NHL Rumor Mill – April 1, 2025
NHL Rumor Mill – April 1, 2025
The latest Predators speculation, a Sabres forward is suggested as an offer-sheet target, and Cam York’s future with the Flyers in today’s (no foolin’) edition of the NHL Rumor Mill.
WHO SHOULD THE PREDATORS MOVE THIS SUMMER?
DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli asked Carter Hutton which veteran player he would pick to trade this summer.

Nashville Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault (NHL Images).
Hutton thinks it should be Steven Stamkos or Jonathan Marchessault. Both players were signed to four-year contracts last summer. He doesn’t think they can move away from long-time Predators like Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. Hutton also sees them sticking with goaltender Juuse Saros now that Yaroslav Askarov is gone.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hutton acknowledged moving either player would be tricky.
Stamkos, 35, has a full no-movement clause and an average annual value of $8.5 million on his contract. The 34-year-old Marchessault has a more affordable AAV ($5.5 million) and a 15-team no-trade list. He also carries a no-movement clause that prevents him from being sent to the minors.
The Predators will likely hang onto both players and hope for a bounce-back performance next season. If they attempt to trade one of them, interested clubs could squeeze them to retain some salary in the deal.
COULD SABRES FORWARD JJ PETERKA BECOME AN OFFER-SHEET TARGET?
DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli and Carter Hutton discussed which player they would target with an offer sheet this summer.
Seravalli believes JJ Peterka of the Buffalo Sabres would be a prime candidate. The 23-year-old forward is completing a three-year entry-level contract.
Hutton believes Peterka is someone the Sabres will have to pay a significant raise to prevent him from becoming an offer-sheet target.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Peterka has steadily improved since his 2022-23 rookie campaign. He had 32 points in 77 games that season, 28 goals and 50 points in 82 games in 2023-24, and 23 goals and 59 points in 68 games this season.
The Sabres have a projected cap space for next season of over $22 million with 17 active roster players under contract. Bowen Byram, Jack Quinn, Ryan McLeod and Jacob Bernard-Docker are also restricted free agents.
They should have enough space to sign everyone if they spend to the cap ceiling. Otherwise, things could get interesting if a rival club makes Peterka a tempting offer.
DOES CAM YORK STILL HAVE A FUTURE WITH THE FLYERS?
SPORTSNET: Last week, Elliotte Friedman talked about Cam York’s future with the Philadelphia Flyers following the firing of head coach John Tortorella.
Friedman said Flyers management and York’s representatives discussed a contract extension earlier this season but it didn’t happen. There were times this season when the 24-year-old defenseman came up in trade talks, but Friedman doesn’t believe the Flyers made him available.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: York was benched for part of last Tuesday’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was Tortorella’s final game with the Flyers. He was also benched for Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Interim coach Brad Shaw said the benching for the Canadiens game was for “disciplinary reasons”. It was subsequently reported that there was a heated exchange between York and Tortorella during the Leafs game. The blueliner declined to discuss it, saying he took full responsibility for his actions.
York is part of a young core of players who were supposed to play significant roles for the rebuilding Flyers. However, two of them (Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee) were traded to the Calgary Flames in January, raising questions about his place with the club.
A restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer, York has struggled this season with 15 points in 60 games, down significantly from last season’s career-high of 30 points. His situation could be worth monitoring during the offseason.