NHL Rumor Mill – October 31, 2022

by | Oct 31, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – October 31, 2022

Would a coaching change or trade help the Leafs? What’s the latest on the Sharks following last week’s report claiming management is willing to entertain offers for most of their players? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO IMPROVE THE LEAFS?

SPORTSNET: Luke Fox wonders if a big trade or a coaching change can reverse the fortunes of the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. They are 4-4-2 in October, including losses to rebuilding or struggling clubs like the Montreal Canadiens, Arizona Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe (NHL.com).

Head coach Sheldon Keefe seems to be running out of options to motivate his players. Fox blamed general manager Kyle Dubas for not providing Keefe with a better supporting cast for his core talent. He believes the Leafs as currently constructed should reach the playoffs but won’t scare anybody when they get there.

Fox also noted the Leafs lack “gritty, hard role players”. He pointed out they used to have such players in Nazem Kadri, Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, Ilya Lyubushkin and Mason Marchment but all were cut loose “due to economics or an inability to fit the vision.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some, including Leafs like Mitch Marner, pointed out they got off to a worse start last season and ended up with a franchise-record 115 points. That’s as may be but, as The Athletic’s James Mirtle pointed out, there are more Leafs performing poorly compared to the same time last season.

If the Leafs don’t turn it around in November there could be some changes coming. The most immediate could be replacing Keefe as head coach since they lack the cap space and available assets to make a significant trade that will reverse their fortunes. I agree with Fox that Dubas failed to provide the necessary assets to maintain a balanced roster. However, at this point, it seems like they might benefit from someone else behind the bench.

I’m not sure if adding gritty, hard role players is the answer. The Leafs still failed to win a playoff round with Kadri, Hyman, Brown, Lyubushkin and Marchment, though the latter barely saw enough playing time to make a difference during his short tenure in Toronto. Finding reliable goaltending and defensive depth might be better options.

LATEST ON THE SHARKS

THE ATHLETIC: Corey Masisak recently reported the San Jose Sharks players are shrugging off a report on Thursday by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun claiming GM Mike Grier is willing to entertain offers for almost everyone on the roster except perhaps for Tomas Hertl.

Masisak pointed out LeBrun didn’t say Grier intends to trade certain players. He also cited Sharks coach David Quinn saying every general manager around the league is probably talking to each other to gauge where they are at this point in the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Masisak doubts the trade speculation will go away despite the struggling Sharks’ recent wins. He also pointed out he’s got three veterans in Logan Couture, Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic carrying hefty contracts with no-movement clauses.

It may be a little early for Grier to start shopping players. He could be willing to listen to offers but it doesn’t mean he’s about to tear it all down and start a complete rebuild.

Nevertheless, Grier will likely become a seller if the Sharks are well out of playoff contention when the calendar flips to 2023. He will likely start shopping pending UFAs like James Reimer and Nick Bonino and perhaps test the trade market on pending RFA winger Timo Meier.










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – October 30, 2022

by | Oct 30, 2022

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – October 30, 2022

Will the Red Wings sign Dylan Larkin or replace him with Bo Horvat? What’s the latest on the Canucks and Penguins? Find out in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

WILL THE RED WINGS SIGN LARKIN?

THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Max Bultman was asked why the Detroit Red Wings hadn’t signed captain Dylan Larkin to a contract extension. The 26-year-old center is in the final season of his contract and eligible for unrestricted free-agent status next July.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin (NHL Images).

Bultman was surprised that the Wings haven’t re-signed Larkin yet. He speculates that Mathew Barzal’s recent contract extension (with an average annual value of $9.15 million) could be affecting Larkin’s negotiations. Bultman wondered if the Wings captain would accept $9.5 million annually on a seven-year deal or perhaps something between $8.2 million to $8.3 million on an eight-year deal as the total dollars would still be around the same.

TORONTO STAR: Nick Kypreos suggested keeping an eye on the Red Wings should trade rumors start up on Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat later this season. He indicated Larkin was seeking a deal as high as Barzal’s and speculated Wings general manager Steve Yzerman could instead “choose to spend a good portion of that on Horvat.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Larkin is earning an annual cap hit of $6.1 million on his current deal and has a full no-trade clause for this season. The Michigan native has indicated there’s nowhere else he’d rather play that in Detroit. With the Wings finally showing signs of improvement after years of rebuilding, he could stick around and lead this club to the next level.

Bultman is of the opinion that the Wings cannot afford to lose their leader in Larkin, fearing it would set their rebuild back for years. He also noted, however, that Yzerman has a history of taking negotiations with his stars down to the wire, having done so with Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay back in 2016.

Plenty of time remains for the two sides to work out an agreement. Nevertheless, Larkin could become the subject of growing trade speculation if he’s not re-signed leading up to the March 3 trade deadline, especially if the Wings are out of playoff contention by then.

As for Horvat, he’s also eligible for UFA status next summer and could become a trade candidate if the Canucks fail to improve over the course of this season. His contract talks reportedly stalled when he rejected what Kypreos called a lowball offer from management this summer.

Maybe Yzerman will pursue Horvat at the trade deadline if he can’t get Larkin under contract by then. However, I doubt he’ll waste trade assets on acquiring the Canucks captain unless Horvat is willing to sign a contract extension. He could wait and attempt to sign Horvat via free agency but the 27-year-old center could have other destinations in mind.

LATEST ON THE CANUCKS AND PENGUINS

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Vancouver Canucks made it clear to some of their players that if changes were to be made it wouldn’t potentially be just the head coach. They told those players they’ve had two coaches with this group and it isn’t working so far. If anybody thinks they can sit back and wait for a coaching change, the changes might instead be with the roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s a point that has been raised by some other pundits as well. Having already done a coaching change last season, at some point you have to start making the players accountable as well.

As Friedman reported, those Canucks seemed to get the message as they won their last two games. It’ll be interesting to see if that message sticks as they attempt to dig themselves out of the current hole they dug for themselves.

THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Josh Yohe was asked if the Pittsburgh Penguins still intend to trade a defenseman. He doesn’t feel they’re urgently trying to make a move but doesn’t rule it out at some point.

Yohe acknowledged Pierre-Olivier Joseph has played well thus far and the Penguins don’t dislike him. However, he still believes they want to get Ty Smith into the roster at some point sooner rather than later, which would entail shipping out Joseph for perhaps a forward prospect.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 29, 2022

by | Oct 29, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – October 29, 2022

It’s Saturday and you know what that means: more speculation about Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Jakob Chychrun. Check it out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

WHAT WILL THE BLACKHAWKS DO WITH KANE AND TOEWS?

SPORTSNET: Mark Spector doesn’t see the Chicago Blackhawks’ surprisingly good start to this season will deviate management from its rebuilding plans. That includes what to do with longtime franchise superstars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who are both slated to become unrestricted free agents next July.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane (NHL Images).

Some observers feel Kane will decide to sign a cheaper contract extension with the Blackhawks to help shepherd the rebuild and perhaps attempt to become the franchise’s all-time leader in goals, assists, points and games played. Others, however, see him finishing this season with the New York Rangers or Colorado Avalanche, with Kaapo Kakko or Samuel Girard heading to Chicago as part of the return.

As for Toews, Spector believes teams will line up for his services at the trade deadline. He suggested the Edmonton Oilers as a suitor as Toews would provide depth at center among their middle-six plus former teammate Duncan Keith works in their front office.

Spector also sees the Blackhawks peddling other UFAs such as Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou at the trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see if Cousin Mark’s suggested destinations for Kane and Toews pan out by the trade deadline. The Blackhawks won’t just give those two away but it could prove difficult to get a king’s ransom for either guy.

The Rangers, Avalanche and Oilers would have to accrue sufficient cap space to take on what remains of their respective $10.5 million salary-cap hits. That’s assuming they’re willing to waive their no-movement clauses.

We already know Kane and his agent Pat Brisson intend to meet with Blackhawks management in December or January to discuss the situation. As Brisson also represents Toews, I daresay he’ll be in there as well. Until then, it’s all a guessing game as to whether they’ll stay or go.

COULD THE BLUE JACKETS HAVE INTEREST IN CHYCHRUN?

THE JEFF MAREK SHOW: The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline recently joined Jeff Marek to discuss the Columbus Blue Jackets’ rough start to this season. During the conversation, Marek mentioned the trade rumors linking the Jackets to Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

Portzline noted the rumors this summer claiming the Jackets attempted to acquire Chychrun during the first round of this year’s draft in Montreal. The Jackets denied it but some in the defenseman’s camp said it was true.

There were also differing reports claiming Chychrun didn’t want to come to Columbus. He lacks no-trade protection but teams take into consideration whether a player wants to join them or not.

Portzline noted the Jackets have the assets to acquire Chychrun but believes they soured on him. He’s also more of a left-side defenseman whereas the Jackets require right-side depth. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t be surprised if they tried again. The Coyotes might want one of the Jackets’ young defensemen as part of the return. He doesn’t see the Jackets parting with David Jiricek or Denton Mateychuk.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This interview took place before the report later in the week claiming Chychrun suffered a setback in his recovery from offseason wrist surgery and could be sidelined longer than expected.

It’s believed interested clubs will want to see how well the talented but oft-injured Chychrun performs when he finally returns to action. Perhaps the Jackets will be among the suitors if the blueliner has had a change of heart about coming to Columbus. Stay tuned…










NHL Rumor Mill – October 28, 2022

by | Oct 28, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – October 28, 2022

Could the Canucks’ struggles lead to Bo Horvat getting traded at some point this season? Are the Sharks ready to become sellers in this season’s trade market? Are the Sabres shopping for blueline help? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

COULD THE CANUCKS SHOP HORVAT LATER THIS SEASON?

THE SCORE: With the Canucks stumbling from the gate and showing little sign of improvement, Josh Wegman weighed in on the factors behind their struggles. He also believes management has a major decision to make regarding captain Bo Horvat.

Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat (NHL Images).

The 27-year-old two-way center is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Wegman believes the Canucks will have to shop Horvat by the trade deadline if they haven’t signed him to a contract extension by then, assuming they haven’t reversed their fortunes at that point.

TORONTO STAR: Nick Kypreos wondered why the Canucks spent the majority of the offseason attempting to move J.T. Miller only to sign him before Horvat. He claims the consistent message he heard was the Canucks captain rejected a low-ball offer that wasn’t close to what other comparable centers are making.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Almost all the talk out of Vancouver during the summer was the expectation that Horvat would be re-signed sooner or later. However, there’s since been some talk of the Canucks shopping him if an agreement isn’t reached before the March 3 trade deadline. That chatter could start to increase if the Canucks haven’t dug themselves out of the hole they find themselves in over the coming weeks.

SHARKS COULD BECOME SELLERS BEFORE THE TRADE DEADLINE

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports what he’s heard from other teams around the league is the San Jose Sharks have let it be known they’re willing to listen to offers for pretty much everyone on their roster except perhaps for Tomas Hertl.

LeBrun indicated it’s going to be difficult for first-year general manager Mike Grier to make the changes he wants with the roster full of players like Erik Karlsson carrying full no-movement clauses. However, that’s the route he wants to go over the next couple of seasons.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks have won just three of their first 10 games. Unless they reverse that skid soon their playoff hopes will be dashed by Christmas, setting them up to be sellers in the New Year.

Karlsson, Hertl and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are the three Sharks with full no-movement clauses while Logan Couture has a three-team trade list. They also carry hefty salaries for the next several years, making them difficult to move even without no-trade protection.

Grier will have better luck shopping pending UFAs like James Reimer and Nick Bonino. They have modified no-trade clauses but also carry affordable cap hits, making them easier to peddle to playoff contenders before the trade deadline.

Winger Timo Meier will draw plenty of interest if Grier is listening to offers. He’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and will be a year away from UFA eligibility in July. While he’s off to a slow start to this season, the 26-year-old netted a career-best 35 goals and 76 points last season. He could become the Sharks’ best trade chip if they’re unable to agree to a long-term contract.

SABRES SHOPPING FOR BLUELINE HELP

WGR550: Paul Hamilton reports Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is looking around for some blueline depth after confirmed defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will be sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury. He also indicated Henri Jokiharju is week-to-week after fracturing a bone under his nose.

Adams said he’s looking at all options across the league. However, he doesn’t want to make a move based on reactions or emotions.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Perhaps he’ll give the Carolina Hurricanes a call? They’re trying to move Ethan Bear and the Sabres have more than enough cap space to take on his $2.2 million cap hit for this season.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 27, 2022

by | Oct 27, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – October 27, 2022

More speculation on Jakob Chychrun, the latest on Ethan Bear and more in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST ON JAKOB CHYCHRUN

SPORTSNET: In his latest “32 Thoughts” column, Elliotte Friedman reports Jakob Chychrun remains a couple of weeks away from rejoining the Arizona Coyotes. Teams that are interested in acquiring him will want to see if he’ll be immediately impactful.

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun (NHL Images).

The New York Islanders could be a suitor. However, Friedman wonders if it would make sense for them to part with draft picks right now.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t see Chychrun as a fit with the Islanders because I don’t see their defense as an issue. They’re middle of the pack (16th) in shots-against per game (31.7), their penalty-killing is at 100 percent as of last night’s action and they have the sixth-best goals-against per game (2.57). Granted, their goaltending plays a big part in those last two stats but I don’t believe they need to bolster their blueline.

Scoring, however, is another matter. They’re 19th overall in goals-per-game (3.14) while their 12.5 power-play percentage ranks 25th overall.

Chychrun’s offense from the blueline could help but what they really need is a scoring forward. General manager Lou Lamoriello reportedly tried to acquire J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks and came up short trying to sign Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri during the offseason.

GOPHNX.COM: In a recent mailbag segment, Craig Morgan was asked why the Arizona Coyotes haven’t traded Chychrun yet. Put simply, it’s because they haven’t received an offer that would bring requisite value. He also thinks interested clubs want to see him play before committing assets in a trade.

Another reader pointed out Chychrun’s 10-team no-trade clause kicks in after this season. Morgan acknowledged it could make it difficult to move the blueliner to clubs with more tradeable assets. However, he feels the Coyotes will attempt to move him before the March 3 trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rival general managers could be counting on that in the hope that Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong will lower his asking price by then.

UPDATE ON ETHAN BEAR

Friedman also followed up on his weekend report regarding the Carolina Hurricanes looking at moving Ethan Bear. Two sources told him the 25-year-old defenseman made a trade request during the summer. The Vancouver Canucks have shown real interest. So did the Washington Capitals around the draft. The Toronto Maple Leafs could also be poking around.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Friedman reiterates that the Hurricanes still see Bear as a legitimate NHL defenseman. They’re not willing to retain any portion of his $2.2 million salary for this season to facilitate a trade. He could end up on waivers and he’d be willing to report to their AHL affiliate to get in some playing time.

Washington Hockey Now’s Sammi Silber doesn’t see the Capitals revisiting their earlier interest in Bear. They’ve now got Erik Gustafsson on their blueliner with Matt Irwin as their seventh defenseman plus several options they can recall from the minors if necessary.

LATEST ON THE SABRES AND CANUCKS

With blueliners Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju sidelined by injuries, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams could be examining the trade market to see what’s available.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: So far, they’re relying on call-ups Lawrence Pilut and Kale Clague. That could change if Samuelsson and/or Jokiharju are out longer than anticipated.

Friedman also doubts the Vancouver Canucks are in a hurry to replace head coach Bruce Boudreau. Part of the reason is financial as they still paying former coach Travis Green $2.75 million for this season. Boudreau’s salary pushes that to over $4 million.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 26, 2022

by | Oct 26, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – October 26, 2022

In today’s NHL Rumor Mill: the latest Patrick Kane speculation, updates on the Canucks and Wild, and Barry Trotz hints he might be interested someday in coaching an Original Six franchise.

LATEST PATRICK KANE SPECULATION

SPORTSNET: ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski appeared on the Jeff Marek show last week where the future of Patrick Kane was among the topics of discussion.

Marek speculated the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames could come calling if the long-time Chicago Blackhawks winger becomes available in this season’s trade market. He and Wyshynski ruled out the Florida Panthers given their lack of draft capital to use as trade bait.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t doubt Kane could attract interest from some or all of those clubs if he’s willing to be moved before the March 3 trade deadline. The problem, of course, is salary-cap space. Leaving aside Kane’s full no-movement clause, his $10.5 million cap hit would be difficult to move even in a year when teams had plenty of salary-cap room.

According to Cap Friendly, the Lightning will have $3.5 million in trade deadline cap space. The Panthers will have $5.27 million, the Hurricanes $6.8 million, the Avalanche $1.4 million, and the Flames $6.05 million. That’s assuming they don’t have to dip into their respective cap space between now and deadline day to replace key players sidelined by injuries or use it to address other roster needs.

The Golden Knights, meanwhile, have no projected deadline cap space so I don’t them getting involved in any bidding for Kane. Those other teams, meanwhile, must either clear significant cap room (which they can’t afford to do without weakening their roster depth) or convince the Blackhawks to retain up to half of Kane’s cap hit. Even then, that won’t free up enough for some of them to acquire him.

Those clubs can try to include a third team in the deal to spread Kane’s cap hit around and make it more affordable. Doing that, however, means having to sweeten the deal for the Blackhawks and the third team to make it worth their while.

I’m not suggesting it can’t be done. Nevertheless, such a move could seriously deplete a club’s depth in draft picks and prospects to add an expensive playoff rental player.

WHAT WILL THE CANUCKS AND WILD DO?

TSN: Darren Dreger reports that the Vancouver Canucks aren’t about to hit the panic button over their poor start this season. However, he feels they’re getting “dangerously close to having to put everything on the table.”

One option would be a “hefty renovation” involving shipping out key players for draft picks. Another is a short-term fix involving a trade but there’s no guarantee the right player will be available in a timely fashion. The third could be replacing Bruce Boudreau as head coach.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I touched on this subject yesterday. What usually happens this early in the season is the coaching change. It’s the easiest move to make and sometimes it can quickly reverse a struggling team’s fortunes. Canucks management could surprise us and go with the other two options but I think replacing Boudreau is their likely choice.

Pierre LeBrun cited remarks made by Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Michael Russo regarding his club’s slow start. Guerin had said, “We’re not going to trade our way out of this,” putting the onus on his players to improve. The Wild GM stuck by his remarks when LeBrun contacted him.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild have since shown signs of improvement by going 2-0-1 after losing their first three games.

TROTZ IS INTRIGUED ABOUT COACHING AN ORIGINAL SIX CLUB

NHL.COM: During an appearance on the “Cam and Strick” podcast on Tuesday, former NHL head coach Barry Trotz said he’d be intrigued by the notion of coaching an Orignal Six franchise if the opportunity presented itself.

For now, Trotz said he’s not quite ready yet to return to the NHL coaching ranks. He was fired by the New York Islanders on May 9. He spent 23 seasons with the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and the Islanders, winning the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 and guiding the Isles to consecutive conference finals appearances in 2020 and 2021.