NHL Rumor Mill – November 11, 2023
NHL Rumor Mill – November 11, 2023
Possible destinations for Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov following his trade request and some recent Sharks speculation in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
WHERE COULD THE FLAMES SHIP ZADOROV?
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s the big question following last night’s report that Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov requested a trade through his agent. So, let’s dive in and see…
TSN: Pierre LeBrun confirmed the report by ESPN’s Kevin Weekes that Zadorov requested a trade through his agent Dan Milstein yesterday. His camp is hoping for a quick resolution.
Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov (NHL Images).
Chris Johnston reports the pending unrestricted free-agent defenseman would welcome a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before Weekes’ report of Zadorov’s request broke, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox and The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel included him among three Flames defensemen they felt the Leafs should target in the trade market. The others were Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, who are also slated to become UFAs next summer.
They agree that Hanifin would be the most expensive to acquire. He and Tanev also have modified no-trade clauses with Hanifin having an eight-team no-trade list and Tanev having 10 teams on his.
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: James Nichols cited a source saying Zadorov would welcome a trade to the Devils.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bidding war! Well, that’s what the Flames will hope for given Zadorov’s lack of no-trade protection and his reasonable $3.75 million cap hit for this season. They’ll ship him to the team that will give them the best return.
THE ATHLETIC: Julian McKenzie wonders what the Flames’ asking price will be for Zadorov. Given the club’s intent to get younger and their need for speed and skill, McKenzie speculates they could obtain draft picks or a young prospect for Zadorov.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Devils’ deep prospect pool gives them an advantage over the Leafs in that regard. Cap space, however, will be a sticking point for both clubs.
The Flames might have to retain salary or take back a player with a comparable cap hit to make this work for the Leafs or Devils. It’ll be interesting to see if other clubs get into the bidding here.
RECENT SHARKS SPECULATION
THE ATHLETIC: Eric Duhatschek recently observed that the San Jose Sharks had hoped pending UFAs Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair and Kevin Labanc would be of interest to playoff contenders as trade-deadline rentals. However, they’re off to terrible starts and would have zero value at the moment.
If the Flames felt their season was salvageable, Duhatschek wondered if they might acquire Duclair and reunite him with Jonathan Huberdeau. The duo developed some offensive chemistry during their time with the Florida Panthers.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Max Miller reported Sharks general manager Mike Grier wasn’t worried about the trade value of those on expiring contracts. “I think all those guys have a pretty good track record of who they are and producing and things like that,” he said.
DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli noted that the Sharks need to figure out where high-price forwards like Tomas Hertl and captain Logan Couture fit into the club’s future.
Seravalli noted there will only be room to move one of them if they need to retain salary to facilitate a trade. They only have one salary-retention spot left after using two of them on Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. Servalli speculates that Hertl could generate more interest than Couture.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s no indication Hertl and/or Couture want out of San Jose. However, Grier said back in September that he would listen if they asked to be moved and explore that option if it made sense for the team.
The most likely trade candidates remain those pending free agents. Of those three, Duclair has the most value given his 31-goal season in 2021-22 and his solid performance during the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring.
