NHL Rumor Mill – March 7, 2026
NHL Rumor Mill – March 7, 2026
The trade deadline is over, but the fallout remains. Check out the latest on Vincent Trocheck, Sergei Bobrovsky, the Canadiens’ efforts to make a big move, and much more in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
WHY DIDN’T THE RANGERS TRADE VINCENT TROCHECK?
NEW YORK POST: Mollie Walker reports Rangers general manager Chris Drury stuck by his asking price for Vincent Trocheck, which is why the 32-year-old center wasn’t moved by Friday’s trade deadline. He told reporters it didn’t make sense to do something just to say they did something.
New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (NHL Images)
Trocheck is under contract for three more years, so the Rangers can try again down the line. Whether Drury will have better luck moving him in the offseason remains to be seen. A league source said several teams other than the Minnesota Wild checked in on Trocheck.
THE ATHLETIC: Vincent Z. Mercogliano reported that the Wild were believed to have offered up prospect forward Charlie Stramel, a likely future first-round draft pick, and a possible third piece. The Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, and Pittsburgh Penguins were believed to be in the mix.
Mercogliano believes Drury could be taking a big gamble hanging onto Trocheck and hoping for better offers in the offseason. Other centers could be available, including Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils, Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators, and perhaps even Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A more crowded offseason market for centers could work against the Rangers. Nevertheless, Trocheck being under contract beyond this season allowed them to try again, rather than being forced to accept a lesser return at the trade deadline if he’d been UFA-eligible in July.
CANADIENS STAND PAT, BUT A MAJOR DEAL COULD BE COMING IN THE SUMMER
MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marc Dumont reports Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said his club had the framework for a potential trade in place before the deadline, but it fell through in the final moments.
“We spent a lot of time on one case in particular,” Hughes said. “And it went down to the wire, but that doesn’t stop us from revisiting it in the summer.”
Dumont speculated that the Canadiens may have been interested in St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas or Rangers center Vincent Trocheck. Both players will still be available in the offseason.
Had the deal gone through, Hughes indicated that other moves may have taken place. “We had some things that would have happened if we concluded the deal we were working on,” he said. “Yes, it was a significant trade for us.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That should keep fans and pundits in Montreal buzzing for a while. It will be entertaining to see what speculation emerges in the coming days.
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Stu Cowan reports Hughes said the Canadiens would’ve made a trade if they had found a deal that made sense for the right price.
Hughes also reminded fans who may have been upset over the club’s lack of deadline movement of the acquisitions they made since last summer. Those include defenseman Noah Dobson and forwards Zach Bolduc, Phillip Danault, and Alexandre Texier.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Critics believe Canadiens management is too much in love with their prospects to part with any of them for a significant return. A quick look at their recent trade history should dispel that myth. The Canadiens tend to be patient in their search for a return that addresses their short and long-term needs.
Given the Canadiens are ahead of schedule with their rebuild, Arpon Basu of The Athletic believes management has earned the benefit of the doubt for their inactivity at this year’s trade deadline. However, he thinks this will be the last trade deadline where they will have that benefit. Expectations will be much higher after this season.
PANTHERS WORKING TO RE-SIGN SERGEI BOBROVSKY
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: George Richards reports the Panthers didn’t bother to move Sergei Bobrovsky before yesterday’s trade deadline. Instead, they’re focused on signing the 37-year-old goaltender to a contract extension. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Panthers GM Bill Zito said he had to listen to offers for his players, but he’s glad Bobrovsky is still there. “Sergei is a part of our franchise, a part of our core,” Zito said. “We want to try and keep him. I am glad he is here.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The two sides will likely try to reach a short-term deal. Bobrovsky will have to accept a significant pay cut from the $10 million AAV of his current deal. He’s earning $5 million in actual salary this season, so that might be what he gets as an AAV on his next contract.
POST-TRADE DEADLINE TIDBITS
SPORTSNET: In his post-trade deadline “32 Thoughts: The Podcast”, Elliotte Friedman said there was a lot of noise about Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews this week. He thinks there was no chance of him being traded, but believes Matthews and Leafs management will have to talk during the offseason.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was reported that the Matthews camp informed management that their client has no issue with returning with the Maple Leafs next season. What Friedman seems to be alluding to is where Matthews sees his future beyond the end of his contract in 2028.
Friedman said that Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies was mentioned in the trade market. He thinks it’s because Knies would fetch the type of assets that would help management show Matthews the direction of the team.
One of the players Friedman wondered about for Knies was New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec. He doesn’t think a one-for-one swap would make sense for the Maple Leafs, but it may have been the kind of thing the two teams discussed.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Friedman recently speculated that the Maple Leafs may have floated Knies in the market to see if a rival club would make them an irresistible offer.
The Pittsburgh Penguins may have been in on St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas, but he didn’t think they were willing to meet the Blues’ asking price.
Friedman wondered if there was a chance that New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton would’ve wound up in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs taking a sweetener to do it.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s assuming that the Maple Leafs weren’t on Hamilton’s 10-team trade list. If they’re not, why would he waive it to go from one struggling team to another?
According to Friedman, the Vancouver Canucks considered acquiring Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but decided against it.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I felt that Kotkaniemi could be packaged in a larger deal by the Hurricanes at the trade deadline. Maybe they’ll try to peddle him in the offseason.
