Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – May 7, 2023

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – May 7, 2023

A look at rumored candidates for the Rangers’ head-coaching job plus the latest Penguins speculation in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

WHO REPLACES GERARD GALLANT AS RANGERS HEAD COACH?

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks wondered who would replace Gerard Gallant after he and the Rangers mutually agreed to part ways on Saturday.

Brooks reports Joel Quenneville will not be among the candidates. He remains under an unofficial and open-ended suspension by the NHL for his failure to act responsibly in the Kyle Beach sexual assault issue while coaching the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. The Rangers will not approach the league to ask commissioner Gary Bettman to lift his suspension.

New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury (NHL.com).

General manager Chris Drury and his staff have begun compiling a list of candidates but there is so far no clear front-runner. It’s uncertain whether candidates such as Patrick Roy who didn’t get an interview two years ago will be in the mix now.

Prior to Gallant and the Rangers parting company, a source suggested former Calgary Flames bench boss Darryl Sutter to Brooks. However, he doubts that a coach who alienated part of his roster this season while failing to reach the playoffs would be a candidate for the Blueshirts’ coaching gig.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This being one of the notable head coaching jobs in the NHL, we’re likely to hear plenty of rumors in the coming weeks over who will be Gallant’s replacement. I agree with Brooks that Sutter probably won’t be a candidate after the season he had with the Flames.

It’ll be interesting to see who the Rangers bring in. Will they go with an experienced NHL coach or look toward someone from the minors, junior or college ranks? We’ll likely know before the NHL Draft (June 28-29) as I daresay they’ll want that position filled before then.

LATEST PENGUINS SPECULATION

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Nick Horwat recently suggested the Pittsburgh Penguins look toward the Winnipeg Jets as possible offseason trade partners.

The Jets could be looking at shaking things up this summer following their disappointing performance down the stretch and their first-round elimination by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Connor Hellebuyck could be of interest to the Penguins, who need an upgrade in goal. The former Vezina Trophy winner is 30 and has a year left on his contract with a cap hit of $6.1 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Horwat believes Hellebuyck would be worth every penny for the Penguins. Cap Friendly shows them with over $20 million in cap space for 2023-24 so they can afford to acquire him.

Hellebuyck also lacks no-trade protection. If the Jets decide to shop him, their asking price could include the Penguins’ 2023 first-round pick.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski was asked by several readers if Hellebuyck or Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson could be in play in the offseason trade market.

Kingerski doubts the Ducks will peddle Gibson if they get a top-two pick in this year’s draft. If they do make him available, he doubts the Penguins can afford to acquire him, suggesting the Ducks could seek two first-round picks and more in return.

Hellebuyck, on the other hand, could be a different story. He believes the Jets might be amenable to a player-for-player trade, though the Penguins convincing one of their players with a no-trade or no-move clause to accept a move to Winnipeg could be a problem.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kingerski also noted the Ottawa Senators are reportedly interested in Gibson but can outbid the Penguins. However, the Senators might not be on his list of acceptable trade destinations.

Recent rumors suggest the Ducks are willing to help Gibson find a suitable trade destination, preferably one that isn’t rebuilding. The Pittsburgh native could accept coming home to play with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

The Penguins will likely have to give up their first-rounder in the deal but the rest of the asking price might not be that expensive. The Ducks already have six picks in the first three rounds of this year’s draft and in next year’s as well. They could be more interested in moving Gibson’s contract, which has four years remaining with an annual cap hit of $6.4 million.

Horwat also suggested center Mark Scheifele and defenseman Neal Pionk as trade targets. He admits the 29-year-old Scheifele might be hard to fit in on a club already deep with centers but felt he’s the kind of talent you find a solution for. Horwat considers Pionk more obtainable, suggesting he’d be a good replacement for Jeff Petry.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Scheifele is talented and could skate on the wing alongside Sidney Crosby or perhaps he could center the second line with Evgeni Malkin shifted to the wing. Like Hellebuyck, he has a year remaining on his contract. Scheifele has also faced criticism in recent years for his inconsistent play.

Pionk would be a good replacement for the aging Petry provided the Penguins can find a taker for him to clear his $6.25 million annual cap hit from their books. That’s assuming the Jets are willing to move Pionk.

Horwat also looked at possible buyout candidates. The first choice would be Jeff Carter but he’s on a 35-plus contract, meaning his annual cap hit would still count in full against the Penguins’ salary cap.

Jeff Petry and forward Mikael Granlund are other possibilities. However, there’s also the concern that those buyouts could become anchors if the rest of the roster is built incorrectly.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins appear stuck with Carter for the final season of his contract. They can’t buy him out and he’s got a full no-movement clause.

I suspect the Penguins would prefer trading Petry and/or Granlund even if they have to retain a portion of their salary rather than buy them out. Whether they go either route remains to be seen. New management could see how both perform next season.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 11, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – April 11, 2023

What could be in store this offseason for the Senators? What next for the Flames following their elimination from playoff contention? Check out the latest in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE SENATORS IN THE OFFSEASON?

THE ATHLETIC: Ian Mendes reports Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion yesterday told TSN’s 1200 that his club will be a salary-cap team for 2023-24. He admitted they might have to be creative with some bridge deals and long-term signings.

Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat (NHL Images).

The Senators are already carrying a $68.25 million salary cap hit for next season, leaving them with around $15 million available should the salary cap increase to its projected $83.5 million. Alex DeBrincat, Shane Pinto and Erik Brannstrom are restricted free agents this summer.

Dorion confirmed his club will exercise the $9 million qualifying offer for DeBrincat at the end of this season even if there isn’t a contract in place before then. It’s a means to maintain his rights while continuing to negotiate a new deal with his agent. DeBrincat is also a year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility so he’ll have a lot of leverage in contract talks this summer with the Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There was never any question of the Senators qualifying DeBrincat’s rights for next season if a contract extension wasn’t in place before the end of June. Given how much they traded to Chicago last summer to acquire the 25-year-old winger, they won’t risk losing him to this summer’s UFA market.

Plenty of time remains for Senators management and the DeBrincat camp to hammer out a long-term deal that keeps him in Ottawa well beyond the end of next season. However, it will be an expensive signing. Perhaps it’ll be a front-loaded deal that keeps the annual average value between $8 million and $9 million on a seven or eight-year contract.

The Senators GM also sounded pleased with Brannstrom’s performance this season, indicating they’ll be bringing the 23-year-old blueliner back. Mendes expects he’ll get a healthy raise over his $900,000 salary for this season but the number of years could be a sticking point. He’ll also have arbitration rights this summer.

Mendes thinks Brannstrom, Pinto and Jake Sanderson could receive bridge contracts. He also noted that Dorion told pending UFA blueliner Travis Hamonic at the trade deadline that he would keep the door open for a contract extension.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brannstrom’s raise could be as high as $2.5 million annually. Pinto is coming off his entry-level contract and lacks arbitration rights while Sanderson has a year left on his ELC. Those two won’t have much leverage and will likely have to settle for affordable short-term deals with the promise that they’ll get significant raises down the road.

WHAT NEXT FOR THE FLAMES?

CALGARY SUN: Wes Gilbertson looked ahead at the offseason questions facing the Flames following their elimination from playoff contention.

He wondered if general manager Brad Treliving will be signing a contract extension or if someone else will be doing his job this summer. Treliving garnered praise last summer for making the best of a tough situation last summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That tough situation was Johnny Gaudreau departing as a free agent and Matthew Tkachuk declining to sign a long-term contract. He shipped Tkachuk to Florida for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar and signed free-agent center Nazim Kadri.

Nevertheless, the Flames struggled on the ice this season. Huberdeau never came close to last season’s career-best of 115 points while Kadri’s production was also down this season.

Gilbertson wondered what the future holds for head coach Darryl Sutter. He’s under contract for two more seasons but couldn’t seem to get the most out of this underachieving roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Huberdeau and Kadri seemed to chafe under Sutter’s demanding ways. Maybe they all need another season to better adjust to each other or perhaps they need a coach that can do a better job of bringing out the best in those two and the rest of the roster.

There will likely be plenty of speculation in the coming weeks over what the Flames’ roster will look like for next season. However, those issues cannot be suitably addressed until we know what the future holds for Treliving and Sutter.










NHL Rumor Mill – March 24, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – March 24, 2023

Could tension between Flames coach Darryl Sutter and center Nazem Kadri force management to make offseason changes? Could the Flyers end up shopping some right wings in the summer trade market? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

COULD FRICTION BETWEEN SUTTER AND KADRI SPARK OFFSEASON CHANGE?

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Steve MacFarlane cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently reporting of possible friction between Flames head coach Darryl Sutter and center Nazem Kadri having an adverse effect on the latter’s production this season.

Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (NHL Images).

Friedman cited Kadri’s limited minutes in three recent games where he saw less than 14 minutes of ice time, including their 8-2 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He believes Kadri’s blunt nature could be behind the reduction in his playing time and led to frustration between the center and Sutter boiling over in that Kings’ game.

MacFarlane noted Kadri’s been in a scoring drought since Feb. 18 and had just two goals in his previous 23 games before scoring on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. He wondered if that means it was time for a change and if the Flames’ ownership has the stomach to make the right ones.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kadri downplayed the conjecture about tension between himself and Sutter, claiming his relationship with the Flames coach was fine. He also observed that there’s lots of speculation in Canadian NHL markets but was putting his focus on the game.

MacFarlane pointed out that Kadri was acquired last summer to help improve the Flames, especially during this point in the season when they’re jockeying for a playoff spot. His reduced playoff time and popgun offense could be attributable to age, the wear and tear of a long season or an ongoing adjustment to a new team and coach.

Whatever the cause, Kadri’s struggles are among the reasons why the Flames are in danger of missing the playoffs. That could spark some offseason changes but I doubt Sutter or Kadri will be part of it. It could be in the front office starting with general manager Brad Treliving, who built this club, brought back Sutter and signed Kadri last summer.

WILL THE FLYER SHOP SOME RIGHT WINGERS THIS SUMMER?

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Sam Carchidi reports the Flyers possess a deep group of right wingers. They include Travis Konecny, Cam Atkinson, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Wade Allison and Bobby Brink.

If the Flyers move one of them this summer, Carchidi believes it’ll be to bolster their depth at center, left wing and defense. The center position, however, could improve if Sean Couturier is healthy for next season and promising Cutter Gauthier is ready to make the jump to the NHL.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers head coach John Tortorella’s recent cryptic comments about the need for subtraction before adding in younger players could provide grist for the rumor mill. He felt that some of the young players had improved and some hadn’t. “Some of the veteran guys hadn’t,” he added.

I still believe the more likely trade candidates are veterans like center/left winger Kevin Hayes and defenseman Ivan Provorov. Still, we don’t know yet what interim general manager Daniel Briere has in store for his roster.

Maybe Briere will move one of those right wingers mentioned by Carchidi. Konecny would draw the most interest and has the best trade value but he played very well under Tortorella so I can see them hanging onto him. Atkinson was sidelined by injury for the entire season so they might want to see how he performs in 2023-24.

They’ll likely hang onto Tippett and Foerster but Allison could become the odd man out here, especially if they’re looking at promoting Brink next season.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 9, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 9, 2022

Recaps of Saturday’s preseason games, the Flames extend coach Darryl Sutter’s contract, Kyle Okposo is the Sabres’ new captain, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

PRESEASON GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Nashville Predators defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-2 to sweep their two-game NHL Global Series in Prague, Czechia. Second-period goals by Filip Forsberg and Nino Niederreiter lifted the Predators past the Sharks while Kevin Lankinen made 31 saves for the win.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

Auston Matthews and William Nylander each scored twice while Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly each picked up three assists as the Toronto Maple Leafs rolled to a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

A hat trick by Vladislav Namestnikov carried the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers. Corey Perry collected three assists while Andrei Vasilevskiy turned aside 27 shots for the Lightning.

The Los Angeles Kings beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-3. Arthur Kaliyev led the way with a goal and two assists. Ducks netminder John Gibson left the game after the first period with an upper-body injury after taking a shot off his mask. An update on his condition is expected on Sunday.

Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello each had three-point performances to lead the Minnesota Wild over the Dallas Stars 5-1. Marc-Andre Fleury picked up the win by stopping 22 shots.

St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made 24 saves to shut out the Chicago Blackhawks 6-0. Ivan Barbashev tallied twice for the Blues.

The Ottawa Senators swept their two-game Kraft Hockeyville series with the Montreal Canadiens with a 3-2 win thanks to an overtime goal by Drake Batherson. The Canadiens were winless in preseason play with an 0-6-2 record.

An overtime goal by Dylan Strome lifted the Washington Capitals over the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 4-3. Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper got the win with a 36-save effort while teammate John Carlson collected three assists.

The New Jersey Devils got two-point performances from Jack Hughes and Alexander Holtz to top the Boston Bruins 5-3. David Krejci picked up two assists for the Bruins.

A 28-save performance by Ilya Sorokin helped the New York Islanders defeat the New York Rangers 3-1. Josh Bailey had two assists for the Isles. Rangers winger Sammy Blais left the game in the first period and didn’t return but head coach Gerard Gallant said Blais “should be fine.”

The Vegas Golden Knights downed the Arizona Coyotes 5-1. Reilly Smith and Paul Cotter both had two assists on the night.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those were the final games of the 2022 preseason. The regular season opens on Tuesday, Oct. 11 with the Tampa Bay Lightning facing off against the New York Rangers while the Vegas Golden Knights visit the Los Angeles Kings.

HEADLINES

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: The Flames yesterday announced that head coach Darryl Sutter had agreed to a two-year contract extension that begins next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise there. The Flames made significant improvement after Sutter took over as head coach during the 2020-21 season. Management sees this team as a Stanley Cup contender and wants an experienced, steady hand behind the bench.

WGR 550: The Buffalo Sabres named Kyle Okposo as their new team captain with Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Dahlin as their alternate captains. Okposo is the 20th captain in Sabres history and the first since Jack Eichel was stripped of the captaincy prior to trading him last November to the Vegas Golden Knights.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: Calgary Flames defenseman Juuso Valimaki, Detroit Red Wings center Austin Czarnik and Pittsburgh Penguins blueliner Mark Friedman are among those placed on waivers on Saturday. Teams have until noon ET on Sunday to claim them.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The Canadiens claimed defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic off waivers Saturday from the Winnipeg Jets.

TSN: Andrea Skinner has stepped down as interim chair of Hockey Canada’s board of directors. The organization has been losing sponsors and support from provincial organizations over its mishandling of sexual assault allegations leveled against several players on Canada’s 2003 and 2018 World Junior teams.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Skinner’s departure is a start but there needs to be a complete overhaul of Hockey Canada’s leadership.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 12, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 12, 2022

Sean Couturier could have some good news today, better conditioning contributed to the Flames’ improvement last season, plus the latest on Joe Thornton, Matt Dumba and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Flyers center Sean Couturier will address the media later today regarding his rehab from back surgery. It could be an indication that his rehab went well and he’ll be ready for training camp next week. The Flyers will have their physicals on Sept. 21 and will take to the ice the following day.

Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy Couturier will be vital to the Flyers’ hopes for improvement. His injury and absence contributed to their poor performance last season.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Improved player conditioning last summer played a key role in the Flames bouncing back from missing the playoffs in 2021 to finishing atop the Pacific Division last season.

Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said the club was among the poorest-trained he’d ever seen after taking over behind the bench midway through the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. He demanded that his players train harder last summer to become faster players. As a result, half a dozen of them went on to career-best performances in 2021-22.

Sutter’s message to the players heading into this summer wasn’t much different. “Train 10 percent harder”, he said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The pandemic likely had something to do with the Flames’ poor team conditioning in 2020-21. There was considerable uncertainty throughout the autumn of 2020 over when the season would take place, how many games would be played and what the scheduling would look like.

That would’ve created havoc for the players’ offseason training. Creatures of habit, their workout programs were thrown off-kilter by the pandemic, sometimes forcing them to train on their own or in groups smaller than they were used to.

Some teams probably had more difficulty adjusting than others. Last summer brought more of a semblance of normalcy toward their offseason plans and probably made it easier for them to improve their conditioning.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Flames, they’ve signed forward Cody Eakin to a professional tryout offer.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Former Sharks center Joe Thornton has returned to San Jose with his family while he figures out his future. He’s been recently seen skating a few times with some of the Sharks players at the club’s practice facility.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Thornton’s playing career could come to an end if he doesn’t get a contract with an NHL club for 2022-23. The 43-year-old saw action in just 34 regular-season games and one playoff contest with the Florida Panthers last season.

TSN: Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba was among several black NHL players who took part in the documentary “Black Ice” examining the role of players of color in Canadian hockey. Dumba, 28, is a founding member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

TVA SPORTS: Former NHL coach Craig Ramsay believes Juraj Slafkovsky will make his debut with the Montreal Canadiens this season. Ramsay, 71, saw the first-overall draft pick’s potential as part of Slovakia’s coaching staff in the 2022 Winter Olympics, where the 18-year-old winger was the tournament’s leading scorer.

Ramsay, 71, explained why Slafkovsky shone in international play while his stats were unimpressive playing in Finland. The Slovakian team let the young winger play to his strengths as an offensive player whereas he was forced to play a more defensive trapping style in Finland.

Slafkovsky could thrive playing for Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis. Ramsay believes St. Louis will help the young Slovakian winger correct his mistakes while allowing him the freedom to let him bloom.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ramsay said he never yelled at Slafkovksy behind the bench for making mistakes but instead spoke quietly to him about them in a positive way following the game. That’s the same approach St. Louis took with his players last season and they responded well.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Capitals winger Carl Hagelin continues to work his way back from a career-threatening eye injury suffered in practice last March. He took part in scrimmages with teammates last week wearing a regular practice jersey.

GOPHNX.COM: Conor Timmins has fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury and is ready to start his first full season with the Arizona Coyotes. The 23-year-old defenseman played in just six games for the Coyotes last season.

THE ATHLETIC: Andrew Lustgarten will step down as president and CEO of MSG Sports at the end of 2022. MSG Sports is the parent company of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. James Dolan, owner of both clubs, will continue to oversee operations for the Rangers and Knicks.