Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – December 15, 2024
In the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup: the latest Rangers speculation, the Blues might not be done dealing, the Kings could be shopping before the upcoming holiday roster freeze, and updates on Bruins forward Trent Frederic and Canucks defenseman Vincent Desharnais.
THE LATEST RANGERS RUMORS
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the New York Rangers are “open for business.” They’ve already traded Jacob Trouba and let it be known that winger Chris Kreider is available.
Friedman said they have some untouchables like goaltender Igor Shesterkin and some players with no-movement clauses. However, they’re willing to consider all options and to entertain offers.
THE ATHLETIC: Arthur Staple wondered who’s next to walk the plank off the Rangers’ sinking ship following their 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, dropping nine of their last 12 games.
New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider (NHL Images).
Staple believes head coach Peter Laviolette’s tenure could come to a premature end. General manager Chris Drury has already shaken up the roster by trading Trouba but the club’s reaction is indifference.
Defenseman Ryan Lindgren has been available for some time but no one’s buying high on an underperforming pending unrestricted free agent. There isn’t much interest in the 33-year-old Kreider, who has two years remaining on his contract. Teams are calling about young winger Kaapo Kakko but his play hasn’t been the main issue.
Staple also brought up K’Andre Miller as a trade candidate. However, he’s currently sidelined for an indefinite period which doesn’t help his trade value.
NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks disagrees that Laviolette could pay the price for the Rangers’ stunning decline in recent weeks. “The hierarchy has no stomach to fire Laviolette after firing Gerard Gallant two years ago and David Quinn four years ago. There is no stomach to afix the blame on yet another coach instead of taking care of the coach-averse core.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some observers believe the Rangers’ problems began with Drury’s heavy-handed efforts to free up cap space in the offseason, waiving popular forward Barclay Goodrow and attempting to trade Trouba to the Detroit Red Wings before free agency began on July 1.
Changing management might be necessary to help the players regain their spark. They’ve been playing like they don’t give a damn ever since word of Drury’s memo to his fellow GMs listing potential trade candidates was leaked to the press.
Whatever it is, the Rangers must do something quickly to address their issues or risk this season going completely off the rails, leaving questions about the current roster’s future to carry over into next summer.
MORE MOVES COULD BE COMING FOR THE BLUES
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reported the St. Louis Blues might not be done in the trade market after acquiring defenseman Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
The Blues made Brandon Saad a healthy scratch during Saturday’s game against the Dallas Stars. The 32-year-old winger has a year remaining on his contract with a $4.5 million cap hit.
Friedman said the Blues would like to move Saad, who has a no-trade clause. However, he’s willing to consider other options.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Following the Fowler trade, Blues GM Doug Armstrong indicated he wanted to keep his club competitive while he retools the roster. He could try peddling Saad for a promising young NHL-ready player or attempt to clear the winger’s cap hit from his books by accepting draft picks in return.
Saad had been struggling to score this season. He went 13 games without a goal before being scratched from the lineup on Saturday. Nevertheless, he has Stanley Cup experience which could be of interest to contenders before the March trade deadline.
KINGS MIGHT MAKE A MOVE BEFORE THE HOLIDAY ROSTER FREEZE
DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli believes the Los Angeles Kings might be active in the trade market before the upcoming holiday roster freeze from Dec. 20-27. He thinks they’ve been talking to some teams as they attempt to gauge the market.
Seravalli wondered if they might attempt to land a good young player, perhaps from a struggling club like the Buffalo Sabres.
THE BRUINS ARE GETTING CALLS ABOUT TRENT FREDERIC
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman indicated that the Boston Bruins are getting a lot of calls about Trent Frederic. The versatile 27-year-old forward is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in July. Teams are wondering if the Bruins intend to sign him or peddle him by the March 7 trade deadline.
THE CANUCKS ARE TRYING TO MOVE VINCENT DESHARNAIS
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman said the Vancouver Canucks are looking to move Vincent Desharnais. The 28-year-old defenseman signed a two-year contract with the Canucks in the offseason but it hasn’t worked out as hoped. It’s believed they’re willing to consider all options for returns but would prefer draft picks.
Rangers—-if not for that great start they wouldnt even be in the wild card discussions….
Seems Goodrow was some glue with the Rangers but the Rangers overpaying players keeps coming back to haunt them(Trouba 8million before ever put the jersey on…) and no one wants the dynamic yet uninterested Kreider. so many other Ranger fans love Kreider. but the guy only backchecks in the PK
ds, the Rangers turnaround is nothing short of startling when you look at it statistically, especially considering they have not suffered any long-term debilitating injuries.
From opening night on October 9 to November 19 there was nothing to indicate the current state of affairs was looming as, in 17gp, they had gone 12 – 4 – 1 (a .735 pace) with 2 SO, scoring 61 times (average of 3.6 per game) while giving up 41 (average of 2.4 per game) and a +20 goal differential. Close to the top in all categories.
Then, starting Nov 21 – roughly a week BEFORE Drury’s memo) – came 5 straight losses during which they scored 10 goals while relinquishing 21 (averages of 2 goals for per game and 4 goals against per game). And that more or less continued unabated right through to last night’s 5 – 1 loss to L.A. – a total of 12 games during which they have gone 3 and 9 (a .250 pace) with 29 goals for and 47 against (averages of 2.4 goals for – 3.9 goals against per game.
I doubt it’s a case of “tuning out” Laviolette, and since Drury’s memo their record is 3 and 4 with 19 goals for (average of 2.7 per) and 26 goals against (average of 3.7 per) – not great but not as bad as those 5 straight losses just before the memo.
The search for answers must be driving them nuts.
George O,the Rangers situation is what Boston went through earlier! Monty out,now attention shifts to the GM and his roster decisions! Laviolette should put his house/ condo on the market ASAP!
Lavilolette is on his 6th team. He only lasted 2 years with his the Islanders which was his first NHL team. The rumors at the time were that the veterans had issues with him. He tends to lose the locker room in about 4 years. He has lost in the conference finals 5 times and been to the Stanley Cup Finals twice, winning once. I thought he was a good fit for the Rangers because he likes to get the defensemen involved offensively. I thought Fox and Miller would be very effective in his system.
I still think they will be a tough team to beat in the playoffs.
GP, teams go into spirals for a wide variety of reasons – one of which could well be attributable to a coach’s approach. But even though often times it has nothing to do with the coaching, the old adage too often applied by GMs tring to cover HIS ass is that “it’s easier to fire the coach than 23 players.”
So, the fact Laviolette is on his 6th team isn’t necessarily a valid factor. DeBoer, Maurice and Tortorella are each on their 5th team, and two of them have also won a Cup as head coach.
I believe there is a market for Kreider,you just need to be realistic about the return! He plays o Pp,Pk regular shift and you can t wait to get rid of him!If your looking to rob someone it isn t going to happen!
Re NYR…..
Sounds like head coach Peter Laviolette’s tenure could come to an end bye mid January time if Not before…❓
Look for the NYR to bring in a Very Experienced New Head Coach with a Stanley Cup Pedigree who can lead the way like A
Joel Quenneville…………. ⁉️👍
This guy could sort the NYR out in a big way and get them Rolling
Sr,
Not sure what realistic expectations would be. Without a doubt he’s having a down year. Not alone in that area. But he’s still on pace for 30+ goals.
If being realistic means bringing in 2nd-3rd round picks or b prospects / fringe NHL players , NY is just better off keeping him around.
I believe most of what’s going on in NY is a collective problem generally speaking.
A few players do stand out being terrible this year. Miller, Zibanejad (overall game, points aren’t horrific) .
Before Drury hits the panic button, and makes a move for just the sake of making a move . They need to start trying different things to see if they can fix some of these issues internally.
The lineup has pretty much remained the same for 3 years now. Specifically top 6 and all the d pairings. Minus Trouba and Miller on IR now, mix it up.
I’d also like to see Berard in that top 6. What do they have to lose ? Another game?
SR, A couple of trade suggestion’s for KK…🤔
I think there is a market for Kreider who will be 34 in April, @ $6.5M for 2.5 more years,
Especially team’s that need’s help and older players
The 2 teams that spring to mind that could use him ASAP are
Ottawa and Buffalo,
Ottawa
would have to send $4.M David Perron
and a 3rd or 2nd pick and $1.M player the other way to make the moneys work,
NYR would need to hold $1.5M back to make the moneys work as well..❓
Buffalo
could send LD man, 25yr old @$3.1M
and send C man Sam Lafferty @$2.M
the other way, NYR would need to hold $1.4M
to make the moneys work,,,❓
Nobody has Cap space…. ⁉️ Thats the big problem
the only ones that could are then 7 bottom dwellers that have more than $6.5M…..
Why on earth would NY trade Kreider for Perron? And they’d have to retain?
They just signed Shesterkin to 11.5 x 8. Does that look like a team looking to dump players and rebuild?
williew, Ottawa is not getting Kreider for Perron and a pick. Forget that notion.
His current cap hit of $4 mil per (this season and next), his age (turned 36 in May), and the fact he’s only appeared in 9 of their games so far this season due to family issues and injury, would all combine to make it necessary to add such significant “sweeteners” in any deal that it really wouldn’t be worth the effort.
In his case, their best bet is to get him back to full health for the 2nd half (about 10 games away) and hope he can step into the line-up in the bottom 6 F group and add his signature “grit” to one of those lines while providing offense close to his career 82-games average of 22g 33a 55 points.
And there’s no reason to think he can’t … he’s been a steady contributor over 19 seasons and, since turning 33 just 4 seasons back, his 82-game averages have actually improved to 25g 38a 63 pts.
He’s in Ottawa for the foreseeable future.
The Rangers start was so misleading as they were playing all of the bottom feeders. This core of the team has been emotionally fragile since the David Quinn days.
What was done to Goodrow and Trouba last summer killed the locker room as players started worrying about their status.
Kreider was demoted to the 4th line against the Blues which damages his trade value. Making Kakko a healthy scratch claiming you wanted “fresh legs” kills his trade value.
This roster is a mess, firing Laviolette who was exactly the kind of coach the players wanted hired will not fix things.
And even firing Drury won’t fix things as the biggest of the Rangers issues is the guy who only cares about the Knicks in Jame Dolan.
Dolan is about to go 0-30 as an owner, it is a shame they can’t fly a plane with a banner in the Garden like they did at MetLife on Sunday.
So NY is playing terrible because of the Goodrow / Trouba treatment from Drury?
They started out 8-2–1 in their first 11 games. 12-4-1 in their first 17 games. Goodrow was an offseason move, and this Trouba saga has also been going on since June / July.
So I guess they forgot about Goodrow and Trouba for that period of time and suddenly fell into this slump when they remembered?
Makes perfect sense when you don’t think about it at all.
The “memo” on NY being open for business came about 5-6 games into this rut they’ve fallen into.
These flaws that NY has been showing have been around for 3 years. I went as far as calling their success at times over the last 2 years as “fraudulent “ at times.
This isn’t about Drury, or any specific player. This is about not having any type of possession game, being pinned in their own zone for the majority of games (wins or loses) overall team defense , inability to score 5v5 etc.
This roster as constructed is just not good. And they have consistently put way too much pressure, high scoring chances against both Shesterkin and Quick.
I don’t think this is a quick / easy fix. But I also think that blaming Drury because of Goodrow / Trouba is beyond reaching. Their problems are much bigger.
CaptainObvious, seems we were thinking alike and posted such at exactly the same time.
On a brighter note, it looks like the Sens are turning that corner?
You sure you don’t want Zibanejad back? Shesterkin?
Drury needs to go asap.
Does that turn them around?
He inherited a lot of Gortons mistakes.
This is NOT a GM, coaching issue. This is a personnel issue.
Hard to envision this Rangers’ spiral continuing.
If they string together 3 or 4 wins in a row (not as outlandish as one might think) , they are back in the thick of things.
Blame? No single person.
It’s a slide. Slides happen even for good teams.
Look at the hapless Pens with their aging , lethargic , and slow bunch of non defensive minded players. They’ve gone 6-3-1 in last 10.
It would be no surprise to see Rangers go 6-3-1 or even better in their next 10
A tweak for the Rangers maybe; but big changes (at least now), to me, aren’t warranted.
Sure, I’d be happy to see Rangers continue to slide and to miss playoffs. I just don’t think it will happen like that.
NYR Need a New Coach………
NYR to bring in a Very Experienced New Head Coach with a Stanley Cup Pedigree…❓
Joel Quenneville…🤔
Williew,
Joel Quenneville in a place like New York City would be the PR nightmare that Dolan would not want to go through. The Rangers are very sensitive about the special interest groups in NYC after the problems they had with the LBGTQIA a few years back
No way do they touch a Quenneville after his role in the sex scandal in Chicago.
Have to agree totally there. Some keep bringing up Quenneville’s name as some sort of automatic savior without giving any thought to how they’d cope with the social scrutiny and backlash that will be sure to follow.
He’s not getting an NHL job again any time soon.
Re Cannucks and Desharnais and
“It’s believed they’re willing to consider all options for returns”
If that’s so. Dubas, offer Grzelcyk and Nieto for Desharnais . 🙏🤣
Well, all offers but THAT one.
Ok if you insist
Your breaking the bank on this; but if we must we must
Grzelcyk, Nieto, AND Hayes for Desharnais LOL
As an aside…. See how nicely Grzelcyk played in front of Jarry last night!
Now you see first hand what we’re dealing with.
He doesn’t even bother trying to move Sens forwards out of the way. He knows he physically can’t move them; so why not just ignore them completely!
Caused one goal and was 2 spectacular saves and a D partner heroic bailout (of him) away from causing 4 Sens goals.
Sully is completely blind to his defensive play. Completely blind to it. All Sully sees is 15 assists (10 of which are because he touched the puck then two other Pens did all the work to connect on a goal; 7 of which on the PP).
Pettersson going down is going to be very costly for Pens as Sully is almost assuredly going to increase Grzelcyk’s playing time to cover some of Pettersson’s minutes.
Obviously Cannuck’s can’t afford the space for the trade above but Dubas should at least call Allvin to see what sweeteners need to be added to Grzelcyck ($2.75 M) to flip him for Desharnais ($2M).
It’s a 5 minute call. Can’t hurt.
I expect your thoughts are “no one wants Grzylcyck”
There is always a deal that can’t be refused. Dubas needs to at least find out the ask.
Maybe he has … we wouldn’t necessarily know one way or another.
Dubas has said that he’s had no trade conversations (yet) with Canucks.
So if he’s telling the truth (and no one but him and Alvin would know), then Deharnais for Grezelcyk, Nieto, Hayes has not been bandied about between the two teams.
Pens will be picking in the 9-16th spot and there won’t be much projected difference (at this time) so why not at least make the team respectable this year.
Penguins ultimate draft target(s) (with fingers crossed) should be McKenna (‘26) and/or DuPont (‘27)
Well at least the rags won’t choke again in the playoffs this year.So happy to see them lose.How much did they spend for Panarin and Igor 2 over paid prima donna’s.Druary is doing a great job extend him for 10 years.
Anyone pointing a finger at Panarin is obviously just really not paying attention.
He’s getting 11.6 per and over the last 5 years and is 5th in scoring. Behind ONLY such other useless “prima Donna’s “ like Mackinnon, Mcdavid , Draisaitl and Rantanen. Of which only Rantanen is getting paid less.
Did you want to talk about hockey, or just making blind / dumb comments because you don’t like NY?
Jesus, get a clue!
Top 5-7 player in the league getting paid like a top 5-7 player in the league? Wow . That’s crazy!
Probably should be in the 5 million per range?
When you say things like this , it’s a shortcut to thinking.
🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪
Desharnais a healthy scratch during last years playoffs. Over paid signing this off season. A big body but also a big liability . Waived or bought out
Rangers have to move on from something -someone. I predict Igor will come down with a case of the money bag syndrome. Which will not help their current slide.
Lafrenière to Mtl for …
I don’t disagree about moving on from someone. But I seriously doubt that someone will be Laffrienere.
Not sure Montreal would be that team anyway. I don’t see NY pulling the plug on a rebuild. I also don’t see Montreal parting ways with any of their young core. NY will be looking for something that helps now, not in the future. Even if it means a one year set back. But certainly not prospects/ picks.
Pete, the NYR currently sit 1 point out of a WC slot with games in hand on both Philadelphia (2) and Ottawa (1). They are also still +2 in goal differential despite their recent funk. I wouldn’t count them out just yet.
Since teams making the playoffs (and going anywhere once there) while sporting a minus goal differential is rare, I’d be more concerned if I were one of these teams, who likely still have aspirations of d getting there:
Nashville – minus 28
Pittsburgh – minus 24
Boston – minus 19
Detroit – minus 16
St. Louis – minus 15
Philadelphia – minus 13
NYI – minus 11
Calgary – minus 11
Buffalo – minus 10
Trade that won’t happen just sitting waiting for football to start and became an fantasy GM for a second lol.
To the Kings Kreider and Lafeniere
To NYR ByFeild and Turcotte
Not sure how the cap works but NYR is wanting to shake things up and the Kings can’t get out of the first round.
Who would say no ? Like I said this will not happen just killing time go easy on me guys.
Turcotte is a name I’ve been screaming for 2 years when he was stuck in purgatory in LA.
I wouldn’t make the trade you’re suggesting l, but I’d be all over trading for Turcotte.
Agree
3-8-11 and + 12, on less than 12 mins/game; only $775 K with term (then still RFA after that)
What would you offer Blake to close the deal?
The only thing fro LA’s perspective that makes sense would be Cullye for Turcotte. And NY is not trading Cullye for Turcotte.
Nothing else would make any sense from a cap or needs perspective from LA’s point . I doubt they’d want futures in return.
We’ll just chalk this up to “ain’t happening “
Agree that “ain’t happening” is a very good prognostication
Cullye would be a big overpay in my opinion.
Agree futures aren’t likely what Blake would be looking for ; unless he had thoughts of the parlaying those futures on a 2nd (and bigger move).
Agree that a call by Drury to Blake re Turcotte, would illicit a response/ask of Cullye.
As you said, won’t happen, but maybe Drury counters that return request with say
Othman AND Berard
OR
Othman AND Edstrom
Are either of those fair swaps for Turcotte?
I would not include Othmann and Berard. Small sample size but I like Berards speed, shot decision making.
Othmann plus for sure. Othmann and Edstrom? Not sure about Edstroms future . Reminds me more of a career AHL player.
But gladly Othmann plus pick. Not a 1st rounder.
But again, I doubt LA is looking for futures.
This is me going into a deep hypothetical. Unfortunately, NY missed the boat when Turcotte was batting injuries and stuck in the AHL.
Agree Blake unlikely looking for futures; UNLESS he has his eyes on a player from a rebuild team and could use Rangers futures plus any of his own to acquire him.
Rangers: Laf had 5 goals in first 7 games. got paid. 4 goals in 22 games since
Was out watching football. Home in time to watch latest Rangers loss. Panarin out with injury. Kakko scratched. Kreider on 4th line. Mika very little ice time. Appears to have been benched. Answers? For 1, Rempe hasn’t played during this awful stretch. Couldn’t hurt to inject some life into roster. Trent Frederic is kind of guy I wouldn’t mind adding.