NHL Rumor Mill – July 28, 2025
The trade market for Erik Karlsson may be fading, and the latest Leafs speculation in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE ATHLETIC: Shayna Goldman recently observed that the Pittsburgh Penguins could find it increasingly difficult to trade Erik Karlsson this summer.
The Penguins have a year and a half (to the 2027 trade deadline) to move Karlsson, so they don’t have to rush into anything this summer. However, starting this season in Pittsburgh could affect his trade value. He’s now 35, and the team around him isn’t getting any better.
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (NHL Images)
Moving Karlsson during this summer might be the best path, but suitable trade options have dwindled in recent weeks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins could garner more interest in Karlsson if they agree to retain half of their share ($10 million) of his $11.5 million average annual value (AAV). Whether they’re willing to do that will depend on the type of return he would fetch in the trade market, or how keen they are to move him out of Pittsburgh.
Karlsson’s no-movement clause remains a sticking point. It’s believed he’ll waive it to join a contender, but there’s no indication that there are any of those clubs currently interested in him.
A solid start to this season with the Penguins could bolster Karlsson’s value in this season’s trade market. If his performance continues to decline, it will be difficult to move him even if they retain half of his cap hit.
Turning to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Goldman noted that they have improved their bottom-six forwards by bringing in Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy, and added a middle-six playmaking winger (Matias Maccelli) at a low cost.
However, they still haven’t suitably addressed the offense they lost by trading Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights on the eve of free agency. That could affect their chances of staging a deep playoff run this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This season will be interesting for the Maple Leafs. Their lousy playoff record since 2017 led to Marner’s departure. Another disappointing effort could lead to a more significant roster shakeup next summer.
DAILY FACEOFF: Tyler Yaremchuk and Matt Larkin last week discussed what the future could hold for Maple Leafs winger Nick Robertson.
The 23-year-old Robertson is a restricted free agent awaiting an arbitration hearing on August 2. He had 15 goals in 69 games last season in a limited role, and he’s not necessarily a clear fit within their top-12 forwards.
Larkin observed that the Leafs are pressed for cap space, but the departure of Marner leaves them in need of affordable depth scoring. If Robertson is traded to a weaker team, he could score 20-25 goals playing second-line minutes.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs have just over $2.9 million in cap space. A big chunk of that is likely allocated for Robertson, who made $875K last season. He could end up signing with them before his hearing.
It’s been suggested that the Leafs could use Robertson could become a trade chip in a larger deal to add a scorer. However, that could be wishful thinking given their limited trade assets.
Robertson and a 2nd for Karlsson at 50% retained.
A player like Marner and the offense he provided cannot simply be replaced. The point is to use his cap space to bolster the depth of the lineup. The leafs have added some solid depth players. But no reliable scorers. Thatâll take time. As Habs fan can certainly agree, all of a teams needs wonât be filled in one off season.
Struble and the Habs agreed to terms. Two years $1,412,500 AAV. Fair deal. After the Timmins signing yesterday I was afraid it could be closer to $2m.
Now we can relax for the rest of the summer. Because except for a possible depth signing. I donât see anything else happening before camp.
Howard, as I asked Habfan30 in the Headlines thread, do you see the trading of Price’s rights as the next order of business in Montreal?
That would remove them from being $5,931,667 over the cap to approximately $4.6 mil reserve.
They can put him on LTIR and solve the cap overage, but then they won’t accrue space this year.
But I’ve read some reports that Mon does want to move his contract so that they can accrue cap space for the upcoming trade deadline.
They really could have fixed this in the latest CBA by allowing some new “Season LTIR” for players that are out the entirety of the year and playoffs; and if they are on “Season LTIR” they cannot be removed from the list for any reason. Those LTIR players (who are basically retired) shouldn’t preclude you from accruing space.
As I responded in the headlines blog I expect Prices contract to be traded but not until after he gets his nice bonus check in September
George can I ask who do you see as teams that would take on the burden of Prices contract?
I think the landscape has changed quite a bit of late and the usual suspects are rounding corners.
I dont see a team needing to or willing to take it. In the past the cost was low because we had Arizona looking to hit the floor. No longer really though.
That said it probably happens or already has haha
And now I just realized there is but 1 year left on Price’s contract which changes things and I can now see a team biting for a pickle or what now. I had thought there was still multiple years on it when I first posed the question.
1Oilerfan, trying to understand the ins and outs of the LTIR manoeuvre left me in the dust long ago! lol.
Vegas and Tampa seem to have gotten it down to a fine art, and there’s no doubt in my mind that Matthew Tkachuk will delay his surgery until just before camp opens to provide cap relief for Florida, currently $3,725,000 over the cap. That way he gets a good long recovery period deep into the season, ensuring a healthy Tkachuk coming back to round into shape for the playoffs. There’s no way his absence presents a risk of that deep team faltering.
So, who? Hell, your guess is as good as mine, but there are 3 teams with less than the lowest ELC available – the Blues $625,150 (14F 7D 2G), the Flyers $370,238 â (11F 8D 3G) and the Oilers $225,834 (14F 7D 2G).
No wiggle room at all there, and the Rangers have just over the lowest E:LC of $777,976 (13F 8D 2G).
Would having Price help any of those in freeing up cap?
Yes before it was s valuable tool to acquire an LTIR to hit the Cap floor
Since they would need thr cap hit to make the floor, theyâd officially keep him off LTIR ; but then my understanding is that the team pays full salary ; so players who had front end contracts with lower cash payouts than cap hits were valuable
While on LTIR; insurance pays a very large portion of the cash due to the player
As at now, I believe no team needs to get to the floor
A few teams however have space enough to take on Priceâs cap hit; so wait until heâs paid his SB; then have Montreal include something for taking it on
In effect, âbuyingâ an asset (whatever Habs pony up) for the net cash outlay (whatever InsUrance does NOT cover; plus ins. Premiums paid)for the final year (25/26) of his contract
After his SB is paid , per puckpedia heâs only owed $2 M (not sure what premiums are or what percentage thr ins. Company pays?)
@ George, for the teams you mentioned (Rangers, StL, etc) taking on Price’s contract hurts their cap situation.
Right now they are under the cap, so they can accrue space as the season goes along.
If they traded for Price, they would have to put him on LTIR and then they couldn’t accrue additional space this year. (Taking on Price’s contract does not give a team more cap space to make other additions).
The only teams I can see taking on Price are teams well below the cap where they don’t need to carry him on LTIR (Ducks, Sharks, Blackhawks, etc). The can take on Price’s contract without needing to put him on LTIR, and presumably they would gain some picks/prospects for doing so.
thanks foleyd – becoming much clearer now – at least no longer in the category of try to decipher an Einstein theory!.
As for teams like St. Louis, Philadelphia and Edmonton with less cap reserve than a basic ELC, if they run into nagging 2-4 game type injuries early in the season, don’t they run the risk of having to play those games short-handed?
8787, insurance would pay his contract regardless of whether or not he was placed on LTIR wouldn’t it?
I’m not 100% sure, but it would make no sense otherwise. How does a team’s cap situation impact a contract with an insurance company?
I can’t remember a single time a team trading a permanent LTIR player didn’t have to give up an asset to move it, regardless of cap floor. Again, not 100% as my memory isn’t as good as it used to be, but if you have an example, please share.
In my defense, the knowledge that a number of teams – if not all – have found it necessary to have dedicated “capologists” on staff to relieve the GM of trying to understand all the ins and outs, makes me feel a bit better. LOL
@ George,
There are teams that do play below the 23 man roster limit from time to time because of tightness with the cap.
NHL teams can carry up to 23 players on the active NHL roster, but only 20 of them can be active for game day lineup (usually done with 12 forwards, 6 D, 2 G).
Taking StLouis for example, Puckpedia shows them $625k under the cap with a roster of 14 forwards, 7 D and 2 G, for 23 total.
So they are good with the max 23 and still under the cap.
Edm is $225k under with 14 F, 7 D, 2G, so also good with the 23 max.
If they wanted, they can increase their cap space by sending down Howard and/or Savoie (both waiver exempt) and operate with a roster of 21 or 22 people, which is allowed. They just need to make sure 20 people are active each game day.
For the Flyers they are $370k under, but only have 22 on the roster right now (11 F, 8 D, and 3 G). But that doesn’t include Foerster who is on IR ($3.75M salary). He’s on regular IR, so his salary is already in the cap, but he’s not counted against the 23 man roster (neither is Ellis who is also on regular IR and calculated in their cap total).
If Philly wanted, they could add another forward for under $370k to fill in for Foerster, and get the roster up to 23, but they would then need to make a cut once Foerster was ready to be activated again.
They could also move Ellis to LTIR, which would give them another $6Mish more in cap space for moves.
If Foerster is ready to start the season, they take him off IR and then he counts towards the roster totals and they are at 12 F, 8 D, 3 G and good to go.
If Foerster won’t be ready for the regular season, they will probably call up a kid like Luchanko who is $900k salary (and waiver exempt) and keep him active until Foerster is ready. To do that though, they will need to move Ellis to LTIR and free up his money to be repurposed.
One of the things I learned last year that is really helpfull:
If on IR, the player still counts against the cap, but doesn’t count again active NHL roster limit, so the team can call someone else up (so long as they can fit the call-up players cap into their total).
If on LTIR, the player doesn’t count against the cap or the roster.
The 1 thing I don’t really know how to calculate is the cap space amount that is freed up when someone goes on LTIR. If Philly puts Ellis’ and his $6.25M salary on LTIR, they don’t necessarily get $6.25M of additional space. There is some formula that is used to calculate the cap space savings of an LTIR move, and it gets adjusted in some way based on where you were against the cap BEFORE you made the move. So Philly’s current cap space of $370k would go into the calculation to reduce their available cap space from the $6.25M for Ellis.
whooof foleyd7 … thanks for all that … to say the whole process can be “complicated” is putting it mildly.
Does it really have to be that convoluted, I wonder?
Anyway , thanks again for the research and explanations … it really does help in understanding.
No wonder teams feel the need to have a dedicated “capologist!”
Yeah, it def seems to be overcomplicated.
I might go on LinkedIn and see if there are any job openings for part time entry level NHL capologists. Maybe time for a career change!
đ
Responding to Ray re LTIR and Ins.
I believe insurance (if players have it; *not all do) pays out while officially put on LTIR but NOT IR
Iâm fairly sure that Insurance (if they have it) is not all the same for each player. Some policies cover higher % of Salaries (team always pays some portion) with of course higher premiums per $ M coverage than lower percentages covered.
Also I believe Some have âexclusionsâ in the contract
Regardless if above assumptions are correct, max any team acquiring Price (after SB is paid) is $2 M (total remaining Salary.
The âsweetenerâ that Habs would need to pony up would need to equate to value perceived (by acquiring team) of the cash outlay. Effectively, they are âbuyingâ an asset.
In past TDL, 3 team trade retentions deals; with âeffectiveâ cash outlays of $200 K to $400 K by middle(transfer) team seem to get middle trade team a 3rd or a 4th
$2M would definitely âbuyâ a great deal more that a 3rd or 4th. I could be wrong, but those figures leads me to believe that Price DOES have insurance ; AND that policy does pay a large portion of the $2 M
If say that policy covered 70% ($1.4 M) then receiving team is paying $600 K plus the cost of the insurance premiumâŚ. Whatâs the âsweetenerâ required for that outlay?
*Nathan Horton didnât have insurance and Jackets were a small budget team and couldnât afford all that dough to pay s guy who was not playing. Leafs (rich) were ok paying all sal for Horton; just so they could dump Clarksonâs contract on Jackets
Howard, you called this yesterday just about spot on. Well done.
Thanks LJ. Can I call myself an NHL Insider now? Hey if Kypreos can, why not?
Howard
We like you
NEVER EVER put yourself in the same sentence, let alone category/profession as Kypper
His insider info comes from a Ouiji board and thatâs inly after visiting an opium den
With or without Marner when the Leafs ever go on a deep playoff run?
Not sure how I – and strictly from a fanâs perspective – personally feel about it, but the Karlsson back to Ottawa feeling still lingers.
Right at the moment Staios has $4,295,286 in cap reserve with 22 committed to for this coming season – 13F 7D 2G, and his D alignment for opening day looks to be Sanderson-Zub; Chabot-Spence and Kleven-Matinpalo. RD Nick Jensen is normally Chabotâs partner and there is encouraging news that his rehab from off-season surgery may have him ready to attend camp. In that event, Spence drops to the 3rd pairing with Kleven and Matinpalo becomes the 7th D.
However, it would not surprise me to see RD Artem Zub ($4.6 million for 2 more seasons) dealt fairly soon for a pick/prospect type of return, and with that added cap, Staios would have $8,895,286 in reserve. That would facilitate a deal for Karlsson where he could absorb up to $6.2 mil of Karlssonâs cap and still have almost $2.7 mil in reserve.
With cap relief being the major goal and gain by Dubas, the return would also be in the pick/prospect category only. Zub would not be involved in that deal. There aren’t that many teams with the cap space that would have a need for Karlsson’s type of game or to where he would agree to go.
The pairings would then likely be Sanderson-Karlsson, Chabot-Jensen/Spence, and Kleven-Spence-Matinpalo, with RD rookie Carter Yakemchuk certainly in the mix at training camp.
Itâs just a hunch (that wonât go away – lol), but if it ever did go down, thatâs the ONLY way I can see it unfolding.
Just as an aside … and before some Pittsburgh fan suggests it – Yakemchuk is NOT being dealt – not for Karlsson anyway.
George just as in Ottawa’s case, Toronto’s looking at moving Kampf & Jarncrok to gain more cap space. But they’re looking for that elusive RHC to play on the 2nd line. They’ll use use the 4 preseason games to see if Maccelli or Cowans a fit. Neither Ottawa or Toronto is under pressure to spend that cap space
Pens already have a rd stud prospect that also almost made the team last year before going back to juniors. And pens donât need cap space. If they deal Erik itâs to get an asset or two and unblock playing time for youth. Itâs why I think the trade happens at deadline.
I see it’s just a gut feeling George, but I just don’t see where Karlsson fits in OTT?
Their PP is better than average and Sanderson will keep getting better as he’s only 22. Chabot isn’t chopped liver in that regard either. I wouldn’t take either of them off either unit for Karlsson. So what’s he gonna do for them?
Every team wants multiple puck moving D-men who contribute offensively, but OTT has 2 good ones already, with a 3rd on the way, after a likely year in AHL. I suppose he could surprise and make it, but not the normal path for rookie D. I wouldn’t want to block the kid for 26/27.
Doesn’t seem to be room at the Inn in OTT for Karlsson?
Well, for what it’s worth – and purely from an Ottawa perspective – I hope you’re right.
If you are, then Karlsson remains a Penguin to the end of his contract because I really don’t think anyone is going to fork over anything significant.
I agree. IF he’s coming back to Ottawa. Pitt is paying us. Not the other way around. We’re probably one of like 5 teams he’d waive to go to. Maybe if he’s having a decent season some team pulls a Seth Jones maneuver and adds him before the deadline? The difference is Seth can still kinda defend…sorta. Erik can’t. He’s there for power play assists and the occasional power play goal. Offensive draws etc etc.
Ray, my post above was in response to Chrisms’ just above that. As to your observations, very likely bang on.
What’s helping to feed my gut feeling is the recent statement by Leeder that, while attendance has been general very good, much of that is due to walk-up buyers, and that they’d still like to see the season-ticket base increase.
A “return home” of Karlsson – who still has a legion of loyal fans in the area (and maintains a home here) – would certainly help to some degree towards that end.
And Yogi, I agree that neither Ottawa nor Toronto are under any pressure whatsoever to spend what cap space they have left.
Pitts not paying anyone to take him⌠unless you consider retaining salary as a form of payment. That will happen. But George you are giving nhl gms way to much credit. You donât think there will be several teams that see themselves as cup contenders looking around at the deadline arms race thatâll want a player like Erik? Particularly because he wonât be an overly expensive acquisition? A second pair d man who could quarterback a pp. he will have value. The nmc is a sticking point though.
Not if they’re expected to fork over anything significant in terms of picks or players
Don’t forget Karlsson dictates where he wants to go, not which teams want him. So any hope of a bidding war pretty much out the door since there doesn’t appear to be much interest in Karlsson
Doubt the cost would be more than a second and b prospect. Less if he only gives pens one option. Maybe a tad more if there are several teams able to bid. Heâd be pretty cheap to obtain asset wise. Iâm curious how he performs this year with sully gone. He showed he still had significant talent at the tourney under a different system.
Well, if there was a CDN contending team that could use a D man to QB their PP, that would be the Leafs.
Plus losing Marner off the unit, he played close to 3 minutes/game on the PP. And I might be wrong, but he was at the top of the umbrella some of the time.
Not sure EK fits the Berube mold at 5 vs 5 though.
You pretty much nailed it Ray. Except Berube has one option on the PP and that’s using Nylander in Marner’s spot, the difference is Marner’s played some defence. Which if you’re running 5 forwards on your PP is helpful, but the 5 forwards didn’t work that great. 5 on 5 Karlsson would be a nightmare for Berube. The problem with Karlsson is the few positives he brings to a team is quickly negated by his lack of commitment to other areas of the game. A team could shelter his minutes and reduce his defensive zone starts, while finding a reliable partner to compensate for his shortcomings. Then you have ask if he’s worth it, nevermind his cap hit and what you might have to give up in acquiring him
One thing that George and I’ve brought up before is the possibilty of converting Karlsson into a centre as in Red Kelly. The big problem would be, would Karlsson be open to it and is he able to make the change. For a team that has lots of cap space, 5 mill, might be worth a gamble. That would be a summer deal, cause you would need a training camp for it to have a hope
How about Zub and a 2nd and 4th for Karlsson ($3M retained) ?? Pens either flip Zub to Detroit or another of the many teams that needs RD help.
That defeats the purpose in dealing Karlsson in the first place – to get as much of his cap hit off the books as possible. If he has so much value as a pp QB and points-producer in their view, why trade him in the first place?
Zub costs $4.6 mil off the cap – if Pittsburgh only retained $3 mil, they’d be taking on an additional $1.6 mil in cap.
Ottawa’s better off trading Zub in a separate deal and adding his cap hit to what they have in reserve, giving them over $8.5 mil to spend.
That way they reduce the asset ask by Pittsburgh by agreeing to take on a much larger chunk of his cap.
George. You keep saying that the reason to trade him is to clear cap space. The pens donât need cap space. At least not this year. Only reason pens might be worried about cap space is 2026 if they thought they had a shot at mcdavid or kaprizov. But 2025 cap space is the least of Pittsburgh problems.
I keep saying that Chrisms because I firmly believe Dubas knows he’s embarking upon a full re-build.
To that end, and since he knows he has no choice but to keep Crosby and Malkin around – and likely Letang – until they retire – along with Rust and Rakell – while infusing the best of his prospects to learn under the tutelage of those veterans, it might also make it much more enticing for one or two of next year’s top UFAs to consider Pittsburgh in key roles. That, and be ready to pounce if a few top-loaded teams find themselves needing to unload a decent player.
You need lots of cap space to be able to do that.
Yeah⌠if Erik is still on team next offseason I could see cap being an issue. Malkin and his 6 mil are off books next offseason though. Likely one of rakell or rust. And caps going up. So even if heâs still on team I doubt cap space is an issue. Unless they go for mcdavid and kaprizov!đ.
I wonder how much Nick Robertson would be discussed if he wasnât in Toronto or had a brother whoâs been very good. Just a thought. Also, I wonder if Karlsson would go back to SJ. They still have cap space and perhaps he liked living there more than Pittsburgh. Could be temporary until deadline. Donât know how that works with SJ already retaining.
Ask yourself this, why did I bring up Robertson’s name if nobody else was talking about him and didn’t Karlsson want out of San Jose because he wanted to play on a contender
Yogi, not just you. I see his name a lot and just donât get it. Hasnât done much. And if Karlsson wants to go to a contender, Iâd guess heâll have a better idea at deadline what team that might be. My suggestion based solely on Pitt wanting to dump him and what are current realities on landing spots. Hes not currently playing for a contender.
But, apparently jumping from one non contender to another doesn’t appeal to Karlsson and contenders either can’t fit him in or simply don’t want him.
Re EK trade and âsuitable trade options have dwindled in recent weeks.â
100% agree
Why are they dwindling?
Dubas is asking too much and as at now refusing to retain more than a couple of million
EK @ $7 M cap hit; MIGHT have s single team interested; and return would be low
Make it a $5 M cap hit and the number of *feasible interested parties climbs to 5 or 6; and likely with s return in the range of a young NHLer AND an NHL ready prospect
*Amenable to EK (full NMC); have viable trade assets; can manipulate enough Cap space to take on EK
Since the remaining Pensâ cash commitment to EK is only $10 M TOTAL (thatâs all for 2 years; then it is only a $2 M cash difference between 30% retention ($7 M cap hit, with max of 1 potential buyer) and 50% retention ($5 M cap hit, several definite suitors bidding; good return)
Pens have 4 NHL RDs and some ready on the farm; EK MUST go
Holding at a high price (trade return request) stance with minimal retention is in no way beneficial to Pens.
Zero teams take him at $10 M; ZERO; so retention (and therefore 1 of 3 retention spots used) is mandatory
Only 20 more months to go
20 painful months if he stays
Literally would be throwing $10 M away AND not allowing guys like Bruinicke et al to develop on Pens
Retain 50%, maximize the return; let thr kids develop
I’m pretty sure a team can only retain actual salary not cap hit. If EK is owed $10m over 2 years, then Pitt can only retain $2.5m/year (max of 50%) bringing his cap hit to $7.5. The only way to get his cap hit lower is if a third team is involved and is used as an intermediary to retain salary (i.e., he gets traded twice).
Grills. Money owed and cap hit are different, thatâs why itâs actually a percentage thatâs retained. 50% of cap hit is 5m, while actual money is 50% of salary owed. Cap hit doesnât change even though salary could change from year to year.
Not the case Grills13
as Slick points out, itâs percentage based
Current Cap hit for EK for Pens is $10 M in EACH of 25/26 and 26/27
But heâs only owed $3.5 M more in cash (from Pens) in 25/26; and $6.5 M in 26/27
50% retention means acquiring team gets hit with $5 M cap hit for BOTH 25/26 AND 26/27 but only hands out $5 M TOTAL in actual cash ($1.75 M in 25/26 and $3.25 M in 26/27)
8787. EK might have holes in his game, but he still finished tied for 13th in points for a D man 2 straight years after leading league 3 seasons ago. Currently, thereâs close to 40 dmen with cap hits over 7 mil per. I could see Pitt possibly taking back another expiring contract for EK. To Edmonton for Ekholm? To Tampa for McDonaugh?
Neither Ekholm or McDonough would be of any interest to Pens
Pens need to let the âyoungstersâ they have play; and/or get âyoungstersâ or future youngsters in return
Flipping 2 35 year olds (Ekholm) doesnât cut it
McDonnagh actually makes them (Pens) older
I absolutely believe at the very most; 1 âtire kickerâ @ $7 M cap for EK; but at least 5 âdefinitely interestedâ parties if 50% further is retained ($5 M)
Heâd be a good fit with Oilers, IMHO; but Oilers would need to punt Henrique (full NMC) and another $2 M off of the roster
IF you can agree to get anyone to waive or find out who’s on what trade team list.
Perron for Karlson straight up nothing retained. No other pics.
I don’t see Karlsson as a fit or a need in Ottawa.
I think the Sens need to take this year as natural growth for a young team that should be incrementally better than last year.
During the season, trades can be made if holes appear.
I’m not a fan of Cozens but he has the opportunity to come into his own and meet expectations (2022-23 season) which changes the complexion of the team and improves it in a big way.
Amen.
Agreed, its a great opportunity for Cozens. I think the trade for Norris will go down as a terrible one for the Sabres. Not that Norris isn’t a good player when he plays, just the injury risk. What’s the saying – “the greatest ability in pro sports is availability”.
I’m a Cozens believer, I think he will flourish in OTT whether at C or on the wing.
To quote John McCain – Character is Destiny. Wise words IMO. Cozens is a character guy. He’ll work his ass off to turn it around.
Norris is a better player than Cozens, if he stays healthy. Not as much of a Cozens fan as I used to be.
habfan30 – I think you are bang on with regards to Cozens. As a Sens fan Im not much of a fan and would much prefer Pinto slide in to the #2 Center role with the Senators. The only saving grace with regards to Cozens is that if we end up trading him we could get a decent return as he is only making 7.1 Million.
For that matter Im also not a fan of Ottawa having signed Zetterlund. Should be an interesting season. But have to admit, its hard not to notice Ottawa has not improved over last season with regards to the Roster. In my opinion it could very well be a regression. Good solid playoff teams need a top 6 of legit top 6 players who are game changers. Having Perron, Zetterlun and Cozens does not instill fear in opponents.
Cozens ++ for Jason Robertson?
So funny. Not having Marner will decrease chances of having a deep playoff run. Facts are, having Marner didnât increase chances of having a deep playoff run.
Now you’re tossing in logic and reasoning, Jeff.
There’s no room for that in the wild and whacky world of hockey speculation.
Jeff ,with or without Marner,when the TML ever have a deep playoff run?
1967
I actually believe not having Marner can actually help them go further.
Offense wasn’t their issue.
It was about deeper and stronger. The couldn’t be that with Marner (or more specifically, with Marner’s contract).
Matthews, Nylander, Knies (with another small step forward) and Tavares (without a HUGE step backwards) is enough offense.
More than offense, I still think they need a well rounded D man who can hold their own in both zones.
They have cap space, but it will probably have to wait until the trade deadline to make a big move. (And no, i don’t think E.Karlsson is what they need.)
They should probably be looking hard at a player like Andersson in Calgary.
Treliving and current Calgary ownership will not be making any trades.
EKarlsson at $5m and 35 years old is kinda specialized to be just PP1 quarterback. Didnât look but has to be a career minus player
If Calgary can’t extend him, they will move Andersson by the deadline.
No way they let him just walk to free agency.
From all the sites and stories I read, my take (just gut interpretation at this point) is that Andersson is not likely to re-sign in Calgary.
I take it you speak directly for the ownership group and as George succintly put it, any GM who won’t make a trade because of personal feeling isn’t doing his job to the best of his abilities. He’s cheating the fans and the players and they deserve a better GM/owner. You should listen to George, he’s a smart man
I think Andersson wants to stay in Calgary and it’s a matter of getting the numbers close. (I don’t know what that number should be)
His statement that Vegas was the only team he’d sign an extension with seems to me like an attempt to tamp down trade talk.
Tying Flames hands in the trade market isn’t a sign of wanting to go.
The media tends to jump all over a player not extending before entering their UFA year despite the fact that the majority of UFAs stay with their team.
The pundits get to squeeze a year’s worth of “news” out of it.
Big year for Ottawa and Cozens. He has to prove that he s not a one hit wonder.They thought they were getting a center,but Pinto might be a better option. With his salary being around 7 million,he has to play in the top 6. I am on record as saying that Norris will be a better NHL player.
Not if they move Cozens to RW with Tkachuk & Stutzle on the 1st line, Batherson to RW on the 2nd line with Pinto at C and Zetterlund on the left side (he can play both wings), with Giroux on the 3rd line with Greig at C and Perron at LW. The 4th remains Cousins – Eller – Amadio.
That would give them the deepest RW in many seasons.
The capability of Norris was never in doubt – just his availability. He’s a very good C – but if they keep dealing away the likes of Peterka, who does he center?
would like ur opinion on what the jackets would need to trade to be able to get rust from the penguins thanks
Chinakhov and Corson Ceulemans
Luca Del Bel Belluz and the Avs 3rd
GeorgeO, Tuch is a pretty good option.
jackets dont have tuch
Norman d crum referring to George O and our conversation about Buffalo and Ottawa.
my apologies sr