until Kane produced a bit the last couple games, there’s been a handful of vets that the coaching staff has helped produce at career-worst levels. But I guess that, too, could be tied to an atrocious D-corps.
Mr.B,
your right he Zadorov is 4X $5.M
Canucks could have signed him but they did not want him or Elias Lindholm back…..
The Bruins still need a Scoring LW for the 1st line if the want to go anywhere in the playoffs….?
I’m not certain why deen is proposing bringing in a 3rd line center to play with Drouin who isn’t even in the line up save for a few games this year? Drouin has to stay healthy and just be in the lineup? Perhaps, he means eventually? I would like to see the Avalanche go after a Brock Nelson or Frederics in Boston. Is he a center, Frederics? I’m not sure. The Avalanche need some more grit up front or guys that go north & south. Not pass the puck around on the perimeter all night. To the net, like Nichushkin and Landeskog!!!
Tommy boy, who are you giving up for Frederic?
Ww. Zadorov is 5 not 6?? It was not real trade thought as neither Z or Lindholm would wave ntc to van