NHL Rumor Mill – July 29, 2024

by | Jul 29, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – July 29, 2024

Which clubs could become trade destinations for Patrik Laine? What’s the latest on the Jets? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE LATEST ON PATRIK LAINE

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline believes it’s difficult to determine which NHL clubs could become trade destinations for Patrik Laine. The 26-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets winger was cleared Friday from the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Laine can begin trade discussions with the Columbus Blue Jackets and interested teams can also speak with him.

Portzline points out that only six teams (Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks and Utah Hockey Club) have sufficient cap space to take on his $8.7 million annual cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Most of the Hurricanes’ cap space will be taken up by re-signing restricted free agents Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis. The same goes for the Red Wings with Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond.

The list more than doubles if the Blue Jackets retain up to half of Laine’s cap hit or take back a salaried player in return. Jackets general manager Don Waddell prefers the latter option.

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine (NHL Images).

Portzline suggested Anaheim and Carolina as possible destinations, with the Montreal Canadiens having an outside shot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Ducks have the cap space to take on Laine’s full cap hit and he could provide a welcome boost to their offense. Nevertheless, they seem set on their wings for this season with Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, Alex Killorn, Ryan Strome, Robby Fabbri and the promising Cutter Gauthier.

The Hurricanes are a possibility if they trade Martin Necas, perhaps swapping him for Laine or peddling him to another team. Otherwise, they’ll have difficulty finding sufficient cap room to do this.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens have around $7.9 million in cap space but can get an additional $10 million if necessary by placing permanently sidelined goaltender Carey Price on long-term injury reserve. They would probably prefer the Jackets retain a healthy chunk of Laine’s cap hit, assuming they’ll take the gamble on adding Laine to their rebuilding roster at this stage of his career.

Laine also has a 10-team no-trade list. Some of those clubs might be on it.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: George Richards pointed out that Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is one of Laine’s best friends. The Jackets winger knows Florida’s other Finnish players like Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola.

Richards also noted that Laine’s best seasons were with the Winnipeg Jets under Paul Maurice, who now coaches the Panthers.

Nevertheless, Richards doesn’t see Laine joining the Panthers anytime soon, suggesting that might be possible in two years when he’s a free agent.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers only have $766K of cap space for 2024-25. They’d have to ship out some salary to make room for Laine.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Ken Wiebe puts the odds of Laine returning to the Jets at 10 and 15 percent. His contract is the significant sticking point as they couldn’t afford to take it on even if the Blue Jackets retained part of his cap hit. The Jackets’ asking price would also be an issue.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets have $5.8 million in cap space with Cole Perfetti due for a significant raise coming off his entry-level contract.

UPDATE ON THE JETS

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe provided an update on the standoff between the Jets and prospect Rutger McGroarty. The 20-year-old winger refused to sign an entry-level deal with the Jets and is returning to the University of Michigan in the fall.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s been a much-reported disconnect between McGroarty and the Jets over the club’s development plan for him. He sees himself as NHL-ready while they’d prefer he starts with their AHL affiliate. The Jets hold his NHL rights until Aug. 15, 2026.

McIntyre doesn’t expect the Jets to give up on McGroarty and trade him for pennies on the dollar. However, his mindset makes it difficult to find much of a trade market.

Wiebe noted plenty of discussions with other teams during last month’s NHL Draft and several close calls involving a trade. The Jets haven’t closed the door on smoothing over their relationship with McGroarty. Nevertheless, Wiebe thinks he could be part of an NHL trade deadline deal for a return that includes a defenseman with several years remaining on his contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McGroarty will be among the most-watched prospects in NCAA hockey this season. As Wiebe points out, the better he plays the more his value increases, to the Jets and on the trade market if he remains insistent on moving on to another NHL club.

Wiebe also noted some chatter around the draft indicating the Jets and Washington Capitals were considering a deal that would’ve included Capitals center Connor McMichael. He was bumped down the depth chart when Washington acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals could need salary-cap relief if T.J. Oshie doesn’t end up on LTIR to start this season. However, it’s doubtful they’ll part with the 23-year-old McMichael, who can be moved to left wing. He also carries an affordable $2.1 million AAV through 2025-26. Moving him now would also leave the Capitals scrambling to find a replacement in the depleted trade and free-agent markets.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 21, 2022

by | Nov 21, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 21, 2022

Evgeni Malkin scores in his milestone game, the Blackhawks honor Marian Hossa, the Kraken send Shane Wright to their AHL affiliate and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin scored in his 1,000th career NHL game as his club defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. Sidney Crosby scored and collected three assists as the Penguins improved to 9-7-3. Patrick Kane scored for the 6-9-3 Blackhawks, who honored Marian Hossa by retiring his No. 81 in a pregame ceremony.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Malkin joins Crosby as the only two players to play 1,000 games in a Penguins uniform. He has 20 points in 19 games this season and sits third all-time among Penguins scorers with 452 goals, 714 assists and 1,166 points.

Hossa spent seven of his 19 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks, helping them win three Stanley Cups. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov made 47 saves as he carried his club to a 5-3 upset of the Florida Panthers. Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists for the Blue Jackets (7-10-1) while the Panthers dropped to 9-8-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Blue Jackets placed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 15. He’s expected to miss one-to-two weeks with a hip injury.

HEADLINES

THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken have sent Shane Wright to their AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley on a one-time conditioning stint of five to 14 days. It is then expected he’ll be sent to play for Canada at next month’s IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships following his AHL stint. However, Kraken general manager Ron Francis indicated the club intends to recall him for a game or two before making that decision.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report also indicates the Kraken used a loophole in NHL rules to send Wright to the AHL. As a teenager drafted from major junior last summer, he wouldn’t ordinarily be eligible to be sent to the minors. However, it’s allowed if the player is a healthy scratch for five consecutive games, which is what happened in Wright’s case.

Wright, 18, was projected as the top prospect entering the 2022 NHL Draft but he slipped to fourth overall when he was chosen by the Kraken. He’s seen limited playing time in just seven games this season. He can play two more NHL games before the Kraken must decide if they’ll keep him for the remainder of the season or send him back to junior, thus avoiding using up the first year of his entry-level contract.

SPORTSNET: The Capitals have loaned Connor McMichael to their AHL affiliate in Hershey. After tallying 18 points in 68 games as a rookie last season, the 21-year-old center has been held scoreless in six games. He was chosen 25th overall by the Capitals in the 2019 draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals hoped McMichael would make a significant step forward in his sophomore campaign, especially as injuries began to deplete the lineup. His struggles have resulted in his name surfacing in recent trade rumors as the Capitals try to avoid sinking further in the standings.

TWINCITIES.COM: Speaking of promising players struggling at the NHL level, Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi was a healthy scratch on Saturday after being held to an assist in 16 games. It’s raising questions about whether it would be worthwhile to send the 21-year-old to their AHL affiliate to help him find his game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rossi was chosen ninth overall by the Wild in the 2020 NHL Draft. He missed the entire 2020-21 season to COVID-related complications but put up a respectable 53 points in 63 games last season with the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Iowa.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker will miss at least a month with a high-ankle sprain. Meanwhile, blueliner Thomas Chabot remains day-to-day with a concussion but has resumed skating again.










NHL Rumor Mill – November 19, 2022

by | Nov 19, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – November 19, 2022

Could the Capitals be interested in Canucks captain Bo Horvat or Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson? Should the Penguins make a move for a third-line forward? What’s the latest on the Flames? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST CAPITALS SPECULATION

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Sammi Silber cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wondering if the Capitals might pursue Bo Horvat if sidelined center Nicklas Backstrom’s playing career is over.

Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat (NHL Images).

Friedman noted that the Vancouver Canucks center is a shooter rather than a passer like Backstrom. The Capitals already have a shooter in captain Alex Ovechkin.

SPORTSNET (via NHL WATCHER): During the latest “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman suggested the Capitals as a possible destination for Erik Karlsson if the San Jose Sharks defenseman would agree to a trade.

Friedman observed the Capitals only have one defenseman under contract for 2023-24. He also suggested the Florida Panthers as a destination as they’ll have money coming off their salary-cap payroll next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the week, Silber speculated Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan might want to consider making a trade to bolster his struggling lineup while they’re still in playoff contention with the season still young. She noted recent rumors linking the Capitals to the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.

Acquiring someone like Horvat or Karlsson will be costly. Silber recently wondered at what point the Capitals would consider trading struggling sophomore center Connor McMichael. I think he’d almost certainly have to be part of a package for an impact player such as Horvat or Karlsson.

Whether such a deal can be made, however, is another story. The Capitals could lack sufficient tradeable assets to pry either guy away from their current teams.

SHOULD THE PENGUINS MAKE A MOVE OR TWO?

THE ATHLETIC: Rob Rossi suggested two moves the Pittsburgh Penguins could make to snap them out of their current rut.

One is placing Kasperi Kapanen on waivers due to his disappointing performance. Rossi doubted anyone would claim the underachieving winger’s contract and believes he should be sent to their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton once he clears waivers.

Rossi also believes the Penguins must find a role player with an edge for their third line. He suggested making a move for Nashville Predators winger Tanner Jeannot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I agree with Rossi’s take on Kapanen. He’s been in and out of the lineup of late and hasn’t contributed when he is playing. He could become a distraction for their farm team if he’s unhappy with demotion but, as Rossi suggests, the Penguins must be confident enough in their AHL coaching staff to handle the situation.

Adding a gritty role player like Jeannot is a good idea but I don’t believe the Predators are keen to part with him, at least not yet. The positives he could bring to the Penguins could also make him valuable to their current club. Perhaps that might change if the Preds fail to rise in the standings. For now, if the Penguins are in the market for such a forward they might have to consider other options.

UPDATE ON THE FLAMES

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Steve Macfarlane wonders if Adam Ruzicka’s recent promotion to the Flames’ top line might take them out of the trade market for a scoring forward. The 23-year-old winger has played well in that role thus far after being a healthy scratch in 10 of the Flames’ first 11 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Macfarlane admits we’ve only seen a small sample size of Ruzicka’s play on the top line thus far. In the five games since his promotion, however, he has two goals and five points. If Ruzicka can maintain that chemistry with Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli, it would take the pressure off management to shop around for another scorer.