Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – March 8, 2026
Check out the ongoing fallout from Friday’s Trade Deadline in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.
WHY DIDN’T THE DEVILS MOVE NEMEC OR HAMILTON AT THE TRADE DEADLINE?
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: James Nichols reported Friday that the Devils were open to moving Simon Nemec if the 22-year-old defenseman would fetch a return that improved their top-six forwards.
Adding a winger for Jack Hughes’ line has been a longstanding need. However, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that they were hoping to add a top-six center.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes and Nico Hischier currently fill the top-six center roles on the Devils. Adding another top-six center doesn’t make sense unless they intend to move Hischier or Hughes.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (NHL Images).
Trading Dougie Hamilton proved to be a difficult task for the Devils. One reason is the $7.4 million signing bonus that the 32-year-old defenseman is scheduled to receive on July 1. He also carries an average annual value of $9 million for the next two seasons.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It seemed like Hamilton and the Devils would part ways back in January as he was upset over being a healthy scratch for a game against the Winnipeg Jets. Some Toronto pundits pondered the possibility of the Maple Leafs acquiring him, but that’s assuming they’re on his 10-team trade list.
The Devils could try again during the offseason, but will likely find that any interested clubs will prefer to wait until he gets his signing bonus before agreeing to acquire him.
SENATORS TRIED TO ACQUIRE WEEGAR
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports sources claimed MacKenzie Weegar was the Senators’ top trade target. However, the Calgary Flames traded the 32-year-old puck-moving defenseman to the Utah Mammoth.
It was expected that general manager Steve Staios would acquire a right-shot top-four defenseman or some additional scoring punch. However, they lacked a 2026 first-round pick to use as a trade chip, which hampered the Senators’ efforts to bolster their roster at the trade deadline.
Teams were asking Staios for young forward Ridly Greig and top prospects Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler. However, the Senators weren’t parting with those players. Staios said he was looking at all options, including his goaltending.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Staios added winger Warren Foegele, who could help the Senators’ offense if he can regain the scoring touch that he lost this season with the Los Angeles Kings. He scored for them in Saturday’s 7-4 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Goaltending options were few and far between for the Senators and everyone else in this trade market. The best names out there were Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers and Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. The Panthers are trying to re-sign Bobrovsky, while the Senators could be on Binnington’s no-trade list.
WHY DID THE FLAMES RETAIN COLEMAN AND WHITECLOUD?
SPORTSNET: Eric Francis reports Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy admitted that he received strong offers for winger Blake Coleman and recently-acquired defenseman Zach Whitecloud. He chose to retain them because they wanted to remain in Calgary and would help mentor their younger players.
CALGARY SUN: Daniel Austin reports it seemed almost certain that Coleman would be traded.
The 34-year-old winger has one year remaining on his contract. Austin considers it inevitable that his name will surface in the rumor mill again.
Not a Devils fan, but dumbfounded as to why Nemec name being floated. 2nd overall pick who just turned 22 and pretty much playing his first full season in NHL. Especially if they’re trying to move Hamilton and there’s no chance of making playoffs. Looking forward to seeing what plan is for Hischier with him entering final year of his current deal.
Slick62
I also find it strange that NJ is considering moving two RHD at the same time.
Only reason I can see the moving Nemec is to make room for Seamus Casey.
Can’t see anyone trading for Hamilton before that bonus is paid unless it’s for Pennie’s on the dollar.
As a Leafs fan I have zero interest in Hamilton but would be very interested in Nemec or Casey.
Odd that NJ was targeting a top-6 C when they have Hughes and Hischier.
This will be interesting to follow in the summer.
I think there is conventional wisdom is that Jack Hughes is more suited on the wing, so getting another center would allow that move. Nemec, I am lukewarm on. His D is not the best and rumor has it that he wants a Luke Hughes ($9mm AAV) deal when he becomes an RFA.
This isn’t really a judgement, just an observation:
I always find it fascinating that hockey is really the only major sport where players routinely are willing to stay with losing teams. This is especially true if they’ve already won a Cup and it’s a big reason why coveted FA’s ask for NMC’s. I get it from the perspective of not wanting to uproot their families and just how stressful it all can be but you’d think winning would be their #1 priority as it seems to be in other sports. These guys have very limited time to be pro athletes and what usually motivates them is winning but I do understand why many of them would rather just stay put.
Especially if the player is on an expiring contract. But hockey players, more than most teams tend to be team players. They sometimes prefer to stay on a franchise that needs leadership. Coleman in Calgary seems to be that kind of player.
I never thought I would have to do this , but follow Leafs as per a bottom 5 position
Right now , they are 6 th last , 8 points above being in the bottom 5
I have also checked their remaining schedule , their are “4” point games against the Rangers and St Louis
Boston is in the mix as well , I am told they are going to dispatch their farm affiliate team for this match , hoping to lose , as we all know Boston has Toronto’s 1st round pick this upcoming draft , providing the Leafs don’t finish in the bottom 5 .
Here , I am cheering on the Leafs to lose
How pathetic is that , but there is No way around it , as an opportunity for this years draft to be a real game changer for either the Leafs or the Bruins .
I think Sweeney might be the new Senator or Massachusetts soon
Dear Treliving , U R truly a beloved Leaf in our hearts 4 Ever !
They will end up at 6 or 7and lottery luck will magically propel them to #2! So, the Leafs get either McKenna or Stenberg to quell hockey’s Mecca.
Johnny’s
TSN did a mock draft on deadline day and Leafs won it.
With their current situation, they should sit anyone with a nagging injury (Knies, Nylander, Matthews) and bring up these players from the Marlies, Quillan, Groulx, Villenueve, and Thrun. Give them legitimate ice time and allow them to learn at the NHL level. This would also be a great time to experiment playing Rielly on LW.
I read an interesting stat today. Rielly is the worst defender 5v5 with 66 goals against. Next up is OEL with 64 goals against. Please tell me again why they didn’t JUMP at a 1st and prospect for OEL?
Johnny z
6 or 7 is not doable for the Leafs
They need to finish in the bottom 5, otherwise the pic goes to the Bruins , which will be biggest flop in the history of the sport
Not to mention – Fraser Minten
No Ken. lottery luck could give them a top 5 pick. At least according to Tankathon.
https://www.tankathon.com/nhl
Run the simulator. 😁
Ken
You are incorrect.
If the finish in the bottom 16 in the league they are eligible to be in the draft lottery. Any team winning the lottery can move up a maximum of 10 spots. So, technically, as long as the Leafs aren’t the 17th place team in the league they’ll qualify for the lottery.
The draft pick is Top 5 protected. Doesn’t mean the Leafs need to finish in the bottom 5
Yes , but if they go in the draft lottery , the pick will go to Boston , if it’s higher than a 5 overall pick
Please explain
Thank you
Ken, here’s the way it’s explained using Google AI
“The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2026 first-round pick, held by the Boston Bruins, is top-five protected. This means the final position of the pick—determined by the draft lottery results, not just the regular-season standings—will decide if the Bruins receive it or if the pick is deferred.
Impact of Final Position:
Pick 1–5 (Lottery Wins/Top 5 Standing): The Maple Leafs keep their 2026 first-round pick. The pick conveyed to Boston is deferred to a future year (2027 or 2028), which may become unprotected.
Pick 6 or Lower: The Boston Bruins receive the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2026 first-round pick.
Key Details Regarding the Pick:
Lottery Rules Apply: The protection is based on the final draft order, meaning even if the Leafs finish with a bottom-five record, a poor lottery result (getting passed by teams below them) could still result in them losing the pick.”
That help?
Dagnamit George. You are like depends age. I’m like at the starting line of please be a fart age… how the hell do you know how to use ai better than me?!?!
I’ve been made to feel old by an old man!
All due respect and I hope the missus is doing ok.
LOL. No offense taken, chrisms. In your case I know it’s all in fun … and I can take an “aging” joke with the best of them as long as I don’t get the sense that it’s borne out of some ingrained dislike of the “elder” element. Hell, many of those “aging jokes” I can relate to and love to pass ’em on to family spread all over the map through What’sApp.
As for usage of AI, I just pose a question in search and more often than not it does a (very) short scan of its memory bank, and out pops an answer. Like the one I just did “Since the Senators must forfeit their # 1 pick this year, are they still eligible to be in the lottery and depending upon where that lands them does the team ranked just after them get that result?”
I just posted that response in one of the threads.
Wife is doing as well as can be expected, chrisms. Thanks for asking. She goes through rough patches (is in one now, in fact), but they last a couple of days at most and then everything levels off for a few weeks, The staff is well-trained and efficient, so I know she’s in good hands. And there are many a heck of a lot worse off, believe me.
I should have added, things like the time change can really affect them for a short while (just like the full moon … I always thought that was an old-wive’s tale … but it’s very real as I soon found out.
The premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, has been trying for the past few years to get NY State and Michigan to go along with him and drop the concept and just switch permanently to daylight savings time – not out of concern for what I describe above but rather the huge economical/commerce movement/trade between the 2 states and the province.
👍Daryl!
George O
Thank you.
With the way the Leafs are playing they should have very good odds of retaining their 1st round pick this year.
I think they blew it at the TDL
George , question. What if Ottawa misses the playoffs even on % points . They win the lottery and have to forfeit the pick and Leafs are 6th do they move up?
100% unlikely but just wonder is the Sens balls just eliminated ? Not sure that has ever been discussed.
Could be the biggest conspiracy ever . What a way Gary could make 2 Canadian teams crazy lol . Sens win the draft but Leafs have to give the Bruins 5th overall because sens can’t make there pick and the First spot is just is forfeited so number 1 never happens
LOL. The draft “rules” are getting as murky as elements of the cap. So I tried Google AI again and this is what I got to the question:
“Are the Senators Eligible for the Lottery?
Yes. The Senators are still included in the draft lottery odds calculation. However, if the Senators “win” one of the lottery draws (1st or 2nd overall), the result is voided, and a re-draw takes place, as they cannot use the pick.
What Happens to the Pick if They Win the Lottery?
If the Senators’ spot lands in a winning position (e.g., 1st overall), the pick is forfeited, and the draft order is essentially adjusted. The pick is removed from the first round entirely.
If the Senators’ number comes up in the lottery, it is considered a voided/forfeited spot, and another team does not directly “inherit” that exact spot via a simple shift down; rather, the draft order is recalculated with one fewer pick in the first round.
SUMMARY
The Senators are still in the lottery, but they cannot draft in the first round if they hit a winning combination. The penalty is structured to remove their selection entirely, rather than just passing it to the next team in line.”
Above drafted for the NHL, so I understand, by that proverbial Philadelphia Lawyer.
Gary should just award pick #32 to the Sens, excluding them from the lottery and only use 15 balls. Penalty enough!