NHL Rumor Mill – May 6, 2026
Check out the latest on the Penguins, Bruins, Blue Jackets, and Sharks in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT WILL THE PENGUINS DO WITH EVGENI MALKIN?
THE ATHLETIC: Josh Yohe reports sources with Evgeni Malkin’s management team say they have not yet spoken with Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas about a contract extension. Dubas is currently handling end-of-season interviews and focusing on their AHL affiliate during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (NHL Images).
Malkin’s camp intends to reach out to Dubas later this week to set a date for an in-person meeting to discuss a new contract. Yohe believes the Penguins GM has not yet offered Malkin a new contract. Sources within the 39-year-old center’s camp say he’s not seeking a raise from his current $6.1 million average annual value.
Yohe cited sources with the Penguins last summer, claiming that Dubas had no intention of re-signing Malkin once his contract expired. However, the veteran star exceeded expectations this season, and team captain Sidney Crosby has said he’d like Malkin to return.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Opinion seems divided among the Pittsburgh media regarding Malkin. Some, like Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, believe it’s time for the Penguins to part company with Malkin and focus on the future. Others, like Mark Madden of TribLive.com, see no problem with bringing back Malkin, though he acknowledged it would mean another year or two of being no better than they were this season.
Dubas seems reluctant to re-sign Malkin. It would surprise me if he inks the aging star to a new contract.
SOME OFF-SEASON PROPOSALS FOR THE BRUINS
THE ATHLETIC: Fluto Shinzawa proposed several options for Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney’s off-season “to-do” list.
Checking into Brady Tkachuk’s trade availability is his most notable suggestion. He wondered if the Ottawa Senators might be concerned about whether their captain wants to stay after his contract expires in two years.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators GM Steve Staios shot down the notion of Tkachuk getting traded this summer, while the 26-year-old left winger insisted that he wants to stay in Ottawa. Maybe that changes by this time next year if the Senators fail to improve in 2026-27. For now, he’s not going anywhere.
Other suggestions by Shinzawa include trading backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo, defenseman Mason Lohrei, and center Casey Mittelstadt. He also thinks Sweeney should keep an eye on New Jersey Devils restricted free-agent defenseman Simon Nemec and on Tampa Bay Lightning pending UFA blueliner Darren Raddysh.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Korpisalo, Lohrei, and Mittelstadt have surfaced in trade rumors since last year. One of them could be used as a trade chip to add to their roster. Nemec would be an expensive addition via trade, while Raddysh could cost over $8 million annually on a long-term deal.
THE LATEST ON THE BLUE JACKETS
THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reported earlier this week that the Blue Jackets’ management sees re-signing pending unrestricted free-agent forwards Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment as priorities. Losing both to free agency would be tough losses and could prompt other moves.
Portzline rules out the possibility of the Blue Jackets targeting a restricted free agent star from a rival club.
GM Don Waddell is likely to go the trade route to improve his club this summer. Waddell has indicated that the Blue Jackets’ 2026 first-round pick (14th overall) could be in play for the right offer.
The Blue Jackets could be in the market for a reliable backup goaltender. However, they would first have to attempt to move Elvis Merzlikins, who has a year left on his contract with an AAV of $5.4 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The limited number of decent goalies available in this summer’s trade and free-agent markets could make Merzlikins easier to move, but there’s still no certainty the Jackets will find any takers. They might have to retain part of his salary or bundle him with a draft pick or prospect to make him more enticing.
SHARKS OPEN TO TRADING THEIR 2026 FIRST-ROUND PICK
THE MERCURY NEWS: Curtis Pashelka reports San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier said he’s open to trading his 2026 first-round pick, which sits second overall following Tuesday’s NHL Draft Lottery.
Grier said he’d consider moving that pick for the right offer. However, he also has no problem using it to add another promising youngster to his deep prospect pipeline.
I don’t see why you wouldn’t keep Malkin. Hes open to playing wing and taking a diminished role. He will be fairly cheap. The free agent market is weak. Every team is gonna be looking at the trade market driving up prices. What id look at is gauging the value of rakell or rust. That’s where I’d look to get younger. I’d think after his year karlsson would have a good market but with letang fading fast they probably keep him and not move him at deadline if not competing for the playoffs.
Seems prudent to keep Malkin, Pens have an enormous cap space and tradable vets and 9 2nd rounders in the next 4 years. These assets can be turned into young NHL ready players and prospect this year to give an enormous bump in their rebuild!
Chrisms. Will Malkin be cheap? For a team with so many FA’s, bringing him back on a cheap 1 year deal seems like a no brainer. But, with Malkin comments about being willing to play elsewhere, I think he’s looking for as much as he can get before retiring.
Nah. Hes quoted as saying he wasn’t looking for a raise. The play elsewhere stuff is public manipulation to put more pressure on Dubas to keep him here. If I remembered where I read the quote I’d post it but I don’t. Probably the trib.
I think the key part of Malkin’s position stated above is where it says “Sources within the 39-year-old center’s camp say he’s not seeking a raise from his current $6.1 million average annual value.”
“Not seeking a raise” could also signify that he’s not prepared to take a cut either. And $6.1 mil average annual value is a tad pricey and more than a bit of a gamble on a player who turns 40 on July 31.
Maybe. But the pens have more cap space than they know what to do with. And he was over a ppg. 6 mil for that potential production isn’t bad and if he tapers off significantly it doesn’t hurt their cap outlook. Salary is the least of Dubas concerns. Him blocking younger talent and his health seem to be the big issues. But unless someone takes a big leap this offseason pens don’t really have any wingers banging on the door to be locks to fit in the top 6 next year. And when he gets hurt it opens up spot for said wingers to try to usurp his minutes. I don’t see much downside and do see upside to bringing him back.
Mmm … makes good sense. And he is a tough SOB.
So, here’s a twist now that the draft lottery has been set.
Robertson to Toronto for the first pick…Toronto gets and established full fledged star in the league to play with Matthews. Robertson gets to play with his brother. Stars get McKenna, maybe Stars take a bad contract back to make the money work.
Or, as mentioned in Lyle’s column…Robertson to Sharks for 2nd overall and Robertson gets to go back to California and Stars pick Stenberg.
Stars take Reilly back to make the cap work would benefit a Trono retool and keep Mathews a Leaf, for sure. Then they are back into WIN NOW mode.
Hmmm, scratch that on Reilly. Stars have no need to take a slumping LD
No. If you’re making trades with Dallas. You’re taking Heiskenen.
Yesguy don’t cha know the Leafs need a goal scorer…that’s what they need most, eh.
Correct with your assessment, 💯
SJS makes the most sense. I doubt Nick Robertson is signing with the leafs or wants to. You can argue that he has not been given a fair opportunity in TO and needs a change of scenery. Also think Jason Robertson wants to leave Dallas. Shown no respect when he was eligible to sign a contract last year. All he has done is proven he is worth every penny he gets. My bet he is not in Dallas next year. Not sure why Dallas went down this road with Robertson. He has proven to be a good reliable player.
Mittelstadt has never turned into the player that teams had hoped he’d be. The fact that he has become serviceable in Boston was a bit of a surprise. Good for him, but you wonder what his future is in Beantown. Maybe as a 3rd line center.
Rangers send picks 5,27 and Braden Schneider for picks 2,20 and a 2027 2nd.
Who would they target at 2?
TSP. Stenberg. Good chance he beats out Connor Sheary for top 6 spot.
Moving up in the draft is more expensive. Take out the 20th overall pick and you might have a shot at that 2nd.
It can be expensive Chrisms but moving from 5 to #2 isn’t that expensive IMO. They’re including Schneider after all. He struggled a bit oof and on but still an NHL quality D and the Sharks need D more than a forward.
And they should be able to get a good D prospect at 5.
I think Slick made a reasonable proposal.
I saw Schneider as about equal to the 2nd rounder. And one of the last picks in the first round to move up into the top 3 seemed about right. The 20th also going to rangers seemed excessive to me.
You see Schneider as valuable as a 2nd round pick? There’s being bias and then there’s blindness.
Not saying the original trade is good, but you think the price to move up 3 spots is another 1st rounder and a solid rh defenseman that’s under 25 with 5 years NHL experience?
You tend to grossly undervalue anything NYR’s.
Last year you thought K. Miller wasn’t worth a 3rd rounder. And they be lucky to get anything more than that.
Pretty sure this is another gross underestimate.
Maybe. But I don’t see Schneider as worth a 1st either. Unless you are talking at the deadline from a team expected to make a play for a cup. He’s a third pair d man who might end up being a top 4 d man. So a second rounder from a borderline playoff team seemed pretty close to the mark to me.
There is very little precedent for teams moving top three picks to base value on. Neither of us can reasonably say what the cost would be based on precedent. I tried to think of other leagues like the nba and nfl to gauge what moving up into that top three might cost. But in the nhl the tiers of talent between a top two pick and pick 5 down are usually noticeable when looking at sites predicting potential for players. A very late 1st to move up one of those tiers seemed reasonable. You might disagree but I don’t think it makes me blind.
CO most fans undervalue players, either on their team and/or especially if not…except for Habs fans, they love a guy in rouge, blanc and blu, then he’s dead to them and no good when he’s no longer a Hab. 🤣
Unfortunately, a lot of other teams fans are more susceptible to this and commonly blinded by the sweaters the guy wears. Is this somewhat accurate about you Chris? Not a homer and not so much as a hater but more the type of, “I don’t see it” type?
Nemec for Tkachuk straight up. T is a better player but he’s gone in 2 years. Ottawa would get more term out of Nemec and could have one of the best D corps in the East.
As an outsider, I need some feedback as to why everyone seems to think T is a goner in two years. What has he said?
I get the sense that those thinking that way do so because they see the Senators dropping back to the state they were in 3/4 years ago.
An without some decent picks over the next 2 years they may well be right. Aside from Yakemchuk and maybe Hensler, there is precious little in Belleville right now.
IF a Cozens or a Pinto – both C – is dealt this off-season, partt of what comes back HAS to be a pick or two.
You need more than that. Toss in your 1st plus another player prospect
Agree but I think NJ would say yes in a heart beat to nemec and Mercer. This gives Ottawa another asset that they can bolster the wing position by trading a centre.
The Leafs Have a first round draft pick in next years draft as they acquired it in the Nic Roy trade to Colorado.!!
I know our pick is going to Boston or Philly but we still got Colorado’s first rounder next year.!
Everyone saying they don’t own one. ??
They won’t have their own picks those years whereas this year they have all of their own picks or a pick in every round in this deep and good draft. If there was a draft year to be lucky in it’s this years. There’s very top skilled players in the top 5 followed by highly skilled players all the way down the rounds. It won’t surprise me that teams will be finding gems in the latter rounds this draft.
I’d rather have Roy over that pick, any day, every day.
I don’t see bruins. Going after Raddyish. Whomever signs his next deal will probably end up regretting it. If he gets what he media suggests he will. Memes makes sense depending on cost. I hope Sweeney gets a big trade at draft that helps the team now. Thomas. Robertson Etc. Will have to pay up. But worth it
Bolts, 8 geep on D with Groshev coming up, probably offer Raddy 5 At 5. Florida Taxes, familiar surroundings, fanbase that will understand regression to 70% of career year…he’d be well off to take it. Yes, there will be offers of more money, to likely be made the scapegoat if things don’t go perfectly. He is an OK top four D, and probably above average PP QB with a good shot, and had a good defensive year with Moser who was an elite player on the back end. If Raddy takes 8 for 5 somewhere there is likely to bad feeling on both sides of the transaction.
If any of the teams picking in the top 8 are in need of a quality seasoned C with term, would Pinto or Cozens bring back that pick?
Sure, Winnipeg is in dire need of a centre and they have #8 pick.
Cozens and Pinto are both young and seasoned, immediate and long term benefit for the Jets.
My perfect leaf scenario Matthews wants out. Forces the leafs into a rebuild and also forces a nylander trade. You can probably get 2 first round draft picks, a quality young defensemen i.e. nemec and a quality young forward i.e. Mctavish for those 2 at minimum.
Pray the moves turn out positive and sign McDavid by offering 20% of the cap.
This combined with McKenna’s, Cowan, knies I believe you a good core to work with if you can add a nemec and mctavish type players in those trades.
I count not one but 2 nmc in between those two!