Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – December 29, 2024
In the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup: the latest on the Oilers, Rangers, Sabres and Red Wings plus updates on Blues winger Brandon Saad and Canadiens center Jake Evans.
PROPOSED TRADE TARGETS FOR THE OILERS
THE ATHLETIC: Allan Mitchell recently looked at possible trade targets for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers could use a left-shot defenseman who regularly faces elite talent. Three options include Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres, Olli Maatta of the Utah Hockey Club and Mike Matheson of the Montreal Canadiens.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s unlikely the Sabres will move Byram. If anything, they could use another defenseman like him. Maatta could be available if Utah isn’t in playoff contention by the trade deadline.
Pundits like bringing up Matheson because he’s playing on a rebuilding team and has a year remaining on his contract. However, it will take a significant offer to pry him out of Montreal given their lack of experienced blueliners. The most likely to move is pending free agent David Savard but he’s a right-hand shot who plays second or third-pairing minutes.
Mitchell also suggested the possibility of the Oilers acquiring a low-cost, experienced backup goaltender. However, he doesn’t see them landing John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks, citing the cost of the return and his $6.4 million annual average value.
St. Louis Blues winger Brandon Saad (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gibson also has a 10-team no-trade clause. It’s rumored all seven Canadian teams are on that last.
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports Brandon Saad’s future with the St. Louis Blues continues to be something to monitor moving into 2025.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Friedman mentioned Saad two weeks ago, claiming the Blues would like to move him. The 32-year-old winger has a year left on his contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million. He has a no-trade clause but Friedman claimed he’s willing to accept other options.
The struggling New York Rangers remain a team “everyone’s watching” now that the holiday roster freeze has been lifted.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers were defeated 6-2 on Saturday by the Tampa Bay Lightning with goalie Igor Shesterkin lifted after giving up five goals on 13 shots. That was their third straight loss and the sixth in their last seven games. They’ve won only four of their last 18 games and are five points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with the lowly Montreal Canadiens threatening to overtake them.
Trading Jacob Trouba to Anaheim and Kaapo Kakko to Seattle earlier this month did nothing to improve the Rangers’ lot. If management’s plan isn’t to make a season-saving deal or a coaching change then we must assume they intend to become sellers at the March 7 trade deadline.
Friedman also indicated that the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings continue to scout each other. He thinks they “looked at something” before the holiday roster freeze, adding “We’ll see if that continues”.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The two clubs faced off on Dec. 9 with the Wings winning 6-5 in a shootout. They don’t meet again until after the March 7 trade deadline (March 12) so it’s unlikely they’re keeping tabs on each other for that game.
WILL THE CANADIENS MOVE JAKE EVANS?
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Stu Cowan believes Jake Evans could be too expensive for the Canadiens to re-sign. The 28-year-old checking-line center is on pace for a career-best performance in his contract year with nine goals and 22 points in 35 games.
Evans is in the final season of a three-year contract with an AAV of $1.7 million and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July.
Cowan thinks Evans is worth at least double that annual cap hit if not more on a four-year deal. He doubts the rebuilding Canadiens will pay that much for that long, suggesting Evans could be shopped by the trade deadline unless he accepts a hometown discount.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Evans has developed into a reliable two-way checking-line center. If the Canadiens were poised to become Stanley Cup contenders they’d pay to keep him around.
However, Evans turns 29 in June and will want to use his UFA status to cash in. Management could balk at a long-term investment with so many promising young players coming up in the roster. He could fetch a solid return from a contender seeking depth at center.
Pittsburgh,Philly,Columbus,NYI,NyR,Montreal,Detroit,Buffalo,Calgary,Utah,St.Louis,Seattle,Anaheim,Nashville,SJ,Chicago,time to start trading now! The 2024 season is over! The deadline is to late!
Totally agree with you..spot on Sr..
Marcus Petersson is back practicing and skating now.
Calgary is tied with Dallas in points, but slightly out of a Wildcard spot so let’s can the season with less then half the games played. SMH.
Stu Cowan, a once reliable reporter has succumbed to the click-bait bug.
Jake Evans is having a career year with a 29% shooting rate, not even his mother expects that to continue and certainly not project to the future.
True he has 9 goals but his historical average of 5-8% would produce 3 goals.
Evans is a solid 4th line centre defensively strong, decent not great on face-offs and he’s earning $1.7 million.
Comparables put him at around 2.5 minus hometown discount. This a 7th round pick who has been well treated.
Habfan, agree on Cowan succumbing to click bait but I’ve never considered him that reliable.
There’s no way Evans will be able to keep up this scoring pace over the long term. But he is a solid fourth line center who’s good on defense and chips in some offense. 4 years at $2.5m. AAV would be fair. But another team may very well exceed that on the open market.
Beware throwing money at the player who has a career season in their contract year and in their late 20s. Consider Huberdeau and, to a lesser extent, Khadri in Calgary as examples.
But the Habs can afford paying Evans at 3 million. Beck and Kapanen will be on ELCs for a few years and will need that time to develop into every day NHLers.
And yes, Howard and HF30, there is a reason why Cowan was not offered a job at the Athletic. But he is better than that joke called Brendan Kelly.
LJ, a five year old scribbling in crayon would be better than that joke called Brendan Kelly.
Evans at 3 MM per for 3 years should be max Habs are willing to go. I love the player – for his role (not something he might turn into….that ship has sailed). A solid 4th liner, good defensive chops on rebuilding team with a rising cap. Perspective. I would hope HuGo agrees.
What would it take to get Jake Evans to the Penguins..he would b a-solid add for sure in our bottom 6
Sr: Pittsburgh, Philly, Columbus, Islanders, Rangers, Montreal, Calgary, Utah and St. Louis remain five points or less outside the wildcards in their respective conferences. Their seasons aren’t over yet.
If they make moves now they’ll be buyers. Many of them already have been, like Montreal was by adding Carrier, the Kraken adding Kakko and Sprong, the Penguins adding Tomasino and Joseph, Utah adding Maatta, and the Blues by adding Fowler. They won’t be sellers until they’re much further out of contention.
Meanwhile, the Predators have been the busiest team in the trade market this season. The Ducks and Sharks have also been busy.
Don’t forget, Lyle, while the Jackets would love to get into the playoffs, they’re actually playing for two or so years down the line.
Lyle,history says that teams outside the playoffs after Thanksgiving,usually Don t make them!
History also shows that teams outside the playoffs by American thanksgiving can still make the playoffs by April. Heck, sometimes they even rally to win the Stanley Cup. Say hello to the 2019 St. Louis Blues.
You make it sound as though they should all just give up. That’s not the nature of this game or those running it or playing it. Defeatism is no way to run a team. Any GM following your advice would be canned immediately.
I also pointed out to you how many of those clubs you want to get busy in the trade market already have, in most cases to bring in immediate help. You should be happy with that since you’re advocating that they make moves right now. Heck, this is one of the busiest periods for first-half trades in the salary cap era in years!
It usually takes about 94 points to make the playoffs each year. If you take Montreal as an example, they will need to win 30 of their next 47 games; which is almost 2/3 of their remaining games. Only a couple of teams are winning at that pace and Montreal is not one of the top few teams in the NHL. So, technically, they are not eliminated.
Lyle most of these players that have been traded are really spare parts! Not many top ten players on their respective teams! Players such as Maatahave been traded before,sometimes more than once!
Spare parts? The Avalanche completely remade their goalie tandem with Blackwood being signed to a five-year contract extension. Cam Fowler, meanwhile, has five points in seven games skating first-pairing minutes with the Blues after seeing just four points in 17 games with the Ducks this season. Alexandre Carrier has given the Canadiens a welcome boost as their second-pairing right-shot defenseman, picking up two points in four games with a plus-minus of plus-two. Jacob Trouba’s fit in well on the Ducks second-defense pairing alongside Olen Zellweger, doing so well that it’s rumored the Ducks intend to open contract extension talks with him next summer. Philip Tomasino has been rejuvenated since moving to the Penguins.
Lyle other than Blackwood,I will be interested if any of the other players mentioned helps their team make the playoffs!
Even if they don’t, the fact they’ve improved since changing teams or have helped their clubs improve makes those moves worthwhile.
BTW, the New York Rangers held a playoff spot by American Thanksgiving while the Ottawa Senators did not. A month later, their positions have flipped in the standings. The same goes for the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. By your logic, the Senators and Oilers should’ve scuttled their playoff hopes by going into sell mode since they were in playoff spots on Nov. 28.
Didn’t get to watch Rangers last night. Family in town and my son’s bday. Scary though seeing Shesterkin pulled again. Can’t comment on how D played but with Borgen and Vakanainen in for Trouba and Gustafson how is it team D and goaltending is so bad compared to last playoffs? Don’t know how long Laviolette survives as coach.
Slick, your son gave you a birthday present by sparing you having to watch that game.
Slick62, I also noticed Kreider was a -3 halfway thru the game after a recent healthy scratch? Not sure what they think they can get for him at 6.5a season? I honestly think the Rangers next move should be getting rid of GM Drury. His moves have made absolutely no sense this season, they are a complete dumpster fire at this point.
Igor is coming down with a slight case of the “Money bag syndrome “
I have a coaching 101 idea , throw the lines in a blender. Rangers have had the exact same lines for this entire skid. How about . Zibanehad with Panarin , Trochek with Cuyle Lafreniere at center. Anything other than same old and another lacklustre loss.
Oilers are thin on the backend. They need more than one . Likely going to go take 8 on the backend if you plan on playing in June