NHL Rumor Mill – January 4, 2021

by | Jan 4, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – January 4, 2021

​The latest on Pierre-Luc Dubois, Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic in today’s NHL rumor mill.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Brian Hedger reports Pierre-Luc Dubois’ apparent trade request is dominating the start of Columbus Blue Jackets’ training camp. Despite signing a two-year contract last week, the 22-year-old center reportedly wants a change of scenery.

Trade speculation continues to swirl about Columbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois (NHL Images).

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen addressed the rumors yesterday, saying GMs talk about trades all the time, rumors start from there and it’s just part of the business. He also said the familiar line that if Wayne Gretzky could be traded, anybody could be traded.

Hedger felt Kekalainen, Dubois, and head coach John Tortorella’s remarks during yesterday’s press availability essentially confirmed the rumors without confirming them. Tortorella said things would be handled internally within the dressing room similar to how they addressed the final seasons with Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky.

“What’s in my head’s in my head,” said Dubois. He stressed he’ll be a good teammate as well as the best player and person he can be.

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline also reported on the comments made by Kekalainen, Dubois and Tortorella. He felt the Jackets GM doesn’t appear to have any urgency to trade his first-line center.

Portzline also noted the occasional clashes between Dubois and Tortorella, including a well-publicized one on the bench during a game in last summer’s qualifying-round series against Toronto. However, that’s no indication their relationship is untenable.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: From a contract standpoint, Kekalainen doesn’t have to hurry to move Dubois. The young center becomes a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in the summer of 2022. As long as he performs well and maintains a good relationship with his teammates, the Jackets GM can take his time and see if the youngster changes his mind regarding his trade request.

Nevertheless, this is an unwelcome distraction for a club trying to build toward Stanley Cup contender status. Things could go downhill quickly if Dubois struggles or his relationship sours with Kekalainen, Tortorella or his teammates.

Kekalainen might not be in a rush to move Dubois but that doesn’t mean he won’t entertain offers. A suitable pitch, such as a one-for-one swap for another center or a package of picks and prospects that could be used to pry away a quality center from another club in a separate deal, could tempt him to move Dubois.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Mike McIntyre reports the Jets have told the media Patrik Laine is off-limits until later in camp for undisclosed reasons. The 22-year-old winger has become a hot topic for trade rumors after his agent suggested last fall it would be mutually beneficial to his client and the Jets if a trade could be arranged.

Accusing the Jets of slapping a gag order on Laine, McIntyre wonders if the club is worried about what the winger might say or if he doesn’t want to talk to the press. He feels it puts Laine’s teammates in the awkward position of having to address the questions about his future with the Jets.

McIntyre wonders if Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff might contact Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to discuss swapping Laine for Pierre-Luc Dubois. “Maybe throw in (Jack) Roslovic, to play for his hometown team, and call it a day.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McIntyre admits he’s merely playing armchair GM with that trade suggestion. However, he’s not wrong in his view that the Jets should put Laine front and center to speak for himself and address the speculation. Like Dubois in Columbus, the questions about Laine’s status in Winnipeg ensures he’ll remain a fixture in the rumor mill during this season.

Speaking of Roslovic, Anthony Scultore of The Daily Goal Horn said he spoke with agent Claude Lemieux regarding his client’s situation. Lemieux seemed confident the 23-year-old center will be traded but where remains to be seen.

Scultore said he was told at least half-a-dozen teams expressed interest in Roslovic, suggesting the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild among the possible destinations.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 4, 2021

by | Jan 4, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 4, 2021

​Lightning captain Steven Stamkos hits the ice for training camp, the Wild name Jared Spurgeon captain, an update on Joe Thornton, the latest contract signings and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: After missing all but one game of the 2020 playoffs to a core muscle injury, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said he’ll be a full participant in training camp. He also expects to be ready for the start of the season on Jan 13.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy Stamkos should help the defending Stanley Cup champions offset the absence of winger Nikita Kucherov, who’s expected to miss the regular season recovering from hip surgery.

TWINCITIES.COM: The Minnesota Wild named Jared Spurgeon as their second full-time captain in franchise history. He replaces Mikko Koivu, who was their first full-time captain for 11 seasons until his departure via free agency in October.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Spurgeon gets the nod over long-time Wild stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. The 31-year-old defenseman has spent his entire NHL career with the Wild, becoming an underrated but invaluable part of their roster core.

TSN: Joe Thornton will begin Toronto Maple Leafs training camp playing left wing alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see how long that line stays together. There will be concerns over whether the 41-year-old Thornton can keep pace with his younger, faster linemates.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: The Blackhawks signed Dylan Strome to a two-year contract with an annual average value of $3 million. The 23-year-old center is expected to take on a larger role this season with centers Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach sidelined by illness and injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blackhawks couldn’t afford to let Strome’s contract negotiations keep him out of training camp. With Toews and Dach on the shelf, they need all the help they can get at the center position.

Strome played well during his first season with the Blackhawks (51 points in 58 games during 2018-19) but his numbers tumbled to 38 points in the same number of games in 2019-20. This will be a golden opportunity for Strome to prove his worth to the Hawks and earn himself a more lucrative long-term deal in two years’ time.

TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins signed defenseman John Marino to a six-year contract extension beginning in 2021-22. The annual average value is $4.4 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marino, 23, enjoyed a promising NHL debut with the Penguins, netting 26 points in 56 games while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game. This contract could be a bargain for the Pens if he blossoms into a full-time first-pairing defenseman.

NEW YORK POST: The Islanders are downplaying Mathew Barzal’s absence from training camp as contract negotiations continue with the restricted free agent.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barzal is in New York and it’s expected a new contract could be announced sometime this week.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks winger Micheal Ferland won’t be in training camp and his playing career could be in jeopardy as he continues to deal with post-concussion symptoms. He saw action in just 14 regular-season games last season. GM Jim Benning said Ferland is expected to miss the start of the upcoming season.

SPORTSNET: Benning also said the club intends to sign head coach Travis Green to a contract extension. Green has one year remaining on his current deal.

CBS SPORTS: The Calgary Flames signed defenseman Michael Stone to a professional tryout offer. Stone spent the last four seasons playing with the Flames

SPORTSNET: The province of British Columbia has become the second Canadian province to officially approve NHL games this season. Alberta last week also issued its approval for its NHL teams to stage games in Calgary and Edmonton.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s expected the other three provinces with NHL franchises (Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec) will follow suit this week.










Eichel, Zibanejad among NHL stars already sidelined

by | Jan 3, 2021

Eichel, Zibanejad among NHL stars already sidelined

 










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – January 3, 2021

by | Jan 3, 2021

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – January 3, 2021

​Are the Bruins interested in Pierre-Luc Dubois? Could the Islanders revisit their interest in Zach Parise? Are the Lightning looking at free-agent defenseman Sami Vatanen? Find out in the first NHL Sunday Rumor Roundup of 2021.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy cites an NHL source claiming the Bruins have looked into what it might cost to acquire Columbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 22-year-old Dubois signed a two-year contract with the Jackets last week amid rumors he’d still prefer a trade.

Are the Boston Bruins interested in Columbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois? (NHL Images)

The source told Murphy the Bruins interest was merely exploratory at this point. There are no details as to what the Jackets’ asking price would be. Murphy feels Dubois, who can play center or wing, would provide the Bruins with much-needed secondary scoring and would become a successor to aging second-line center David Krejci.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s no indication the Blue Jackets are looking into moving Dubois but I daresay he’ll be a hot topic in the early-season rumor mill. If the Jackets were to shop the young center they’ll likely want a center of at least equal value in return. They were among the NHL’s lowest-scoring clubs last season with depth at center a nagging issue.

I don’t see the Jackets trading away Dubois without getting a scoring forward (preferably a center) in return. They could seek a package of picks and prospects for Dubois that they could flip to another club for a first- or second-line center (assuming Max Domi could slide into the first-line spot), but that sounds easier said than done right now. The Bruins lack sufficient assets in available roster players or young assets to land Dubois.

If the Jackets decide to move Dubois it could be during the offseason when interested teams would have more cap space. However, the flattened salary cap for 2021-22 means that the market could be limited.

THE ATHLETIC: Arthur Staple recently examined the New York Islanders’ options for replacing departed center Derick Brassard. Among them was perhaps revisiting their interest in Minnesota Wild winger Zach Parise.

Staple said there’s no indication the Isles were looking at renewing their trade-deadline interest in Parise. However, the recent retirement of Johnny Boychuk freed up his $6 million annual average value, making it possible to swing that trade now. Acquiring Parise would mean taking on the remaining five years (at $7.54 million annually) of his contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Staple isn’t saying the Isles will revisit the potential Parise trade but they have the cap wiggle room to do so if they wanted to. While anything’s possible, the drastic economic changes brought on by COVID-19 since last year’s trade deadline probably killed off any lingering chance of the Isles acquiring Parise.

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 3, 2021

by | Jan 3, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 3, 2021

​Mika Zibanejad and Victor Olofsson start training camp on the sidelines, Travis Hamonic signs PTO with the Canucks and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE SCORE: cites the New York Post’s Larry Brooks reporting Mika Zibanejad is listed as day-to-day and won’t be taking to the ice for the Rangers’ first practice session on Monday. No word as to what’s ailing the 27-year-old center.

New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad listed as day-to-day (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zibanejad is the Rangers’ first-line center. He tallied a career-high 41 goals and 75 points in 57 games last season.

CBS SPORTS: Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson exited practice yesterday with an apparent arm injury after crashing into the net during a one-on-one drill. No details this morning as to the 25-year-old Swede’s condition but he’s considered day-to-day.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres are also without captain Jack Eichel, who’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

TSN’S Rick Dhaliwal this morning tweeted former Calgary Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic will join the Vancouver Canucks in training camp on a professional tryout offer. Dhaliwal wonders how the Canucks will fit him in under their limited cap space if he makes the club. He also indicated they stopped calling the agent for free-agent defenseman Sami Vatanen two days ago.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hamonic would be a welcome addition to the Canucks’ blueline. Cap Friendly shows the Canucks sitting above the $81.5 million salary cap by just over $1.5 million. However, they could get some cap relief if winger Micheal Ferland’s ongoing post-concussion symptoms keep him on the sidelines to start the season.

Placing Ferland on long-term injury reserve to start the season would give the Canucks about $2 million in wiggle room, enough to ink Hamonic to a cost-effective one-year deal. They could also free up additional space if necessary by placing a player on waivers and putting him on their taxi squad.

OTTAWA SUN: Following Germany’s elimination Saturday from the 2021 World Junior Championships, winger Tim Stuetzle headed to Ottawa to join the Senators. He’ll join his new teammates following a week of quarantine and four negative COVID-19 tests.

The Senators will be playing without a captain again this season, but they named Thomas Chabot, Erik Gudbranson and Brady Tkachuk as their three alternates.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stuetzle was dazzling at the WJC, showing the world why he was such a coveted prospect in this year’s draft. If he adjusts well to the NHL game, the Senators will have a potential superstar in their midst.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators brought back defenseman Yannick Weber on a professional tryout offer. Weber played with the Predators from 2016-17 to 2019-20 before becoming an unrestricted free agent.










NHL Rumor Mill – January 2, 2021

by | Jan 2, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – January 2, 2021

​The latest on Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic and Matt Dumba in today’s NHL rumor mill.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: The trade status of Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic is among Mike McIntyre’s 10 key storylines for the Winnipeg Jets entering training camp.

“Is Patrik Laine here to stay, at least for this season? Will Jack Roslovic’s trade wish be granted or will the restricted free agent ultimately be re-signed?”, asked McIntyre. Their statuses are contributing to what McIntyre called “an air of uncertainty hanging over the team.”

Will the Winnipeg Jets grant Jack Roslovic’s trade wish? (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The longer the uncertainty over the futures of Laine and Roslovic, the greater the risk it becomes an unwelcome distraction for the team during the season.

Roslovic’s situation could be resolved first. He’s an RFA whose apparent unhappiness with his role in Winnipeg has bubbled over recently into the media. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s moved before the regular season opens on Jan.13. Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will probably want a quality asset in return, like a defenseman who can help the Jets blueline right away.

Laine is under contract for the coming season. While his agent floated the notion of a trade during the offseason, there aren’t any reports of the winger pushing the issue. It seems like his camp and Jets management could take a wait-and-see approach this season.

TWINCITIES.COM: Addressing the No. 1 center position is among Dane Mizutani’s five storylines worth watching as the Minnesota Wild begin training camp on Sunday.

It appears offseason acquisition Marcus Johansson will be their first-line center because there are no other suitable options. Wild GM Bill Guerin gave Johansson a big vote of confidence but the 30-year-old forward struggled at the center position in the past.

Shopping defenseman Matt Dumba could be among the options if the issue needs to be addressed this season. Mizutani pointed out Guerin dangled Dumba as trade bait in the past and he has proven unafraid to pull the trigger on trades he feels will help the Wild.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Guerin indicated in November he’s prepared to start this season with Dumba in the lineup. However, he didn’t state the 26-year-old blueliner was untouchable.

Trade speculation dogged Dumba through most of last season. Of the Wild’s top four defensemen, he’s the only one lacking a no-movement clause, meaning Guerin could be forced to expose him in this summer’s expansion draft if he opts to protect just three blueliners.

That issue alone could ensure Dumba remains a topic for media trade chatter, which will only intensify if Johansson can’t get the job done as their first-line center.