NHL Rumor Mill – November 3, 2023

by | Nov 3, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – November 3, 2023

Check out the latest on Leafs forward William Nylander and Canucks winger Conor Garland in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

NYLANDER

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Stan Fischler considers William Nylander one of the best players in Canada. He also thinks the 27-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs winger will become one of the NHL’s highest-paid players on his next contract.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (NHL Images).

Fischler believes Nylander will want to get out from under the shadow of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares and be the top banana with another club.

TSN: Earlier this week, Dave Poulin took note of Nylander’s hot start to this season and how it might affect the Leafs’ efforts to re-sign him. He believes fair compensation for the 27-year-old winger would be what teammate Mitch Marner is earning annually ($10.9 million) on his current contract.

That’s $4 million more than Nylander, who has scored more goals than Marner over that time and outperformed him in the playoffs. Nevertheless, the latter is going to get a raise on his next contract.

TORONTO SUN: Terry Koshan also weighed in on Nylander’s performance thus far and his contract situation. He noted that it’s clear the winger has been underpaid.

If $10 million annually was a sticking point between Nylander and Leafs management at the start of the season, that number is bound to rise as he continues his dominating play.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs have just 11 players under contract for 2024-25 with a projected $33.4 million in cap space. $10 million annually for Nylander will eat up roughly one-third of that cap room, leaving little room to re-sign or replace fellow UFAs Tyler Bertuzzi, TJ Brodie, Max Domi, John Klingberg, Mark Giordano and Ilya Samsonov.

Assuming the Leafs re-sign Nylander, they’ll have over $45 million invested in just four forwards (Matthews, Marner and Tavares) for next season. That will be over half of what could be an $88 million cap payroll.

Some observers believe the Leafs will trade Nylander by the March 8 trade deadline if he’s not under contract by then. I doubt that’ll happen as long as they’re in playoff contention. They’ll keep him for one more postseason run even if it means losing him to free agency next July.

One way or the other, though, this could be Nylander’s final season with the Leafs. He will draw plenty of interest next summer from clubs that will consider him as a franchise player and pay him accordingly on a long-term contract.

GARLAND

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Fischler also noted the number of teams reportedly interested in Conor Garland. The Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets are among the clubs linked by the media to the 27-year-old Vancouver Canucks winger.

Fischler pointed out that it’s been over a year since the Garland rumors began and yet he remains with the Canucks. He suggested the possibility that the winger might never get dealt.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The interest in Garland seems genuine but the timing has been all wrong. The flattened salary cap since last season has made it difficult for clubs to take on his $4.95 million cap hit through 2025-26 even with the Canucks reportedly willing to retain 30 percent of his cap hit.

Perhaps that situation changes closer to the trade deadline when teams will accrue more cap space. Otherwise, it might have to wait until the offseason when the salary cap is expected to jump by at least $4 million.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 3, 2023

by | Nov 3, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 3, 2023

The Canucks’ Quinn Hughes ties a franchise single-game points record for defensemen, the Devils’ Jack Hughes remains atop the scoring race and the Golden Knights extend their season-opening points streak. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes had a goal and four assists in a 10-1 drubbing of the toothless San Jose Sharks. Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser each had three points and Anthony Beauvillier tallied twice for the 7-2-1 Canucks. Fabian Zetterlund scored the only goal for the Sharks as they remain at the bottom of the overall standings with a record of 0-9-1.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes’ five points tied a franchise record for defensemen. He leads all NHL blueliners with 16 points. The Sharks, meanwhile, suffered their worst home defeat in franchise history. They’ve got just 10 goals in as many games with just one multi-goal game. They have also been shut out twice during that stretch.

Meanwhile, Quinn’s brother Jack collected two assists to maintain his lead in the NHL scoring race (20 points) as his club tamed the Minnesota Wild by a score of 5-3. Jesper Bratt had a goal and three assists as the Devils improved to 6-2-1. Wild forwards Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy each had two points as their club dropped to 3-5-2.

The Vegas Golden Knights extended their season-opening points streak to 11 games by beating the Winnipeg Jets 5-2. Jonathan Marchessault scored a hat trick while Logan Thompson stopped 29 shots as the Golden Knights (10-0-1) have a league-leading 21 points. Kyle Connor and Alex Iafallo each had a goal and an assist for the 4-4-2 Jets.

Shootout goals by Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle gave the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs to extend their points streak to 10 games (9-0-1) as they lead the Eastern Conference with 19 points. Pavel Zacha and DeBrusk scored in regulation while Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews replied for the 5-3-2 Maple Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren left this game with a lower-body injury suffered late in the first period. Meanwhile, the Bruins were short three regular defensemen with Charlie McAvoy serving a four-game suspension (now under appeal) while Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort are sidelined by injuries.

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin collected an assist to extend his points streak to 10 games in a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Rookie Will Cuylle broke a 1-1 tie and Chris Kreider also scored as the Rangers (8-2-0) lead the Metropolitan Division with 16 points. Seth Jarvis replied for the 6-5-0 Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly victory for the Rangers as Adam Fox and Filip Chytil left the game with injuries. Both will be reevaluated on Friday.

The Los Angeles Kings remain unbeaten on the road (5-0-0) as they held off the Ottawa Senators 3-2. Adrian Kempe collected two assists while Cam Talbot made 24 saves against his former club as the Kings sit at 6-2-2. Former Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo stopped 35 shots while Dominik Kubalik and Josh Norris scored for the 4-5-0 Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators forwards Ridly Grieg and Mark Kastelic could be sidelined for the next several games as they both left this contest with lower-body injuries.

Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz tallied twice, including the game-winning goal, to nip the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Connor Ingram turned aside 28 shots as the Coyotes improved to 5-4-1. Brendan Gallagher had a goal and an assist while Sean Monahan netted his team-leading sixth goal for the 5-3-2 Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard left this game in the second period with a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, sidelined Coyotes winger Jason Zucker is expected to return to action on Nov. 11. He’s been out since Oct. 21 with a lower-body injury.

The Dallas Stars held on for a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Roope Hintz had two goals and an assist, Joe Pavelski netted a goal and two assists while Scott Wedgewood kicked out 46 shots as the Stars (7-1-1) sit atop the Central Division with 15 points. Sam Gagner scored two goals in his first game with the Oilers this season but their record slipped to 2-6-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers forward Connor Brown left this contest in the second period with a lower-body injury.

Third-period goals by Boone Jenner, Erik Gudbranson and Johnny Gaudreau lifted the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2. Elvis Merzlikins turned aside 27 shots as the Blue Jackets (4-4-2) snapped a four-game winless skid. Steven Stamkos and Conor Sheary tallied for the Lightning (4-3-3).

The New York Islanders got a 32-save shutout performance from Semyon Varlamov in a 3-0 blanking of the Washington Capitals. Ryan Pulock, Simon Holmstrom and Brock Nelson were the goal scorers as the Islanders boosted their record to 5-2-2. Darcy Kuemper made 18 saves for the 4-4-1 Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield returned to the lineup after missing seven games with an injured leg. However, Adam Pelech left the game in the first period holding his side and didn’t return.

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves to shut out the Detroit Red Wings 2-0. Steven Lorentz and Anton Lundell scored for the Panthers (5-3-1) while James Reimer stopped 25 shots for the 6-4-1 Red Wings.

The Seattle Kraken doubled up the Nashville Predators 4-2. Jared McCann and Justin Schultz each had two points for the 4-5-2 Kraken while Tommy Novak and Roman Josi replied for the 4-6-0 Predators.










NHL Rumor Mill – November 2, 2023

by | Nov 2, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – November 2, 2023

The struggling Flames remain a hot topic for trade speculation. Check out the latest in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman noted the Calgary Flames were far along on an extension for Noah Hanifin before the club paused contract talks with their pending free agents. The number was believed to be higher than the $50.75 million contract signed by Devon Toews with the Colorado Avalanche.

Hanifin decided to call timeout on his negotiations. Friedman isn’t sure if the 26-year-old defenseman wants to commit to the Flames if they decide to take what Eric Francis called a potentially “radical new approach.”

Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: TSN’s Darren Dreger also reported that Hanifin decided to put his contract talks on hold for now.

If the Flames can right the ship and rise in the standings perhaps those discussions will resume. Should they continue to flounder, Hanifin and his fellow pending UFAs could end up becoming trade bait later in the season.

Friedman also noted that the Flames exchanged an offer with Chris Tanev “but things weren’t close.” Center Elias Lindholm’s asking price remains higher than where the Flames want to go.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy noted the Bruins had expressed interest in Hanifin in the trade market. However, he doesn’t expect Boston GM Don Sweeney to target expensive talent such as Hanifin or Lindholm, citing the club’s lack of cap space this season. The Bruins also lack the first-round picks and prospects needed to pull off a trade without sacrificing a key roster player in the deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, the Bruins are not parting with promising center Matthew Poitras or defenseman Mason Lohrei. If they’re interested in Hanifin and Lindholm, they will probably wait and see if they become unrestricted free agents next July and attempt to sign them then.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Jared Serre recently pondered the Capitals’ chances of landing a Flames forward such as Lindholm, Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau or Dillon Dube.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Serre wrote this piece before Nicklas Backstrom announced he was stepping away from the club for health reasons.

Acquiring Lindholm would be a challenge as the Capitals lack any enticing roster players that would result in a strong offer. They do have eight picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts and a deep prospect pool.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There would also be the issue of re-signing Lindholm as I doubt the Capitals would want to part with assets solely for a rental. With Backstrom’s playing days likely over, they’ll want a long-term replacement. If he goes on permanent long-term injury reserve it would free up $9.2 million annually for the Capitals through 2024-25. That could be used to keep Lindholm in the fold.

However, the Flames reportedly intend to retool rather than rebuild. That would mean they’ll want one or two good young NHL players in return for Lindholm. It might be best for the Capitals to wait until next summer to bid on him if he tests the open market.

Serre speculated that acquiring Kadri (who has a full no-movement clause) would mean a swap for Evgeny Kuznetsov as a starting point. The Flames might be drawn to that with Kuznetsov’s contract expiring at the end of next season but adding an aging Kadri to the Capitals’ lineup could hurt their long-term expectations.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kadri might be willing to accept a trade to Washington if the Flames opt to retool their roster. However, I don’t see Kuznetsov agreeing to a trade to Calgary nor do I think the Flames would want him even as a short-term addition.

Huberdeau is likely out of the Capital’s price range in terms of return. His $10.5 million cap hit would be difficult to fit within their current cap payroll.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Backstrom going on LTIR could address the salary-cap issue for this season and next. However, the Capitals would probably focus on boosting their depth at center now.

Dube might be the most enticing option for the Capitals. However, he’s a restricted free agent this summer and the Flames might want him to be part of a retooled roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dube will also turn 26 next July and will be a year away from UFA eligibility. If he’s unwilling to sign a lengthy extension the Flames could shop him next summer. Whether the Capitals would be interested at that point is another matter.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 2, 2023

by | Nov 2, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 2, 2023

Recaps of Wednesday’s games, Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom stepping away for health reasons, the latest on the Senators and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry had a hat trick and collected an assist in a 4-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Rookie Leo Carlsson netted his third goal while Lukas Dostal made 35 saves for the 6-4-0 Ducks. Lawson Crouse tallied twice while rookie Logan Cooley netted his first career NHL goal as the Coyotes slipped to 4-4-1.

Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks netminder John Gibson missed this game with an upper-body injury.

The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2. Tage Thompson had a goal and two assists, rookie winger Brandon Biro tallied his first two NHL goals and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 38 shots as the Sabres improved to 5-5-0. Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson replied for the 4-5-1 Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers goaltender Carter Hart left the game with a mid-body injury in the first period after giving up two goals on five shots. Backup Samuel Ersson allowed two goals on nine shots. There was no postgame update on Hart’s condition.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger kicked out 43 shots to hold off the Calgary Flames 4-3, handing the latter their sixth straight loss (2-7-1). Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist for the Stars as they improved to 6-1-0. Flames rookie Connor Zary scored in his first NHL game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars forward Radek Faksa missed this game with an upper-body injury.

The Flames’ ongoing slump continues to generate speculation about their pending free agents. I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumors update.

The Colorado Avalanche rolled to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist while Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each had two assists for the 7-2-0 Avalanche. Robert Thomas replied for the Blues as they dropped to 3-4-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche forwards Jonathan Drouin and Tomas Tatar were healthy scratches for this contest.

HEADLINES

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Nicklas Backstrom is stepping away from the team due to ongoing issues related to his hip. The 35-year-old Washington Capitals center underwent hip resurfacing in June 2022 and appeared in 39 games last season. He played just eight games this season with one assist. It remains uncertain if he’ll return to the team.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Backstrom is one of the greatest players in Capitals history. He’s their all-time assist leader (762) and sits second in games played (1,105) and in points with 1,033.

However, Backstrom’s on-ice career could be over. Players who’ve undergone this procedure such as Ed Jovanovski and Carl Hagelin struggled to return to form while Ryan Kesler never played again.

It also raises questions over how effective Patrick Kane will be once he returns to action. The 34-year-old free-agent winger continues to rehab from his resurfacing procedure and is expected to begin fielding offers from interested clubs later this month.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators owner Michael Andlauer was not pleased with his club having to forfeit a first-round draft pick over the club’s role in the Evgenii Dadonov trade to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021 and the subsequent invalidated trade that would’ve sent Dadonov from the Golden Knights to the Anaheim Ducks in 2022.

During the press conference yesterday, Andlauer indicated that he was aware there was a grievance against the team during the due diligence process before purchasing the club this summer. “It was basically, from the seller’s standpoint, really a non-issue,” said Andlauer. “I don’t know if a first-rounder is a non-issue to you guys, but it is (an issue) to me.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Andlauer said he received a 73-page report from the league that he acknowledged indicated the Senators’ actions at that time were “negligent in nature”, adding that the club deserved to be punished.

The problem, however, is the league waited until after Andlauer purchased the Senators before delivering its sentence. It gives the impression that they wanted to ensure that this didn’t jeopardize the sale or risk Andlauer reducing or withdrawing his $950 million bid.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Potential candidates to replace fired Senators GM Pierre Dorion include former Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, Tampa Bay Lightning director of hockey operations Mathieu Darche and Carolina Hurricanes assistant GM Eric Tulsky. They could also consider promoting assistant GM Ryan Bowness or president of hockey ops (and current interim GM) Steve Staios could take over on a full-time basis.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Former Senators star and current Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Jason Spezza has also been suggested as a candidate.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of Andlauer, following the sale of his 10 percent stake in the Canadiens, the club’ new valuation is now at a league-record $2.5 billion.

NHL.COM: New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak were the league’s three stars for October 2023 while Anaheim Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal was named rookie of the month.

TSN: Former NHL star Joe Thornton will join Flames assistant GM Brad Pascall in handling the management duties and the assembly of Canada’s roster for this year’s Spengler Cup tournament.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This could be a stepping stone for Thornton toward a new career in NHL management.

YAHOO! SPORTS: Former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser has transitioned to working as a real estate agent. DeKeyser, 33, spent 10 seasons in the NHL (all with the Red Wings) before injuries cut short his playing career.










Senators Fire General Manager Pierre Dorion

by | Nov 1, 2023

Senators Fire General Manager Pierre Dorion

The Ottawa Senators have fired general manager Pierre Dorion after the club was penalized over its role in the 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights and the subsequent invalidated trade between the Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks.

The Senators must forfeit a first-round draft pick in one of the 2024, 2025 or 2026 drafts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: When the Golden Knights acquired Dadonov from the Senators, they were under the impression that his 10-team no-trade list was no longer active. That turned out not to be the case, which led to the league overruling their attempt to trade him to the Ducks at the 2022 trade deadline.

Former Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion (NHL.com).

Initially, the Senators were reportedly cleared of wrongdoing regarding the Dadonov situation. Something else must have come to light since then to prompt the league to take this action, though they’ve offered up no detailed explanation as to why they’re doing so nearly 18 months after the fact.

Since becoming general manager of the Senators in 2016, Dorion has been attempting to rebuild the Senators roster. He laid the foundation of the current roster by drafting Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto and Ridly Grieg. He also acquired Josh Norris and Jakob Chychrun and signed Claude Giroux and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Dorion also made a series of questionable moves. In recent years, he gave up three draft picks (including the No. 7 pick overall in the 2022 draft) to the Chicago Blackhawks for Alex DeBrincat when the winger only had a year left on his contract, then traded him to the Detroit Red Wings when he couldn’t get him signed to an extension.

He also sent goaltender Filip Gustavsson to the Minnesota Wild for an aging and banged-up Cam Talbot in 2022. Gustavsson is now the heir apparent to Marc-Andre Fleury in Minnesota while Talbot now plies his trade with the Los Angeles Kings.

Dorion also prioritized other free agents over Pinto this summer, leaving the Senators with insufficient cap space to sign the 22-year-old restricted free agent. That led to a contract stalemate resulting in Pinto missing the start of the season before he received a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s wagering rules.

Following the sale of the Senators to new owner Michael Andlauer this summer, the club announced Steve Staios had been hired as their new president of hockey operations. That move prompted some observers to suggest he would be a replacement for Dorion if the Senators failed to improve this season. Staios will now take over the GM duties on an interim basis.

It will be interesting to see if Staios remains as general manager or if a permanent replacement is hired. Either way, this move signals a change in direction for the Senators.










NHL Rumor Mill – November 1, 2023

by | Nov 1, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – November 1, 2023

Check out the latest on the Flames, Penguins and Senators in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

FLAMES PAUSE CONTRACT TALKS WITH PENDING FREE AGENTS

SPORTSNET: Eric Francis reports the Calgary Flames have put all contract extension talks with pending free agents such as Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm on hold. He speculates this move isn’t being made to rebuild the roster but instead to retool using Hanifin and Lindholm as trade chips.

The move comes as the Flames were 2-6-1 through October with a popgun offense that has shown no signs of chemistry during their current five-game losing skid. Francis also suspects Hanifin and Lindholm could be having second thoughts based on the club’s stumbling start to the season.

Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm (NHL Images).

If things don’t soon improve, Francis speculates the wheels could be set in motion for an overhaul. That would mean trading Hanifin and Lindholm for young players and draft picks, trading backup goalie Dan Vladar and promoting the promising Dustin Wolf, and making tough decisions on other pending UFAs like Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames were expected to have a bounce-back performance this season. Instead, they’ve been bounced toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings. If they don’t rally back in November, general manager Craig Conroy will have to shake things up.

As I noted yesterday, they cannot pin the blame on former head coach Darryl Sutter. The problem is this club never recovered from the departures of core players Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk in the summer of 2022. Bringing in Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri as their replacements has so far failed to provide them with any kind of lift.

The Flames are stuck with Huberdeau and Kadri after signing them to lucrative long-term contracts. Their best trade chips are their pending UFAs led by Lindholm and Hanifin. Those two could fetch solid returns once the calendar flips to 2024 and teams accrue enough cap space to pursue them before the March 8 trade deadline.

LATEST ON THE PENGUINS

TSN: Frankie Corrado weighed in on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-6-0 start through October. He doesn’t believe that general manager Kyle Dubas got it wrong in trying to stage one last run. Everyone knew the Penguins would have to turn over its roster at some point with a rebuild on the horizon. They just didn’t know it would happen this quickly.

Corrado noted that the Penguins haven’t seen much reward for their acquisition of Erik Karlsson over the summer plus the team is average in several categories and underachieving. He felt that Dubas has a limited runway to turn this team into a playoff contender but will have plenty of runway to tear down the roster and rebuild.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski pointed out that two Metropolitan Division rivals have what the Penguins need.

The Philadelphia Flyers are willing to use their cap space to take on bad contracts from cap-strapped clubs. They have more than $12 million eligible for long-term injury reserve and over $7 million they can permanently move to LTIR (Ryan Ellis).

If Penguins center Jeff Carter was willing to waive his no-movement clause, the Flyers would be among the few teams that could take on his $3.125 million cap hit. Kingerski also noted that the Penguins have a glut of young left-handed defensemen (Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Ty Smith, Will Butcher), something that the Flyers need.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets are trying to move a right-shot blueliner like Erik Gudbranson, Adam Boqvist or Andrew Peeke. The Penguins only have three righties and one of them (Chad Ruhwedel) is struggling.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A lot could depend on the Penguins’ performance during their upcoming California road trip. If they stumble through that stretch, Dubas could be forced into the trade market. Given his cap constraints, however, it will take some effort to find a suitable deal that provides immediate help to their roster.

The Penguins have an aging core, a struggling blueline and an inconsistent starting goaltender in Tristan Jarry. That’s not a promising recipe for a club with playoff aspirations. Dubas would end up becoming a seller rather than a buyer if their woeful October performance is a sign of things to come.

SENATORS SHOPPING FOR A DEFENSEMAN

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Senators GM Pierre Dorion was kicking tires around the league to see what defensemen are available should the organization decide to go that route. The Senators are short two blueliners with Thomas Chabot on LTIR with a broken hand and Erik Brannstrom recovering from a head injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As noted earlier, the Blues Jackets and Penguins could have some defensemen available. Whether they’re what the Senators need, however, is another story.