NHL Rumor Mill – June 28, 2023
NHL Rumor Mill – June 28, 2023
Check out the latest on Erik Karlsson, Alex DeBrincat, Connor Hellebuyck and more heading into the first round of the 2023 Draft in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
LEAFS INTERESTED IN KARLSSON
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the Toronto Maple Leafs have spoken to the San Jose Sharks about defenseman Erik Karlsson. However, general manager Brad Treliving cannot attempt to get serious about acquiring the 33-year-old Norris Trophy winner until he’s got clarity about players that he’s trying to sign to contract extensions such as Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
Referencing the recent Kevin Hayes and Taylor Hall trades, LeBrun said Sharks general manager Mike Grier is not giving away a future Hall-of-Famer like Karlsson away for free. Grier is willing to retain part of Karlsson’s $11.5 million average annual value through 2026-27 but not half of it. The Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes are among a number of others who’ve expressed interest.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: LeBrun noted how the Philadelphia Flyers traded away Hayes to the St. Louis Blues for nothing. Ditto the Boston Bruins shipping Hall to the Chicago Blackhawks. Karlsson, however, is a different level of player. He remains an elite talent who should fetch a quality return for the rebuilding Sharks.
How much of Karlsson’s cap hit Grier is willing to retain will determine what type of return he could get. As LeBrun pointed out in his recent column in The Athletic, interested teams will be more receptive to getting Karlsson at $7.5 million to $8 million annually than at $9 million to $9.5 million.
DEBRINCAT TO DETROIT?
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Senators GM Pierre Dorion is prepared to move winger Alex DeBrincat if they can get the right deal in place. The 25-year-old winger is a restricted free agent who is a year away from unrestricted free-agent eligibility.
DeBrincat’s camp has informed the Senators that he’s not interested in a long-term contract extension. The club has filed for arbitration to ensure he doesn’t receive an offer sheet while they try to trade him.
While DeBrincat lacks no-trade protection, his agent has presented the Senators with a list of preferred trade destinations. It’s believed the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and Detroit Red Wings are on that list. Garrioch suggested the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues could be looking for scoring.
There’s speculation the Red Wings might send its No. 17 selection in this year’s draft to the Senators as part of a package offer for DeBrincat.
MLIVE.COM: Ansar Khan noted that Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s priority is landing a scoring forward who is fairly young and will be with the club for several years.
Khan suggested DeBrincat as one option along with Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny. When it comes to the Senators winger, he believes Yzerman is unlikely to pull the trigger unless he can get an extension with the player first.
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun noted that the Red Wings seem like a logical landing spot for DeBrincat. However, he got the sense that they aren’t close to a deal to land the Michigan native.
LeBrun also noted the Stars’ interest in DeBrincat but they lack the cap space unless they ship out some salary. He also indicated that Dorion is fine with getting a 2024 first-rounder in return so this week isn’t a deadline for moving the winger.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators could wait until the date of their arbitration hearing with DeBrincat (sometime between late July and early August) to trade him. While Dorion will be patient with his handling of this situation, I doubt that he wants it to drag on for too long. He’s got a valuable trade chip that is drawing interest from clubs in need of scoring.
LATEST ON HELLEBUYCK
SPORTSNET’s Elliotte Friedman yesterday reported hearing that a trade involving Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck isn’t on the front burner right now. He said there are a lot of goalies available right now and teams are trying to determine who’s available at what price via trade or free agency.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The free-agent market is thin on quality starters this year. Hellebuyck, Boston’s Linus Ullmark and Anaheim’s John Gibson are believed to be trade candidates. Of that group, Hellebuyck has the better resume.
Ullmark won the Vezina this season and it was well-deserved but he doesn’t have the same body of work as Hellebuyck, a former Vezina winner who was a finalist for the award this year. The Bruins netminder also has a full no-movement clause until July 1 when it becomes a 16-team no-trade. Hellebuyck has a slightly more expensive cap hit but lacks no-trade protection.
WILL THE ISLANDERS MOVE JOSH BAILEY?
NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears believes the Islanders will attempt to move winger Josh Bailey in a cost-cutting trade. Failing that, they could buy him out before the 5 pm deadline on June 30.
SABRES STILL TRYING TO MOVE OLOFSSON
THE ATHLETIC: Matthew Fairburn reports the Buffalo Sabres are exploring a trade of winger Victor Olofsson. He wonders if there’s a market for a one-dimensional winger carrying a cap hit of $4.75 million.