NHL Rumor Mill – August 17, 2022
NHL Rumor Mill – August 17, 2022
The latest on Nazem Kadri and the Islanders, the Canadiens reportedly express an interest in Anthony Beauvillier and an update on Tyler Motte in today’s NHL rumor mill.
IS KADRI SIGNING WITH ISLANDERS COMING SOON?
NYI HOCKEY NOW: Stefen Rosner cited NHL insider John Shannon saying he believes the New York Islanders could soon sign Nazem Kadri, perhaps by the end of this week. Appearing on the Sekeres & Price podcast, Shannon felt the holdup was general manager Lou Lamoriello has to free up sufficient salary-cap space for Kadri’s contract.
Information about a player acquisition rarely leaks out from a team run by Lamoriello. Shannon expressed amazement that it had, adding he got the info “from a very good source” that it’s going to happen soon.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Shannon is among the more reliable NHL insiders. He isn’t the only one linking Kadri to the Islanders but is the first to suggest the 31-year-old center could be signing with them by week’s end.
The Islanders have over $11 million in salary-cap space with restricted free agents Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov and Kieffer Bellows to re-sign. It’s rumored they’ve offered Kadri a seven-year (!) contract worth an average annual value of $7 million.
They’ll have to shed a significant salary to free up enough room for all of them. Josh Bailey ($5 million AAV) and Anthony Beauvillier ($4.15 million) are the rumored cost-cutting trade candidates. Speaking of the latter…
CANADIENS INTERESTED IN BEAUVILLIER?
MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy reports the Canadiens are believed to be among the teams with an interest in Islanders winger Anthony Beauvillier. However, the Isles’ unwillingness to retain salary is a sticking point in these exploratory discussions.
Murphy points out the Canadiens are pressed against the $82.5 million salary cap for the coming season. They’d have to send a roughly equivalent salary to the Isles in return, with Mike Hoffman ($4.5 million), Christian Dvorak ($4.4 million) or Joel Armia ($3.4 million) as possible candidates.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Beauvillier is considered by some observers as a “good fit” with the Canadiens, in no small part because he’s a Quebec native. However, the Canadiens have plenty of top-nine wingers in Hoffman, Cole Caufield, Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, Jonathan Drouin and Evgenii Dadonov. That’s assuming top prospect Juraj Slafkovsky doesn’t crack the lineup this season.
Unless they’re shipping one of those guys (Hoffman?) to the Isles or another team, I don’t see where Beauvillier fits into their lineup, especially given his cap hit.
UPDATE ON MOTTE
CANUCKS ARMY: Mike Gould cites CHEK-TV’s Rick Dhaliwal recently reporting between four-five teams have shown a serious interest in Tyler Motte. The 27-year-old checking-line winger spent last season with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers. Dhaliwal explains financial constraints are the hold-up as teams are trying to shed salary to make room.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Motte earned an annual cap hit of $1.225 million on his previous contract. He’s not that expensive to sign but the limited increase of the salary cap for the coming season has made it difficult for teams to add affordable depth talent.