Dubois and Laine Dominate NHL Training Camp Rumor Mill
Dubois and Laine Dominate NHL Training Camp Rumor Mill
NHL Rumor Mill – January 6, 2021
NHL Rumor Mill – January 6, 2021
Updates on Patrik Laine, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mathew Barzal, and more in today’s NHL rumor mill.
SPORTSNET: In his first “31 Thoughts” column of 2021, Elliotte Friedman weighed in on the future of Patrik Laine with the Winnipeg Jets. The 22-year-old has been the subject of trade speculation for some time.
Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine (NHL Images).
Friedman said Laine arrived in Winnipeg with the understanding he could be a Jet for the entire season. If Laine wants a trade his best option is to fill the net with pucks.
The Philadelphia Flyers considered acquiring the winger a few months ago but the cost in assets and salary proved too expensive. Friedman feels the Columbus Blue Jackets could be a suitor if Laine were to commit to staying in Columbus, assuming a trade could be worked out.
Speaking of the Blue Jackets, Friedman feels there currently isn’t much optimism in fixing the situation between the organization and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 22-year-old center reportedly seeks a trade despite signing a two-year contract last week.
Several sources tell Friedman not to lay blame for this situation solely at the feet of Jackets head coach John Tortorella. The feeling is Dubois wants to perform on a bigger stage. In other words, a bigger market.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some folks have suggested swapping Laine for Dubois, but getting either player to commit to their new cities could be the big sticking point. Winnipeg wouldn’t fit Dubois’ supposed desire to play in a big market.
As I’ve said before, moving Laine or Dubois seems unlikely during the regular season. Right now, they’re both too important to their respective clubs’ playoff hopes. It could also prove difficult to find suitable returns before the Apr. 12 trade deadline. I’m expecting they’ll get shopped during the offseason.
Friedman feels a long-term deal between the New York Islanders and Mathew Barzal doesn’t seem likely because of the team’s salary-cap situation. He expects the Barzal camp prefers contracts comparable to Toronto’s Mitch Marner or Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen but that’s not possible for the Isles at this point. Friedman speculates Barzal could get a two- or three-year deal worth around $6 million per season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barzal is in camp though he can’t train with his teammates until he’s under contract. The Isles could go as high as $7 million annually for Barzal but I agree it’ll be a short-term deal with the promise of a long, lucrative contract down the road.
The Isles have also tried to move defenseman Thomas Hickey (with a sweetener). Half his $2.5 million cap hit for this season has been paid out in a signing bonus. He’s got one year left on his contract.
The Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils are among the clubs interested in free-agent defenseman Ben Hutton.
Every time Friedman sees a commercial starring Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, he wonders if they’ll find a way to play together someday.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Unless it’s as teammates with Team Canada in the Olympics or the World Cup of Hockey, don’t expect to see that happen in the NHL anytime soon.
MacKinnon, 25, is the Colorado Avalanche’s franchise player. While his contract expires in 2023, the Avs will open the vault to keep him in Denver. The 33-year-old Crosby’s best seasons may be behind him but he remains the Penguins’ top player and among the league’s elite. He’s also under contract until 2025 with a full no-movement clause.
NHL Divisional Realignment Rekindles Historic Rivalries
NHL Divisional Realignment Rekindles Historic Rivalries
NHL Rumor Mill – December 17, 2020
NHL Rumor Mill – December 17, 2020
Could the Flyers attempt to acquire Jets winger Patrik Laine? Will the Bruins sign Mike Hoffman? Should the Senators bring back Anthony Duclair? Travis Hamonic to Vancouver? Corey Perry to Toronto? Check out the latest in today’s NHL rumor mill.
NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Jordan Hall cites a source claiming the Flyers “have had interest” in Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine. He also pointed out The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported in early October the Flyers and Jets held trade discussions but those talks cooled.
Could the Philadelphia Flyers revisit their interest in Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine? (NHL Images)
Hall expects the Laine trade speculation will continue throughout 2020-21 due to the winger’s restricted free agent status at season’s end. He anticipates the Flyers’ interest could pick up depending on team needs, the value of trade chips and a greater feel for the season in general.
Landing Laine won’t be easy because of the Jets’ asking price and the Flyers’ ability to make room for the sniper. The flattened salary cap will complicate things, especially with goalie Carter Hart and Travis Sanheim due for new contracts next summer and Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier eligible for UFA status in 2022.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The struggles of the Flyers’ leading scorers during the 2020 playoffs could account for general manager Chuck Fletcher’s rumored interest in Laine. He’d be a good replacement for Giroux if the Flyers let him depart via free agency in 2022.
The Jets will set a high asking price for Laine, especially if he has a strong performance this season. It’s believed they’ll want a top-pairing defenseman in return or a young blueliner with top-two potential as part of a package deal.
Cap Friendly shows the Flyers with over $2.2 million in cap space. They’ll have to give up a salaried player to create room for Laine’s $6.75 million cap hit. Flyers fans will pitch Shayne Gostisbehere but Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could ask for Ivan Provorov straight up or Philippe Myers as part of a package deal.
The Jets could move Laine before the season opens in mid-to-late January, but I believe they’ll hang onto him and see how things unfold during the 2021 offseason. His unhappiness over his second-line role with the Jets could change once he’s reunited with Paul Stastny as his center.
OTTAWA SUN: Don Brennan wonders what’s taking so long for the Boston Bruins and Mike Hoffman to hook up. He believes a one-year deal would suit both sides well, citing TSN’s Dave Poulin considering Hoffman a good fit with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk on the Bruins’ second line. Brennan acknowledged they’ll have to shed some salary to make room for Hoffman but believes GM Don Sweeney could pull it off.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brennan and Poulin aren’t the only pundits floating the notion of Hoffman signing with the Bruins. Wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak could miss the start of the season recovering from offseason injuries but they won’t be out of action for long.
The Bruins have over $2.9 million in cap space but he’s reportedly seeking a one-year deal starting at $5.5 million. That explains why the two sides haven’t “hooked up” yet. The bigger concern for the Bruins could be a blueline weakened by the departure of Torey Krug to St. Louis and uncertainty over Zdeno Chara’s status.
Brennan also cited Poulin suggesting Anthony Duclair should pick up the phone and call Senators GM Pierre Dorion. He agrees with Poulin that the Senators remain the best fit for the 25-year-old winger.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I wouldn’t rule out Duclair returning to the Senators but it’ll certainly be on their terms. He had his chance to get a reportedly reasonable short-term deal in Ottawa but decided to act as his own agent and test the market. Maybe he’s already got a deal lined up with another club that’s awaiting word on the start of the season before officially announcing the contract. We’ll find out soon enough.
Poulin also sees UFA defenseman Travis Hamonic joining the Vancouver Canucks and advised UFA winger Corey Perry to home to the Toronto Maple Leafs. “Join Jason Spezza and Joe Thornton and have some fun. They won’t need you until the playoffs anyway.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks could get some wiggle room to sign Hamonic by placing Micheal Ferland ($3.5 million AAV) on LTIR. They could also demote trade or demote one of their 15 forwards in a cost-cutting move for Hamonic. However, I still think the Manitoba native could end up signing with the Jets when they place Bryan Little ($5.29 million AAV) on LTIR.
The Leafs have Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Wayne Simmonds and Jimmy Vesey as their right wingers for this season. Nylander or Vesey could shift to left wing to make room for Perry, but the Leafs are already above the cap by over $1.04 million. They’ll get under the cap by demoting a player or two but that still won’t leave room for Perry unless they do some more cap juggling, maybe by acquiring an LTIR contract or a cost-cutting trade.
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 9, 2020
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 9, 2020
More details on the plans to open the 2020-21 season on Jan. 13, the Flyers sign Philippe Myers, the Panthers’ expand their goalie coaching staff, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
MORE DETAILS EMERGE REGARDING 2020-21 NHL SEASON PLANS
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the NHL understands that COVID-19 could affect the 2020-21 schedule. They are working on some empty days within the schedule to allow postponed games to be played.
LeBrun also indicates the league cannot go into a shortened season during a pandemic with the same rules governing roster limits. A proposal has been made to the NHLPA for expanded rosters indicating how many players each club can carry and “taxi squads”.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a taxi squad is a group of players under contract with a team who practice with the club but aren’t on the roster. They are allowed to join the team if injuries occur. Taxi squads would address the difficulties of attempting to call up players from the minors during the pandemic.
The NHLPA held a conference call yesterday to bring the 31 player reps up to speed on the latest development. A conference call with the NHL Board of Governors is slated for today.
Darren Dreger reports there will be an opt-out option for players unwilling to participate in the coming season due to COVID-19. Mandatory vaccinations have also been discussed and agreed upon by the NHL and NHLPA.
Frank Seravalli reports the Canadian teams that lack AHL affiliates in Canada (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) will use the taxi squad system to keep some players stashed in their home cities. The other four clubs plan to play their AHL affiliates in an all-Canadian division.
He also reports there won’t be any compliance buyouts to allow teams to garner cap relief by shedding salary without penalty.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Normal buyouts for players 26-and-older count against the salary cap as two-thirds the remaining value over twice the remaining term of the contract and one-third over twice the remaining term for players 25-and-younger.
Seravalli indicates local health authorities will play a role in determining if certain teams, such as the San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets, will be allowed to open the season in their home arenas.
It will take a two-thirds majority of the NHL board of governors to approve the plan for this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Recent reports indicated some owners would prefer not playing this season if they don’t get some financial relief to offset some of their losses from a shortened schedule. Speculation suggests they number around a half-dozen, which wouldn’t be sufficient to vote down the plan for this season.
The NHL and the NHLPA agreed to abide by the rules of the CBA, meaning the league has backed off from its request for $300 million in higher escrow and salary deferral from the players. The NHL might have to consider other options, such as taking out loans, to address that financial need for some of its unhappy owners.
ESPN.COM: Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan report the majority of the owners and players prefer a baseball-style three-game series. Hybrid bubbles or hub cities are a possibility to start the season, where teams would travel and play up to 10 games in two weeks and return home for a week.
Those hubs would be similar to those in Edmonton and Toronto during the playoffs but less strict. New Jersey, Columbus and Las Vegas are under consideration as those arenas have just one tenant, two sheets of ice and suitable nearby accommodation.
NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks reports clauses in television contracts requiring a certain number of games and/or weeks to fulfill obligations are a major factor in the sudden rush to start the season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fulfilling those obligations will also help the league in its quest for a more lucrative US national broadcasting deal following this season.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW’s Adrian Dater tweets a league source claims training camp will open on Jan. 3 with the regular season opening on Jan. 13. “It’s not official yet, but this is what the players are hearing/being told.”
TORONTO SUN: Former Sportsnet analyst John Shannon told Lance Hornby a Canadian division will provide unique challenges for travel and broadcasting games.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens sports science and performance director Pierre Allard is telling his players to ensure they’re ready for the upcoming season. The focus is on ensuring they’re in good health and condition to avoid injury during a compressed schedule.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s a concern undoubtedly shared by the other NHL clubs based on reports in recent weeks of players engaged in voluntary workouts and off-ice training to prepare for the coming season.
IN OTHER NEWS…
NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers announced Philippe Myers signed a three-year, $7.65 million contract. The 23-year-old defenseman was a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That $2.55 million annual average value is a very affordable deal for the Flyers. Myers is expected to skate alongside Ivan Provorov on their top defense pairing. If he thrives in that role he’ll be in line for a more lucrative long-term contract in three year’s time.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers hired Francois Allaire as a goaltending consultant. He’ll be reunited with former pupil Roberto Luongo, who’s now a special advisor to general manager Bill Zito.
TRIBLIVE.COM: Former Pittsburgh Penguins minor-league assistant coach Jarrod Skalde has accused the club of violating whistleblower laws after he reported a superior for sexually assaulting his wife. The lawsuit claims then-Penguins assistant GM Bill Guerin informed Skalde the superior was being terminated from his position but instructed him the reasons had to be kept quiet and not be let out. Guerin, now GM of the Minnesota Wild, denies the allegation.
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 8, 2020
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 8, 2020
NHL, NHLPA target 56-game schedule starting Jan. 13, agree not to change the economic framework of CBA extension. Details and more in the morning coffee headlines.
SPORTSNET/TSN: Elliotte Friedman and Darren Dreger reported the NHL and NHLPA continue discussions aimed at a 56-game schedule beginning Jan. 13. Friedman indicates that includes “Training camps, opt-outs, testing, the schedule, the playoffs, re-alignment, you name it.”
Friedman also reports last season’s non-playoff clubs would begin training camp on Dec. 28 while the other 24 clubs begin on Jan. 1. It appears there won’t be any exhibition games. He also believes a short-term “hub plan” is being worked on but the preference remains for all teams playing in their home arenas. A potential problem is staging training camps in cities with strict COVID-19 restrictions such as Montreal, San Jose and Winnipeg.
Pierre LeBrun reports the plan will require approval from the NHL board of governors and the NHLPA membership. Friedman said there’s a desire to have it ready for approval by the end of this week.
The stalemate between the NHL and NHLPA over the league’s requests for increased escrow and salary deferral rates has ended with both sides agreeing the economic framework of the CBA won’t be changed.
Friedman and Dreger reported the players refused to consider any changes to escrow. On Sunday, they proposed to defer additional monies but wanted a significant concession from the league. Friedman reports one of their suggestions was a slight increase to the salary cap to put more money into the system. While that would’ve affected how much the players would have to give back to maintain the 50-50 revenue split, Friedman said the escrow caps in place weren’t a concern to the current group of players.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The dispute over the escrow and deferral rates was a significant obstacle. The players’ refusal to budge appears to have forced the league to consider other options to make up a potential revenue shortfall.
A cap on escrow was what the players wanted and they were justified in insisting the league abide by the agreement. They could end up owing the league much more in escrow debt toward the end of the CBA extension but they seem willing to accept that potential consequence.
Both sides want to stage a season because there’s a lot at stake here. They cannot afford not to play when other major pro leagues are carrying on with their respective schedules. There are broadcasting and advertising contracts to be honored and the potential for a lucrative new US TV deal at the end of this season.
Some readers suggested the league could afford to shut down this season because of the three lockouts since 1994-95. The difference is league headquarters and the team owners were financially prepared for work stoppages arising from labor disputes with the NHLPA. They weren’t ready for the effects of a pandemic, plus they would face a strong legal challenge from the PA.
So how will the NHL find the $300 million they tried to squeeze from the players to stage this season? ESPN.com’s Emily Kaplan reports sources are saying the league is looking into a loan plan similar to that used by the NBA to provide its teams with cash to protect their finances ahead of this season.
That Jan. 13 start date could be flexible. Prior to last night’s reports, Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley told Fox Business the season could open on Jan. 15 with the possibility it might have to slide by a week or two. Nevertheless, Foley is confident his club will be playing this season at their home arena, though it could be without fans in attendance.
IN OTHER NEWS…
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER’s Sam Carchidi reports the Flyers are close to agreeing to a contract with Philippe Myers. “Could happen this week.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Myers is a restricted free agent coming out of his entry-level contract. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets a bridge contract or a long-term deal. We can probably expect signings of RFAs and unrestricted free agents will pick up once the Jan. 13 start date for this season is formally approved.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning hired Rob Zettler to replace departed assistant coach Todd Richards. Zettler, a former NHL defenseman, is also the former head coach of the Lightning’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse. He worked as an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks from 2017 to 2019.
IIHF.COM: International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel and general secretary Horst Lichtner have tested positive for COVID-19. This will not affect the IIHF’s preparations for the upcoming 2021 World Junior Championship in Edmonton.
SPORTSNET: The entire Northeast Division of the ECHL plus the Atlanta Gladiators and Norfolk Admirals have suspended play for the 2020-21 season under the league’s COVID-19 policy. The teams intend to return in 2021-22. Most are minor-league affiliates for several NHL clubs.
TORONTO STAR: A mint condition 1979 Wayne Gretzky card could become hockey’s first $1 million collectible card.