NHL Rumor Mill – May 2, 2020

by | May 2, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – May 2, 2020

Check out recent speculation on the Canadiens, Sharks, and Devils in today’s NHL rumor mill.

COULD MANTHA BECOME A CANADIENS’ OFFER-SHEET TARGET?

TVA SPORTS: Jean-Charles Lajoie suggested Detroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha would be an intriguing offer-sheet target for the Montreal Canadiens. He feels they would benefit from having a sniper such as Mantha at right wing. He also pointed to the winger’s tumultuous relationship with Detroit coach Jeff Blashill. While Lajoie feels Blashill might not be back behind the Wings’ bench next season, Mantha might be willing to entertain an offer sheet.

Could the Montreal Canadiens try to sign Detroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha to an offer sheet? (Photo via NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maybe Mantha would listen to an offer from the Canadiens, but it’ll have to be a significant one to pry him away from the Wings. They have over $46 million invested in 11 players. Unless it’s a mind-blowing offer, they can easily match it. 

Lajoie also noted Columbus’ Pierre-Luc Dubois and the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal could be interesting options. He thinks the Blue Jackets would match almost any offer for Dubois, but the Isles might be less inclined to do so for Barzal because their GM is Lou Lamoriello.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets will match an offer for Dubois. As for Lamoriello, he’s already bluntly stated he’ll do the same for Barzal. Don’t expect to see either guy wearing a Habs sweater next season. 

COULD THE SHARKS BE UFA BUYERS?

NBC SPORTS BAY AREA: Brian Witt believes the San Jose Sharks could benefit if the salary cap remains around $81.5 million for 2020-21. Several teams will enter the off-season with less than $1 million in cap space, while half the league will have more than $3 million. The Sharks could have between $8 million and $15 million available.

Some of that will be used to re-sign some pending free agents, but Witt feels their notable ones (Joe Thornton, Kevin Labanc) could be affordable re-signings. That would leave sufficient room for some prominent free agents.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly indicates the Sharks have over $66 million invested in 13 players. All of their core players except for Thornton are under contract for next season. As Witt indicated, Thornton and Labanc should be affordable signings.

General manager Doug Wilson has a history of pulling off surprising moves, so we shouldn’t dismiss the possibility he’ll land a noteworthy free agent, especially if a flat cap makes other clubs reluctant to invest in the UFA market. However, he might be reluctant to pursue a big-ticket player when he’s already got over $41 million tied up in just six players. 

LATEST ON THE DEVILS

THE ATHLETIC (subscription required): In a recent mailbag segment, Corey Masisak was asked if there was any chance the New Jersey Devils could make a move for St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn following their re-signing of Marco Scandella. While Dunn could be a good fit, Masisak is skeptical about the Blues moving him. He also speculated they could ask for Kyle Palmieri or Nikita Gusev, or perhaps a promising player like Ty Smith or Nolan Foote in return. 

Masisak doubts the Devils could entice whoever wins this year’s draft lottery to part with the first-overall pick by offering up their three first-rounders. 










NHL Free Agents & Trade Candidates – New York Islanders

by | Apr 29, 2020

NHL Free Agents & Trade Candidates – New York Islanders

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 13, 2020

by | Apr 13, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 13, 2020

The latest on Mathew Barzal, Islanders goalie prospect Ilya Sorokin may be leaving the KHL, the Rangers aren’t in any rush to name a captain, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: In a recent interview with Brian Compton, Mathew Barzal said he hasn’t had contract talks with the New York Islanders since the season was paused a month ago. The 22-year-old center is completing his entry-level contract. He remains confident of re-signing with the Isles. He also believes the season will resume at some point.

Mathew Barzal remains confident of signing a new contract with the New York Islanders (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There was some speculation suggesting Barzal could be an offer-sheet target in the off-season. General manager Lou Lamoriello indicated he’ll match any offer for his leading scorer. Judging by Barzal’s comments, he doesn’t seem receptive to signing with another club.

NEWSDAY: Speaking of the Islanders, goalie prospect Ilya Sorokin might soon be joining the club. He’s reportedly decided not to re-sign with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow and is expected to sign with the Isles when his current KHL contract expires on April 30.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sorokin,24, is considered the KHL’s best goaltender. It’s anticipated he’ll become the Isles’ future starter.

THE SCORE: New York Rangers president John Davidson said management isn’t in a rush to name a team captain. That role has been vacant since the Rangers traded former captain Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning two years ago.

Davidson believes you don’t name a captain just for the sake of doing so. “It’s an important question, but that can’t sway us into pushing us into something that we don’t feel is right as far as the timing goes,” he said. “That’s not a slight on anybody, believe me, but we’ll get to it and hopefully, it’ll work itself out.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I believe management should allow the players to select their captain. They’re the ones who know who the leaders are in the room. Hold a secret ballot. If it ends in a tie, the head coach makes the selection.

STLTODAY.COM: St. Louis Blues prospect defenseman Scott Perunovich of the University of Minnesota-Duluth is the 2020 winner of the Hobey Baker Award honoring the United States’ best college player.

PHILLY.COM: Phyllis Foreman, sister of the late Philadelphia Flyers’ owner Ed Snider, passed away at age 92. She created the club’s nickname and helped to design their logo.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the family and the Flyers’ organization.

 










NHL Rumor Mill – April 9, 2020

by | Apr 9, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – April 9, 2020

Off-season questions for several Atlantic Division clubs in the NHL rumor mill.

THE SCORE: Josh Wegman recently posed one off-season question for each NHL Atlantic Division club. Among them:

Can the Boston Bruins afford to re-sign defenseman Torey Krug? (Photo via NHL Images).

What will the Boston Bruins do with Torey Krug? The 28-year-old defenseman is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. He’s averaged 53 points per 82 games in his career. Krug is earning $5.25 million annually on his current contract but could receive upward of $7 million per on his next deal. The Bruins have over $22 million in salary-cap space but have other free agents (including winger Jake DeBrusk) to re-sign.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Krug hinted earlier this season he wants to stay in Boston and was open to a hometown discount. I assume that could mean around $6.5 million annually. That would push the Bruins’ to nearly $68 million invested in 18 players, leaving around $13 million to re-sign (or replace) DeBrusk, Jaroslav Halak, Zdeno Chara, Matt Grzelcyk, and Anders Bjork.

General manager Don Sweeney could use DeBrusk’s lack of arbitration rights to sign him to an affordable short-term deal, which could free up sufficient space to re-sign most of the others. Still, it could be a tight fit if the cap remains at $81.5 million.

Wegman wondered which defenseman the Buffalo Sabres could move, and how they’ll acquire a second-line center. This year’s UFA market won’t address the latter. The Sabres have plenty of depth in right-side defensemen, including Rasmus Ristolainen and Brandon Montour. Ristolainen seems the most likely to be shopped, but he won’t fetch that second-line center.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wegman feels GM Jason Botterill will have to get creative. With over $47 million invested in 10 players, Botterill must also re-sign restricted free agents Montour, Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson, Linus Ullmark, and Dominik Kahun.

He should have sufficient cap space to add a second-line center via trade. It might not cost him a defenseman if he targets a cap-strapped club looking to shed salary.

Citing a March edition of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts, Wegman speculated over the possibility of the Florida Panthers breaking up their core. The club continues to struggle to reach the playoffs.

Wegman considers trading Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, or Aaron Ekblad as seemingly unthinkable, while blueliner Keith Yandle has a no-movement clause. Letting Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov depart via free agency might be as dramatic as it gets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Defenseman Mike Matheson could be shopped. He surfaced in the rumor mill before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. The Panthers could revisit testing his value in the trade market during the off-season.

If owner Vinnie Viola wants to cut costs, Ekblad and Barkov lack no-trade protection. Unless those players want out of Florida, I don’t see them being moved.

Wegman pondered the possibility of the Montreal Canadiens attempting to sign another club’s top restricted free agent to an offer sheet. They have the cap space to sign someone like the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal or the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Mikhail Sergachev.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens made a half-hearted attempt to sign away Sebastian Aho from the Carolina Hurricanes last summer. Unless GM Marc Bergevin is willing to make a truly mind-blowing offer, I doubt he’ll pry Barzal or Sergachev from their respective clubs. That’s assuming either guy is willing to sign an offer sheet in the first place.

How will the Tampa Bay Lightning get cap compliant? They have over $76 million invested in 15 players with five pending RFAs including Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli.

Wegman considers it unlikely Ondrej Palat or Tyler Johnson will waive their no-trade clauses. Winger Alex Killorn could become a cap casualty, as his full no-trade becomes a 16-team no-trade list following this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I agree that Killorn seems the likely trade option. It’ll be interesting to see how Lightning GM Julien BriseBois handles this situation.

Wegman wondered how the Toronto Maple Leafs will address their defense with their limited cap space. RFAs Travis Dermott and Ilya Mikheyev need to be re-signed, while UFA blueliners Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci must be replaced. He speculates they could shop a winger like Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen as part of a package for a top-four defenseman, but it won’t be easy.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has no intention of shopping one of his top-four forwards (Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander), peddling Johnsson or Kapanen could be his only option to address his blueline situation.










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – April 5, 2020

by | Apr 5, 2020

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – April 5, 2020

Recent speculation about several of this year’s notable restricted free agents in the Sunday NHL rumor mill.

SPORTSNET: In his recent list of this year’s top restricted free agents, Luke Fox reported the following tidbits:

New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello recently said he’d match any offer sheet for Mathew Barzal. Fox expects the young center’s next contract will be a juicy one.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: How juicy will depend upon where the salary cap sits for next season. Barzal’s completing his entry-level deal and lacks arbitration rights. Assuming the cap remains at $81.5 million, the Isles have over $71.3 million invested in 18 players, with defensemen Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews also due for next contracts. A big raise for Barzal means Lamoriello must shed salary to make room for other signings.

Could Tampa Bay Lightning winger Alex Killorn become a salary-cap casualty this off-season? (Photo via NHL Images).

With Anthony Cirelli among several Tampa Bay Lightning RFAs to be re-signed, Fox speculates a forward such as Alex Killorn or Tyler Johnson could be a salary-cap casualty.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bolts have over $76 million tied up in 15 players, with Mikael Sergachev and Erik Cernak the other noteworthy RFAs. Johnson has a full no-trade clause through 2020-21, but Killorn’s shifts to a 16-team no-trade following this season. That makes him the most likely trade chip. Killorn’s versatility and two-way play will draw considerable interest.

Fox believes the New York Rangers trading Brady Skjei to Carolina frees up the cap and roster space to re-sign Tony DeAngelo, though term could be tricky.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The New York Post’s Larry Brooks has suggested the cost of re-signing DeAngelo could be a trade candidate. It’ll be interesting to see how Rangers GM Jeff Gorton handles this situation.

Matt Murray could be the odd man out among the Pittsburgh Penguins’ goaltenders. Tristan Jarry lacks arbitration rights so his contract extension should be easier to achieve. They also have Casey DeSmith under contract for next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With over $68.2 million committed to 15 players, the Penguins can’t afford Murray and Jarry. One of them will be moved, and it’ll likely be Murray. GM Jim Rutherford made a difficult choice in 2017 by choosing Murray over Marc-Andre Fleury. He’ll have no qualms choosing Jarry over Murray.

 










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – March 22, 2020

by | Mar 22, 2020

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – March 22, 2020

The latest on the Islanders, several stars who may have played their final NHL games, and questions about conditional draft picks in the Sunday NHL rumor roundup.

ISLANDERS WOULD MATCH OFFER SHEET FOR BARZAL

SPORTSNET: In a recent Q&A with New York Islanders fans, general manager Lou Lamoriello said it wasn’t his intention to let contract talks with Mathew Barzal reach the point where the 22-year-old center received an offer sheet from a rival club. If Barzal did sign one, however, Lamoriello said he’d match it. He remains confident in getting Barzal and fellow restricted free agents Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews re-signed.

New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Isles have over $71 million invested in 18 players. Assuming the salary cap remains at $81.5 million, Lamoriello will be hard-pressed to squeeze new contracts for Barzal, Pulock, and Toews within that $10 million of cap space available to him.

Matching an expensive offer sheet would gobble up almost all of that cap room. Lamoriello would get some cap wiggle room as he’s allowed to exceed the cap by 10 percent during the off-season, but he must shed salary before the start of the season to become cap compliant.

I doubt Lamoriello’s worried about a rival GM signing Barzal to an offer sheet. Most NHL clubs will feel the financial squeeze from this pandemic, leaving few with enough cap room to take a run at poaching the young Isles center.

SEVERAL STARS WHO MAY HAVE PLAYED THEIR FINAL NHL GAMES

THE ATHLETIC: New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, Anaheim Ducks goalie Ryan Miller, and Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu are among those on James Mirtle’s list of 15 NHL players who may have played their final NHL games if this season is canceled.

Others include Carolina Hurricanes winger Justin Williams, St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook, and Anaheim Ducks winger David Backes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I think Lundqvist may have played his last game with the Rangers, but I can see him playing with another NHL club if he waives his no-movement clause or is bought out of his current contract. Miller turns 40 in July and I suspect the Ducks will replace him with a younger option. If he’s unwilling to leave Calfornia, he’s likely done. Koivu has already hinted at retirement.

Williams spent half this season mulling retirement before returning to the Hurricanes. He could be done after this. Bouwmeester’s recent cardiac incident has likely ended his playing career. Seabrook’s double hip surgeries place his playing career in jeopardy. Ditto Backes’ concussion history.

WHAT TO DO WITH CONDITIONAL DRAFT PICKS FROM RECENT TRADES?

TSN: Frank Seravalli recently reported there are many questions about how the NHL deals with the minutiae related to contracts and trades if the schedule is reduced or canceled. What happens with conditional draft picks involved in recent trades is among those issues.

In last summer’s deal that saw the Edmonton Oilers ship Milan Lucic to the Calgary Flames for James Neal, the Flames get a conditional third-round pick if Neal tallies 21 goals and Lucic under 10 this season.

“What does the NHL do moving forward here? Do they decide to prorate it? In which case Lucic would remain under 10 and Neal gets to about 23? Or do they decide to leave it as is and that’s just one of the questions at stake with regards to other bonuses in contracts and compensation? Things like expansion draft considerations and also other picks that changed hands for deals at the deadline. Can we see things like compensatory picks and such.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This issue will have to be sorted out once a final decision is reached regarding the remainder of this season and the playoffs. For now, your guess is as good as mine.