Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – June 13, 2021
Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – June 13, 2021
Will the Bruins re-sign Taylor Hall? Could the Oilers target Jake DeBrusk? Can the Hurricanes afford to re-sign Dougie Hamilton? Check out the latest in the Sunday NHL rumor roundup.
LATEST ON THE BRUINS
NBC SPORTS BOSTON: On Friday, Nick Goss reported Taylor Hall is hoping to return with the Bruins. “I see a fit, and hopefully they feel the same way,” he said during his season-ending press conference.

Boston Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (NHL Images).
The 29-year-old left-winger played well after being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28.
Hall indicated he’s not looking to maximize his value at this point in his career. That suggests he’s looking more for term than dollars this time around. Goss believes the Bruins must re-sign Hall, pointing to their lack of secondary scoring depth without him.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Hall is looking at no more than $6 million annually, the Bruins could re-sign him to perhaps a four or five-year deal.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jim Matheson wondered if the Oilers should attempt to acquire winger Jake DeBrusk from the Bruins. The 24-year-old winger seems to have lost his way in Boston, spending time on his off-wing shuffling between the second and third lines.
The Bruins need to free up some cap space if they hope to re-sign Hall, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask. DeBrusk and his $3.65 million cap hit for next season could be manageable on the Oilers’ second line.
Matheson also wondered if the Oilers could have their eye on older, most-costly pending UFA left-wingers like Brandon Saad or Zach Hyman.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins were said to be concerned about giving up on DeBrusk too soon and watch him blossom elsewhere. That could change, however, if they need to clear cap room to retain older veterans. It could also depend upon what type of offers they get for DeBrusk. His status could be worth monitoring this summer.
UPDATE ON THE HURRICANES
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The respective contract statuses of defenseman Dougie Hamilton and head coach Rod Brind’Amour top Chip Alexander’s list of pressing questions facing the Carolina Hurricanes this summer.
Hamilton, 27, is due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28. Coming off a deal with an annual average value of $5.75 million, he could look around and see Washington’s John Carlson earning $8 million annually, Nashville’s Roman Josi making $9 million per, Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman checking in at $7.875 million and Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon at $7.57 million.
Brind’Amour is adamant about keeping his coaching staff together before re-signing with the Hurricanes. Alexander wondered if that’s become a snag in the contract talks.
Alexander also wondered if this season was the last for pending UFAs Petr Mrazek, Brock McGinn and Jordan Martinook.
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Ben Pope believes Hamilton could be the game-changing defenseman the Blackhawks need if he hits the open market next season. While recent rumors tied the Hawks to Columbus’ Seth Jones, Pope noted Jones’ offensive stats have declined in recent years. It would also cost the Blackhawks some young assets to acquire Jones in a trade.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hamilton wants to stay in Carolina and the Hurricanes want to keep him. Unless he’s willing to accept a little less than market value, the Hurricanes will have to pay big bucks to keep him. That could affect efforts to re-sign some of their other UFAs.
Hamilton would draw plenty of suitors on the open market. Whether the Blackhawks would be among them remains to be seen. They could prefer more affordable short-term options while waiting for young defensemen such as Adam Boqvist and Ian Mitchell to reach their potential.