NHL Rumor Mill – March 29, 2024
NHL Rumor Mill – March 29, 2024
The relationship between Evander Kane and the Oilers hits a rough patch, re-signing Sam Reinhart is getting expensive for the Panthers, and the latest on the Devils in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
HAS EVANDER KANE WORN OUT HIS WELCOME IN EDMONTON?
OILERS NATION: Michael Mazzei believes the relationship between Evander Kane and the Edmonton Oilers has hit a rough patch. The 32-year-old winger started the season strong but has just 15 points in his last 36 games and no goals in his last 18 contests.
Kane voiced displeasure over his reduced ice time and was a healthy scratch in a recent game with the Ottawa Senators. Mazzei cited Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggesting there’s a disconnect between Kane and the Oilers’ front office over the state of things.
Seravalli thinks Kane’s act is wearing thin in Edmonton, suggesting it may be something the Oilers end up having to address before his contract is up in two years. He added that there’s nothing imminent in terms of the club trying to move off his contract.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau believes the Oilers will need Kane to ratchet up his game when the playoffs start next month. If not, he speculates they might approach the winger in the offseason to see if it makes sense to move him elsewhere.
Proteau points out that Kane carries an average annual value of $5.125 million. He also carries a full no-movement clause to the end of next season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane could still be feeling the aftereffects of that horrific wrist injury he suffered last season. However, he seemed to return to form during the first half of this season.
Unless Kane’s battling an undisclosed injury, he must step up over the remainder of this season and the playoffs. As Proteau points out, they’re not getting their money’s worth from him lately.
Kane’s history of wearing out his welcome with the Jets, Sabres and Sharks will make it difficult for the Oilers to move his contract this summer if he’s open to another trade.
REINHART GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE FOR THE PANTHERS TO RE-SIGN
TSN: In Tuesday’s edition of “Insider Trading”, Darren Dreger speculated Sam Reinhart’s career season could make it difficult for the Florida Panthers to sign him to a new contract.
Reinhart is completing a three-year contract with an AAV of $6.5 million. The 28-year-old winger can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He recently reached the 50-goal plateau (51) this season for the first time and also reached a career-high in points with 85 and counting.
Dreger said negotiations haven’t started yet but there is good dialogue between them. He believes it will be expensive fro the Panthers to re-sign Reinhart, pointing to what William Nylander got from the Toronto Maple Leafs (eight years, $92 million) and Elias Pettersson recently signed with the Vancouver Canucks (eight years. $92.8 million).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dreger believes the Panthers will take a run at signing Reinhart. However, he wondered how many big-number contracts they could comfortably afford.
The Panthers already have Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky with AAVs of $10 million, Matthew Tkachuk at $9.5 million (and doesn’t that look like a steal now) and Aaron Ekblad earning $7.5 million annually through 2024-25.
Reinhart might be willing to leave some money on the table to stay in Florida. However, I now doubt he’ll accept less than Tkachuk’s $9.5 million.
LATEST ON THE DEVILS
THE ATHLETIC: In a recent interview with Pierre LeBrun, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald indicated which areas of his roster he hopes to build up for next season.
Finding a starting goaltender remains his priority. He attempted to acquire Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames and inquired into the availability of Nashville Predators netminder Juuse Saros.
Asked if Flames GM Craig Conroy should expect to hear from him again this summer, Fitzgerald replied with a chuckle, “Not just Craig.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fitzgerald said following the March 8 trade deadline he’ll be going “big-game hunting” for a goaltender in this summer’s trade market. He acquired Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens but sees Allen sharing the net in a 1A, 1B system.
Besides Markstrom and Saros, Fitzgerald could also target Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins or John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks.
Fitzgerald will also look for a full-time head coach after firing Lindy Ruff on March 4.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: During Thursday’s “Insider Trading”, LeBrun said interim coach Travis Green is a serious candidate to take over the role full-time. However, he thinks Fitzgerald will probably still consider other candidates.
The Devils GM is happy with the amount of skill on his roster. However, he’d like to add more physicality on the wing.
They lost Miles Wood last summer to free agency. Earlier this year, they lost Michael McLeod after he was among five players charged with sexual assault in London, Ontario stemming from an alleged incident when they were members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team.