NHL Rumor Mill – December 14, 2023
NHL Rumor Mill – December 14, 2023
Are more changes in store for the Blues following their coaching change? What’s the latest Penguins speculation? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
COULD MORE CHANGES BE IN STORE FOR THE BLUES
NHL NETWORK (via KUKLA’S KORNER): Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman looked at other possible moves for the St. Louis Blues following their coaching change.
He noted that general manager Doug Armstrong indicated in his press conference that there was no guarantee that interim head coach Drew Bannister would be in that role for the remainder of the season. Bannister was head coach of their AHL affiliate in Springfield before Berube’s firing.
St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong (NHL.com).
Friedman thinks Armstrong has “specific people he wants to talk to” regarding his club’s head-coaching position. He wondered if one of them could be former Edmonton Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft.
Asked if other personnel changes could be in store, he noted that Armstrong isn’t afraid to make bold moves. He pointed out the Blues had a deal in place last summer with the Philadelphia Flyers that would’ve sent defenseman Torey Krug to the Flyers for blueliner Travis Sanheim but Krug invoked his no-trade clause to spike the deal. He also observed that Armstrong tried to trade struggling winger Jakub Vrana before putting him on waivers.
Friedman doesn’t think Armstrong is trying to trade players such as Robert Thomas or Colton Parayko. However, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Blues GM could make some roster changes if things don’t improve soon.
THE ATHLETIC: Jeremy Rutherford noted Armstrong said making roster changes was difficult to achieve during his press conference on Wednesday. The Blues GM said he’s spoken to teams and seen what’s out there. Nevertheless, he stressed that nobody in their current group should feel safe right now. “I mean player-wise, management-wise.”
If the Blues fail to improve, Armstrong said he’s not against buying players out who carry long-term contracts with no-trade clauses, though he feels that’s not his first course of action. He’s also not against demoting players to the Blues’ AHL farm team if he feels they’re not pulling their weight. He said that nothing can be off the table for management.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues are just one point out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Big changes to the roster probably won’t happen as long as they remain competitive for a playoff berth. If they collapse and tumble down the standings, perhaps more significant moves will be in store.
Those Blues carrying long-term contracts with no-trade clauses include forwards Brayden Schenn and Brandon Saad, defensemen such as Krug, Parayko, Justin Faulk and Nick Leddy, and goaltender Jordan Binnington. Any attempt to move one or more of those players likely won’t happen until next summer at the earliest assuming any of them would waive their no-trade clauses.
LATEST ON THE PENGUINS
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun noted Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas’ remarks on Monday about deciding on the club’s future by the All-Star break in February. He believes Dubas wants to give his current roster time to overcome their current woes in the standings and prove to him what they have.
Dubas is on a seven-year contract. LeBrun believes that gives him time to implement a long-term vision while hoping to avoid a roster teardown for as long as possible. He also suggested that Sidney Crosby’s contract (which runs through 2024-25) could be the most important target date for Dubas’ plans.
Given the contracts of Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, it won’t be easy to stage a roster teardown. However, LeBrun points out that Dubas’ acquisition of Karlsson last summer shows where there’s a will there’s a way.
LeBrun doubts those players would block a trade to a contender if Dubas goes into teardown mode. The question then becomes how much salary would the Penguins have to retain to move them.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The acquisition of Karlsson (and that of Reilly Smith) was to provide a short-term boost to the Penguins roster to give their core of Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Jake Guentzel one more opportunity to stage a run for the Stanley Cup before their contracts expire or age catches up with them.
If Crosby wants to stay in Pittsburgh it’ll be interesting to see how long he’ll want to stick around, especially if the Penguins are heading into a rebuild or if it appears to be on the horizon.
Dubas is just trying to put it off for as long as possible until most of those players are finished with their contracts or in the final year of their deals. By that point, the rebuild can begin in earnest.
A roster rebuild is inevitable. It could come much sooner than Dubas or the Penguins’ veteran core expected it to occur.
