NHL Rumor Mill – December 29, 2025
In today’s NHL Rumor Mill, we catch up on recent speculation about the Flyers and the Predators.
THE LATEST ON THE FLYERS
DAILY FACEOFF: Anthony Di Marco reported last week that his sources claimed the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota Wild discussed a trade in which the Wild offered up center Ryan Hartman.
The Flyers are seeking a short-term replacement for Tyson Foerster, who could be out for the remainder of this season following surgery for an upper-body injury. Hartman, 31, is signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $4 million and a 15-team no-trade list.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Bobby Brink (NHL Images).
Wild general manager Bill Guerin has some salary cap flexibility after acquiring Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Guerin is in no hurry to move Hartman, but could move the veteran forward if he’s looking to make another impact move this season.
Di Marco indicated the Wild have shown interest in Flyers winger (and Minnesota native) Bobby Brink. The 24-year-old Brink is eligible to become a restricted free agent in July and carries a $1.5 million cap hit this season.
According to Di Marco, the Flyers aren’t rushing to move Brink. However, given their depth on the wings, he might not fit into their long-range plans.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Di Marco wonders if the Flyers and Wild might revisit their discussions leading up to the trade deadline. Whether the Flyers want Hartman or the Wild remains interested in Brink by that point remains to be seen. That will depend on each club’s needs and their placement in the standings by that point.
PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: William James cited a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, where the latter indicated the Flyers are in contract extension talks with Christian Dvorak.
Dvorak, 29, signed a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Flyers in July as a free agent. He has 24 points in 36 games, putting him on pace to exceed his career high of 38 points in 2019-20.
Because Dvorak is on a one-year contract, the earliest he can sign an extension is Jan. 1. Friedman said some teams don’t expect Dvorak to be available next summer.
James also mentioned Sunday’s report that Flyers defenseman Yegor Zamula has changed agents and could attempt to terminate his contract to sign with another NHL team.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dvorak has fit in well with the Flyers this season. He’s among the reasons why they have exceeded expectations thus far by contending for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He could be inked to a multi-year deal soon after New Year’s Day.
UPDATE ON THE PREDATORS
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reported last week that Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz’s patience with embattled head coach Andrew Brunette has paid off, with the club rising from the bottom of the Western Conference standings to within three points of a wild-card berth.
The heat is off the Predators for now, but his club’s recent improvement won’t force Trotz to deviate from his plan to integrate more youth into his roster. LeBrun believes he’s still open to listening to offers for veteran forwards such as Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault as the March 6 trade deadline approaches.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trotz won’t be a seller if the Predators are in the playoff chase by March 6. However, a significant offer for Stamkos or Marchessault (provided they waive their no-movement clauses) could prove too tempting to pass up.
At the moment, the playoff push and possible trade market seems to be tilting towards the east.
The Eastern Conference seems to be wide open. Other than Florida (2x defending champs need to be knocked off before they are deemed not worthy), there is not a team that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Just getting into the playoffs is enough to have hope for a long playoff run if a team gets hot.
In the Western Conference, there seems to be more separation. Top 3 teams in the Central are already running away with things. They will still make moves to try and position themselves within the division. In the Pacific, Vegas and Edmonton are the two teams that need to be knocked off. Not sure if there are any other teams in that division that could do that over a 7 game series.
If you are a bubble team in the west, do you trade away draft capital or young talent just to get into the playoffs? Only to be swept aside as the Wild Card? Or, do you trade away expiring contracts for good young players? Might still make a run in doing so.
Should be an interesting next couple of months.
Florida is not head and shoulders above anyone. They are in the 2nd wild card spot and only 4 points ahead of the last place team in the conference. Playoffs are wide open in the east.
Ed, we’ll see once their walking wounded get back (games missed)
F Aleksander Barkov (37)
F Matthew Tkachuk (37)
F Tomas Nosek (37)
D Dmitry Kulikov (35)
F Jonah Gadjovich (27)
F Cole Schwindt (18)
Over their past 10 they’ve gone 7-3-0 without 2 of their best Fs and 3 regulars from their supporting cast for long stretches, They are also just 7 b/o Conference-leading Carolina and 2nd-place Detroit, with 3 games in hand on the Red Wings.
Keep an eye on Sherwood, thinking a team makes a move for him now rather than later. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if the Wild were the ones calling Vancouver again.