NHL Rumor Mill – March 9, 2024
NHL Rumor Mill – March 9, 2024
The 2024 trade deadline has passed but questions remain about the trade candidates who didn’t move. Check out the latest on Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark, Pavel Buchnevich and Jakob Chychrun, plus an update on the Devils in the NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT NEXT FOR MARKSTROM AND THE FLAMES?
CALGARY SUN: Wes Gilbertson wonders what happens next for the Flames and Jacob Markstrom. After weeks of trade speculation, the 34-year-old goaltender remains with the Flames, but there are questions about his future in Calgary.
Gilbertson wondered if the two sides could patch up their relationship if they hadn’t already. Markstrom has two years left on his contract with an average annual value of $6 million. However, does he want to stick around through a retooling process?
Markstrom was linked to the New Jersey Devils with a rumored deal in mid-February having fallen through. The Devils opted instead to acquire Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens and shipped Vitek Vanecek to the San Jose Sharks for Kaapo Kahkonen.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames general manager Craig Conroy yesterday claimed there weren’t any issues in his relationship with Markstrom. Nevertheless, the former Vezina Trophy finalist’s future in Calgary will remain the subject of speculation in the offseason, even if a deal with the Devils is no longer possible.
BIG OFFSEASON MOVES COULD BE COMING FOR THE DEVILS
THE ATHLETIC: Despite the Devils’ acquisitions of Allen and Kahkonen, Peter Baugh reports Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald is expecting to go “big-game hunting” for a goaltender in the offseason.
The acquisition of Kahkonen was more about removing Vanecek’s $3.4 million AAV through next season from the Devils’ books. With Allen signed through next season and the Canadiens retaining half of his $3.85 million cap hit, Fitzgerald had the cap flexibility to bring in a bigger-name starter.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fitzgerald elaborated on why he couldn’t land someone like Markstrom before the deadline, claiming that the asking prices were too high. That market might change during the offseason. Whether he’ll revisit efforts to land Markstrom remains to be seen.
Allen will return with the Devils next season as their backup. Kahkonen won’t be re-signed, but a solid performance in New Jersey should help him land with another NHL club this summer as a free agent.
Fitzgerald also said he remains interested in signing Tyler Toffoli when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He traded the 31-year-old winger to the Winnipeg Jets after efforts to re-sign him before the trade deadline failed.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t doubt Fitzgerald’s sincerity. Toffoli played very well during his short tenure with the Devils. However, he’ll likely be among this summer’s top free agents and could prove too expensive to bring back to New Jersey.
DID ULLMARK REJECT A TRADE TO A WESTERN TEAM?
THE SCORE: Kayla Douglas cited reports from Boston that the Bruins didn’t aggressively shop goaltender Linus Ullmark leading up to the trade deadline. GM Don Sweeney said he was happy he stood pat with his goaltenders, adding he was pleased with the tandem of Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
Douglas noted that ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported the Bruins had a trade in place to move Ullmark to an unnamed team, but Ullmark invoked his no-trade clause “based on geography”. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Servalli claimed the deal was with the Los Angeles Kings.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy cited a source indicating that the deal was not with the Kings. He cited another NHL source claiming 14 of the teams on Ullmark’s 16-team no-trade list are all in the Western Conference.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If that’s the case, moving Ullmark in the offseason could get complicated if that’s the Bruins’ intent following this season.
BLUES RETAIN PAVEL BUCHNEVICH
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Lou Korac reports St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong declined to say if there was any interest in Pavel Buchnevich leading up to the trade deadline. However, he said he was very pleased with the 28-year-old winger’s performance and hoped to sign him to a contract extension this summer. Buchnevich is signed through 2024-25 with an AAV of $5.8 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t know how many teams called about Buchnevich. The media rumor mill had him high on the list of top trade candidates leading up to the deadline. Armstrong probably got a lot of calls about him, but it’s believed his high asking price discouraged potential suitors.
SENATORS HANG ONTO JAKOB CHYCHRUN
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Senators GM Steve Staios insisted for the last two months that his club wasn’t trying to trade Jakob Chychrun. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old defenseman was the subject of rumors leading up to Friday’s trade deadline.
The assumption was the market for Chychrun would pick up once the Vegas Golden Knights acquired blueliner Noah Hanifin earlier this week. The Tampa Bay Lightning were said to be among the suitors.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chychrun has a year remaining on his contract. Staios has said he’d like to sign him to a contract extension this summer. Perhaps he’ll gauge Chychrun’s value in the trade market if the two sides fail to agree to a new deal.