Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – April 13, 2025
Check out the latest on the Canucks, Islanders and Lightning in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.
CANUCKS
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Vancouver Canucks have some business to take care of when they head into the offseason by the end of this week.
Head coach Rick Tocchet’s contract is up at the end of this season. The Canucks have a club option for one more year but they seem to have cooled on that, preferring to sign him to an extension. Neither side wants this situation to drag on too long into the offseason.
Friedman believes contract term is the big issue regarding Brock Boeser’s contract talks. Last week, the 28-year-old winger said it seemed unlikely that he’ll sign a contract extension. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Luke Fox doesn’t see the Canucks offering Boeser more than their earlier proposal of a five-year contract with an average annual value of $8 million.
Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser (NHL Images).
Fox suggested Boeser might fare better on the open market given the rising salary cap and lack of UFA scorers in their twenties. Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner is the biggest name, but once he’s gone, players like Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets will be courted.
The Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames want to rebuild on the fly. The Anaheim Ducks, Utah Hockey Club, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres are under pressure to improve and they have the cap space this summer to do so. The New York Islanders could shake things up this summer to add more scoring punch.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tocchet seems more likely to get an extension than Boeser, but there are still over two months to go before the UFA market opens. A lot can happen between now and then.
The current Canucks management returned to the bargaining table with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson when it seemed unlikely but neither player was weeks away from UFA eligibility like Boeser. Still, we can’t dismiss that possibility. We should have get a better idea of where things stand near the start of free agency on July 1.
As Fox pointed out, Boeser won’t lack for suitors if he hits the open market this summer. One of those teams he listed will sign him if the Canucks don’t.
ISLANDERS
NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears believes the Islanders face crucial offseason decisions after missing the playoffs this season.
The biggest is determining the future of head coach Patrick Roy and general manager Lou Lamoriello. Questions surrounded Lamoriello for most of this season but the spotlight shifted to Roy as the Islanders imploded down the stretch. His handling of several players (Pierre Engvall, Samuel Bolduc, Tristan Lennox) prompted speculation of a rift between him and Lamoriello.
Meanwhile, Lamoriello faces criticism for running it back with his aging core once too often. It’s reasonable to ask if he’s the right person to overhaul the roster.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders fans have been calling for new management but Lamoriello is so entrenched that convincing him to give up the reins won’t be easy.
If Lamoriello gives up the management role he’ll still have considerable influence as president of hockey operations, especially with his son Chris being an assistant GM and a possible candidate to replace him.
LIGHTNING
TAMPA BAY TIMES: Eduardo A. Encina wonders if the Lightning might end up trading top prospect Isaac Howard.
The 21-year-old left wing is the 2025 winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the top US college player, but he’s indicated he’s returning to Michigan State University next season as contract talks with the Lightning remain stalled.
Howard becomes eligible for unrestricted free-agent status on Aug. 15, 2026.
The Lightning have a tried-and-true development process involving some service with their AHL affiliate. Current Lightning stars Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brayden Point were products of that process.
Encina believes it’s clear to Howard that he sees no direct path to the NHL with the Lightning, who aren’t interested in bringing him in at this stage of the season to burn a year of his entry-level contract. If the Lightning think he’s unsignable, they could use him as a trade chip this summer or next season to bring more immediate help to their roster.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s still time for both sides to meet and try to sort this out. Nevertheless, this could end up like it did last summer with Rutger McGroarty and the Winnipeg Jets.
McGroarty wanted to join the Jets right away but they wanted him to get some AHL seasoning first with their farm team. He was concerned about what his future in Winnipeg would look like, resulting in his trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins last August.
With all the chatter as to the future (or none thereof) of Roy, Lamoriello, Laviolette, Drury, Sweeney and several others, you have to wonder why Yzerman gets so much slack in the media as Detroit heads into their 9th season missing the playoffs – the 6th under his tutelage.
In the 3 drought seasons prior to his taking over they never finished higher than 13th in the Conference and that was in 2017-18. In 2016-17 and 2018-19 they finished 14th, and over the 3 seasons had an average record of 32 38 12 76 points with 217gf and 259ga for an aggregate of minus 42.
Since he took over they finished last in the Conference in 2019-20, 2nd last in 2020-21, 12th place in each of 2021-22 and 2022-23, 9th in 2023-24 and currently sit 10th with 3 games left, and over the 6 seasons (2019-20 71gp and 2020-21 56gp) their average record has been 30 37 9 69 pts with 207gf and 259ga for an aggregate of minus 52. And they have had 3 coaches in that 6-year span.
Their one saving grace is that The Hockey Writers rank their farm system as 5th best in the league, so perhaps some of the better players in their system are on the verge of breaking in soon.
We accept your offer of an Yzerman for Dubas trade
NO! Unless accompanied by 3 1st round picks.
No. “We” don’t.
I remember when my Rangers had a highly rated farm system. Good times.
Based on what, exactly? From the above comparative record it should be abundantly clear that Julien BriseBois was the real brains behind Tampa’s rise to dominance during the Yzerman years there. You can only ride your excellence as a player so far before it becomes obvious that you just don’t have it as a coach or GM. Hello Gretzky!
At least the Leafs never missed the playoffs under Dubas.
@George O
A very reasonable response. Salut.
And for all the bad press Dubas gets, Canada named him their GM for the IIHF Championships, after being named Canada’s director of player personnel for the 4 Nations. Sure, other GMs might have passed with their teams in the playoffs but clearly Dubas has a better rep than the fan base gives him.
8787 very very much doesn’t represent the fan base in Pittsburgh.
The Leafs were a playoff team when Dubas took over and he never improved the team one iota. He almost immediately painted himself into a corner by signing Tavares and over paying Marner and Matthews. His trades were bad, worst draft record in the NHL and he lost pretty much every negotiation he had. Agents loved him at least
Well, yeah, Yogi … good points …. but you have to agree … the Leafs never missed the playoffs while he was there. Detroit hasn’t MADE the playoffs in nine seasons – six with him calling the shots.
Yogi are you kidding? You make it sound like the Leafs were a veteran perennial playoff team, they weren’t and it was their rookie years of the core. How do you forget Dubas was there with Lou and was groomed by him.
Maybe the Leafs aren’t your team, eh? Real fans would know something like that, no?
N Ot a big Laviolette fan but his season was torpedoed by Drury,who felt he had to make lot s of trades to shake up the team! Using veteran players as scapegoats even with their NMC and NTC clauses in their contract is a bad look! His trades this year other than Miller were spare parts for spare parts.
Sr, if Laviolette loses his job, some gum company somewhere is about to exprience a severe dip in profits.
I’d really blame the meltdown mostly on Laviolette. His insistence on running a 1-3-1 was bizarre. That team isn’t built for a 1-3-1.
His selective benchings / scratches were also head scratchers.
My only issue with Drury is the timing of the Trouba trade. He should have either dealt him or sat him. He was half out the door playing games and looking like he just didn’t care. Honestly, he should have kept him out of the locker room sitting home until a trade was made.
Kakko trade was a mistake. Although Borgen is a solid pick up.
Vaakanainen Another solid pick up. And not having to retain salary on a disgruntled player making 8.5 per was an added bonus.
I doubt Drury is on the chopping block. And think a coaching change along with some more moves could put this team back in the mix next year.
If these player really gave up because of Goodrow and Trouba trades / moves than Laviolette has really lost the room. Pretty sure that’s the case. It was reported by espn that Laviolette didn’t say more than 2 words during the Carolina game.
I think he knows he’s out the door and doesn’t care either way.
Blasphemy, but I’d move Fox and his 9.5 per deal. Get rid of K. Miller.
Side note , fire everyone involved with scouting and development. Stop hiring former players.
Agree with the Captain on most of this. Laviolette’s coaching track record shows that he wears out his welcome with his players and his bosses rather quickly. Time to go
The defense is an abomination and without Igor the team would be bottom 5. Borgen and Vaak are ok but they’re third pair guys. Fox is ridiculously overrated and should be moved but a movement clause prevents that. Sadly he now clogs up the cap. K’andre up for a new deal but for what?
Is the top six too old or do they just not care? And the biggest question of all in my mind is what will Lafreniere be?
On a positive Cuylle broke through, and the bottom six have played well.
And there’s always Igor to save the day
Sr. Laviolette didn’t help himself with his constant juggling of lineup. DeHaan sounding off today won’t help his cause. Curious if NY would have interest in Tochett if he becomes available.
George, I think Yzerman’s grace period has now expired, and another season without playoffs will not be tolerated. But there is much to get excited about. Kasper is showing that he is a true top 6 forward prospect, and Edvinsson a top pair defenseman. And with Cossa, Augustine, Guimond, and Gylander in the goalie pipeline, the future in net looks solid.
Yzerman has made some mistakes, as all GM’s do, but he made 2 big ones that has cost Detroit big time. The first was hiring Lalonde, and the second was allowing him to come back for this season. It was obvious to me that the teams improvement in Lalondes first 2 seasons was due to an increase of talent with no noticeable improvement in coaching. I truly believe that, if McLellan were hired at the end of last season, Detroit easily makes the playoffs this season.
But there will be no slack cut for Y next year.
You seem to forget Detroit’s run at the end of last season. The way the team was trending, a coaching change wasn’t necessary. It’s easy to criticize using hindsight.
Actually Ed, I wanted Newsy gone before the end of last season. There were just too many times that the Wings looked like they did under Jeff Blashill, especially defensively. In fact, I probably mentioned that in an old Spectors from February/March of 2024 edition.
I guess I could understand keeping Lalonde in the middle of of a playoff chase, but this is not a “hindsight is 20/20” post.
Looking forward to seeing Demidov tonight. Can’t expect the kid to be a saviour, but he will surely get more ice time than Pezzetta, a benefit that of itself will pay for the Habs other lines.
While I liked the Habs effort last night, and Dobes second good game, I was grudgingly impressed by the Leafs’ commitment to defense. If they play that well during the playoffs they are going to be a handful.
If Lamoriello gives up the management role he’ll still have considerable influence as president of hockey operations, especially with his son…
“Chris being an assistant GM and a possible candidate to replace him”. Absolutely not. We do not want him !!! He has been horrible with running the AHL team.
Agreed. The nepotism is wild in this league and it just handicaps teams into years(sometimes decades) of futility. Step-on-down Edmonton Oilers who kept recycling greats from 80’s to run their teams in the 2000’s with middling success.
As a closet Isles fan, I want ownership to “take ownership”. Get rid of Lou and company. Get rid of Roy, he’s a junior B coach at best. Cut out the deadwood on offense. Bring in some balls, and that might include a season or 2 of Torts.
LJ, they’d better not be playing tonight, otherwise it’ll be a back-to-back-to-back – lol. Just kidding, I know you meant tomorrow, and I’m anxious to see the kid in action as well.
🙂
Where am I?
The owners who are never around need to fire Lou and the entire ex NJ Devils coaches.It is long overdue. I can’t help seeing let’s do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. The special teams are a joke how do you keep running it back with Maclean and Roy and expect different results? The loss against the rags at home 9-2 everyone should have been fired that night. Fan since 1972 and this is the worst ever.Should have sold at the deadline and got as many picks as possible. FIRE LOU TODAY.
Pete, what the heck am I missing here?
The Devils sit 3rd in their Division, just 10 points b/o Carolina (a negligible 5-game turnaround) and only 23 goals less over close to 80 games played, while their 212ga is second only in the Conference to Tampa’s 210 and, in fact, they are 3rd in the LEAGUE behind only Winnipeg (186) and L.A. (196), and one less given up than Vegas, Dallas and Florida!
I can think of about 16 teams that would give their eye teeth for that record, especially Boston, NYR, NYI, Detroit in the East.
Oopps – Senior’s Moment Pete – sorry. I still had Lou as GM of the Devils in my head – LOL.
Fire away.
But in a way I’m glad I screwed up on that one – it caused me to take a close look at New Jersey’s season and, considering some of the key injuries they’ve suffered, the Devils have been generally solid and will not be an easy out for anyone they face.
I see Boeser like Jake Debrusk last offseason, two talented scorers who dont alaways play up to their abilities. Wouldn’t be surprised to see the Wild bring BB home, now that they are clear of Parise/Suter’s buyout hits, but they need to save a bunch for Kaprizov.
and I can see TB trading Howards’ rights at the draft for a 1st rounder. The kid isn’t interested in starting in the AHL and the Bolts are stacked in their top 6
If you`re a GM of a NHL team you have to remember that you only have a year to sign Howard and Winnipeg was right about McGroarty, he wasn`t ready to play in the NHL. You can put a pretty big dent in a kids development by putting him in a situation that he isn`t ready for
Teams would have to know for sure he’d sign with them. So he’d have control of where he goes. If he wanted a contender that’s a late first. Non contenders prob don’t trade a top ten pick. Not the easiest move.
“The Lightning have a tried-and-true development process involving some service with their AHL affiliate. ” I would replace “have” with “had”.
The lightning haven’t drafted & developed a significant player since 2015.
https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/teams/dr00008385.html
But they probably included a few in their many trades since 2015 … and let them bomb out or go into journeyman mold in other locations.
Been awhile my top 5 takes
Nate still best forward
Makar still top D man
Matthew’s isn’t living up to contract
Ottawa beats Toronto first round Ullmark MVP
Connor Hellebuyck finally has a good playoffs Jets win cup
Hey Obe …good to see you again. And agree with your projections.. except Ottawa over Toronto. Oh, it’ll be a helluva series, but this isn’t the old predictable Leafs.
The emergence of Knies and changes on D and in net, combined with Berube’s very different approach to the game compared with his predecessors, will see this version go a lot deeper in the playoffs, and a grueling series win over Ottawa will only serve to make them better as the playoffs roll on.
I’m still betting on Ottawa all the pressure on Leafs and if Ottawa plays a physical style Toronto won’t be able to handle it. Toronto hasn’t scored enough in past playoffs I think Ullmark stands on his head and Ottawa wins. Bérubé isn’t playing still the same timid players and I do agree Knies is a force and could be a handful.