NHL Rumor Mill – January 14, 2025

by | Jan 14, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – January 14, 2025

What type of player could the Leafs target at the trade deadline? Are the Kraken ready to become sellers in the trade market? What’s the latest on Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LEAFS SEEKING DEPTH AT CENTER

TORONTO STAR: Kevin McGran reports Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said his club would like to improve their depth at the center position.

“We, probably along with 15 or 18 other teams, are looking at center depth,” said Treliving, calling it “the position du jour” around the league this season.

The Leafs are using Max Domi as their third-line center but he’s better suited for the wing. They’ve also tried Pontus Holmberg, David Kampf and Fraser Minten at that position.

Could the Toronto Maple Leafs target Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton in the trade market? (NHL Images).

McGran speculated possible trade targets could include Scott Laughton of the Philadelphia Flyers, Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators, Ryan Strome of the Anaheim Ducks, and Nick Bjugstad of the Utah Hockey Club. He also said Treliving doesn’t sound keen to move a prospect like Minten or Easton Cowan to address that need.

THE ATHLETIC: Joshua Kloke also included Laughton, O’Reilly and Bjugstad among his list of possible Leafs trade targets. He also mentioned Yanni Gourde of the Seattle Kraken.

Kloke observed the Leafs lack a first-round pick in his year’s draft to use as trade barter. They have their second-rounder in this year’s draft plus their first-rounders for 2026 and 2027. He agrees that Minten and Cowan probably aren’t going anywhere.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs are in “win-now” mode but not at the expense of the youngsters within their system. Treliving could part with his second-rounders and his future firsts for the right center, preferably one with term remaining on their contract.

KRAKEN COULD BECOME TRADE-DEADLINE SELLERS

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman speculates the Seattle Kraken could make some roster changes by the trade deadline as the losses mount. That could include moving some players other than their pending UFAs by the deadline.

Friedman said he’s heard forwards Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand are “out there” in the trade market. The 29-year-old Burakovsky is signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $5.5 million. Bjorkstrand (also 29) is signed through 2025-26 with an AAV of $5.4 million. Both players have 10-team no-trade lists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Friedman mentioned the Kraken’s prospect pool isn’t deep enough because the franchise hasn’t been around long enough. They could seek draft picks and prospects if they move Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand.

ANDERSSON WANTS TO REMAIN WITH THE FLAMES

CALGARY SUN: Wes Gilbertson reports Rasmus Andersson has been the subject of debate among Flames fans. Some believe the 28-year-old defenseman is a key piece of the club’s future while others think he could command a significant return in this season’s trade market.

Andersson said he hopes he stays in Calgary. He acknowledged he has little say apart from his six-team no-trade list. However, no one in management has indicated yet that he won’t be with the club after March 7.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Andersson would draw plenty of attention if he becomes available in the trade market.

Flames GM Craig Conroy showed a willingness last season to make bold moves even if it cost his club a playoff berth. He’s also proven willing to retain players who want to stay and be part of the club’s future.

Conroy could listen if a rival GM makes an incredible offer, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he keeps Andersson and signs him to a contract extension in July.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 30, 2024

by | Oct 30, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 30, 2024

Alex Ovechkin continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, Penguins fans salute Marc-Andre Fleury in his last game in Pittsburgh, the Red Wings ship Olli Maatta to Utah, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin continued to pursue Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, tallying twice in a 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Aliaksei Protas has a goal and two assists for the Capitals, who improved their record to 6-2-0. Igor Shesterkin made 41 saves for the Rangers, who were outshot 46-19 by the Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun left this game in the first period with an upper-body injury. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery mentioned a little concern in his postgame press conference but didn’t know the extent of the injury.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (NHL Images).

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves as his club beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 in what is likely his final game in Pittsburgh. Frederick Gaudreau scored twice and collected an assist and Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists for the Wild. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had three assists and teammate Rickard Rakell scored two goals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fleury began his NHL career in Pittsburgh, playing 13 seasons for the Penguins and helping them win three Stanley Cups. He intends to retire at the end of this season. The fans chanted Fleury’s name following the game as he saluted the crowd to a standing ovation.

Pittsburgh has lost six straight (0-5-1) and sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. They also announced winger Bryan Rust is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

The Seattle Kraken thumped the Montreal Canadiens 8-2. Brandon Montour led the way with his first career hat trick and added an assist while Chandler Stephenson had two helpers for the Kraken. Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault got the hook after giving up five goals on 10 shots. Canadiens winger Cole Caufield sniped his ninth goal, tying New Jersey’s Nico Hischier for the league goal-scoring lead.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Montour and Stephenson came to Seattle as free agents this summer. Their performance against the Canadiens puts them among the Kraken’s leading scorers.

Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle scored two goals and collected two assists as his club crushed the St. Louis Blues 8-1. Brady Tkachuk and Adam Gaudette each scored twice and Linus Ullmark turned aside 26 shots. Blue goalie Joel Hofer was pulled after giving up five goals on 21 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The start of this game was briefly delayed by a power outage at Canadian Tire Centre due to electrical storms in the area. Blues winger Kasperi Kapanen left this game with an upper-body injury in the second period. There was no postgame word regarding his condition. Before the game, the Blues announced forward Alexey Toropchenko agreed to a one-year contract extension worth $1.7 million. 

Philadelphia Flyers netminder Samuel Ersson made 23 saves to shut out the Boston Bruins 2-0. Tyler Foerster and Joel Farabee were the goal scorers. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 17 shots for the Bruins (4-5-1) as they slipped into last place in the Atlantic Division.

The San Jose Sharks doubled up the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 to pick up their second straight win after starting the season 0-7-2. Jake Walman had a goal and two assists and Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves for Los Tiburones. Akil Thomas and Alex Laferriere replied for the Kings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kings forward Kevin Fiala was a healthy scratch for missing a team meeting. Meanwhile, the Sharks placed Ty Dellandrea (upper body) on injured reserve. 

Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal kicked out 40 shots, including 17 in the first period, in a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders. Frank Vatrano and Mason McTavish each had two points for the Ducks. Mathew Barzal scored for the Isles.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

HEADLINES

MLIVE.COM: The Detroit Red Wings traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah needed to add some experienced depth to their injury-battered blueline with Sean Durzi and John Marino out for months recovering from surgeries. The 30-year-old Maatta has averaged over 18 minutes of ice time per game in his 11 NHL seasons and won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers called up forwards Noah Philp and Drake Caggiula from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield as they await word on the severity of Connor McDavid’s leg injury. The Oilers captain was sidelined on Monday after falling awkwardly into the boards during the opening shift against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

SPORTSNET: The NHL’s department of player safety fined Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin $5,000 for high-sticking Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell.

CALGARY SUN: Flames captain Mikael Backlund is scheduled to play in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game when his club faces Utah HC on Wednesday.

SPORTSNET: The Toronto Maple Leafs sent forward Fraser Minten to their AHL affiliate.

RG.ORG: Hockey Hall-of-Famer Sergei Zubov believes Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov and Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov represent the future of Russian Hockey. Zubov praised Michkov’s focus on goal scoring and Demidov’s growth playing alongside veterans like former NHL center Evgeny Kuznetsov.

TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons ponders the mystery of Alexander Mogilny’s exclusion from the Hockey Hall of Fame.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Simmons isn’t the only person wondering why the HHoF continues to snub Mogilny. The Sun scribe says he’s asked several Hall of Fame voters about it but they’re sworn to secrecy about the selection process.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 16, 2024

by | Sep 16, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 16, 2024

The Blue Jackets sign James van Riemsdyk, the Devils bring in Kevin Labanc on a PTO, and Antti Raanta ends his NHL career. Check out the details on these stories and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets signed free-agent winger James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $900K contract.

The 35-year-old van Riemsdyk had 38 points in 71 games with the Boston Bruins last season. He’s a 15-season NHL veteran with previous stops with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers.

Columbus Blue Jackets sign winger James van Riemsdyk (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This signing came shortly after Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell indicated his intention to shore up his forward depth by signing veteran players. Waddell probably isn’t done making additions via free agency and we can’t rule out a trade.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils are reportedly close to signing Kevin Labanc to a professional tryout offer. The 28-year-old winger spent the past eight seasons with the San Jose Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Labanc was once a promising forward with the Sharks, reaching a career-high of 17 goals and 56 points in 82 games during the 2018-19 season. He hasn’t regained those heights as his production and ice time declined.

DAILY FACEOFF: Antti Raanta is ending his NHL career after 11 seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. The 35-year-old Finnish goaltender intends to continue his playing career in Europe.

Raanta had a record of 139 wins, 80 losses, and 20 overtime losses in 277 NHL regular-season games with a 2.48 goals-against average, a save percentage of .915, and 20 shutouts. He also had a 9-9 record in the playoffs with a 2.48 GAA, a .911 SP and one shutout.

THE BUFFALO NEWS: Jack Quinn hopes to bounce back from a torn Achilles tendon and a broken left fibula that limited him to 19 points in 27 games during his sophomore campaign last season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Quinn showed considerable promise as an offensive forward during his rookie season with 37 points in 75 games. He also put up solid numbers despite last season’s setbacks. A healthy 2024-25 could see the 22-year-old winger become invaluable to the Sabres’ offense.

SPORTSNET: Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten left Sunday’s prospect game in Montreal during the second period following a hit by Canadiens defenseman David Reinbacher. He did not return as he was held out of the remainder of the game for precautionary reasons.

RG.ORG: Speaking of the Canadiens, top prospect Ivan Demidov scored his first career goal in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. Former Washington Capitals star Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up the primary assist. The 18-year-old Demidov was chosen fifth overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.