NHL Rumor Mill – March 19, 2024
NHL Rumor Mill – March 19, 2024
An update on the Canucks’ Elias Lindholm and Filip Hronek plus some recent news on Chris Tanev, Jacob Markstrom and Linus Ullmark in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
UPDATES ON LINDHOLM AND HRONEK
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reports Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin is noncommittal about re-signing Elias Lindholm, who was acquired from the Calgary Flames in January.
Allvin said he spoke with Lindholm’s representatives following the trade expressing an interest in signing the 29-year-old center to a contract extension. “But obviously it’s got to work for both sides. We’ll see,” he said, pointing out that it’s been an adjustment period for Lindholm since the trade.
The Canucks GM told LeBrun that those contract discussions will likely occur following this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lindholm is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He’s in the final season of a six-year contract with an average annual value of $4.85 million.
The Canucks have $25.5 million in projected salary-cap space for 2024-25 with 13 active roster players under contract. They can afford to re-sign Lindholm, however, that will depend on how long it takes to adjust to their style of play and how much he’s seeking on his next deal.
Lindholm won’t lack suitors if he goes to market on July 1. The Boston Bruins could be among them as they were frequently linked to him in trade rumors leading up to the recent deadline.
CHEK-TV’s Rick Dhaliwal cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggesting the “sweet spot” in the Canucks’ contract extension talks with Filip Hronek is an AAV of $7.5 million. He believes it could cause problems if the 26-year-old defenseman seeks more.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hronek is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and a year away from UFA eligibility. He’s in the final season of a three-year deal worth an AAV of $4.4 million.
Those problems Friedman alluded to could be how much Hronek’s new contract would bite into the Canucks cap space and the potential for an arbitration hearing. The latter could result in a one-year deal that could guarantee his departure as a UFA next July.
TIDBITS FROM “KYPER’S KORNER”
TORONTO STAR: In his recent “Kyper’s Korner,” Nick Kypreos wrote that the cost of a contract extension for Chris Tanev also factored into why the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t trade for him before the deadline. He claimed the Tanev camp sought $5 million per season but it could go lower if the 34-year-old defenseman got a fourth year.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tanev will be 35 in December. The Leafs were wise not to go for that deal.
Kypreos claimed Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom and Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark refused to waive their no-trade clauses to go to the Los Angeles Kings before the recent trade deadline.
He wrote that Markstrom had no interest in being on the West Coast while Ullmark believes the Bruins have a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup than the Kings.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kypreos wondered where Los Angeles’ “Tinseltown magic” to draw players has gone. I’m not sure that has anything specific with the Kings or LA. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kevin Fiala quickly signed new contracts after being traded to the Kings.
Markstrom’s situation is weird due to conflicting reports regarding a possible move to New Jersey last month. He wasn’t happy with how Flames management handled the situation as he didn’t want that distraction during the season.
It’s worth mentioning that Markstrom spent seven seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. He didn’t seem to mind being on the West Coast then. Maybe Kypreos was referring to the California coast.
Ullmark was rumored to have nixed a deal with the Kings but there are also reports that they weren’t the club he would’ve been sent to had the trade gone through. It’s also believed that 14 of the 16 teams on his no-trade list are Western Conference clubs.
The Kings have over $22 million in projected cap space for next season. That’s plenty of room to acquire an expensive goaltender via this summer’s trade market if they need an upgrade at that position. We’ll have to wait until then to see if they are having difficulty attracting players with no-trade clauses in their contracts.