NHL Rumor Mill – March 24, 2023

by | Mar 24, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – March 24, 2023

Could tension between Flames coach Darryl Sutter and center Nazem Kadri force management to make offseason changes? Could the Flyers end up shopping some right wings in the summer trade market? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

COULD FRICTION BETWEEN SUTTER AND KADRI SPARK OFFSEASON CHANGE?

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Steve MacFarlane cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently reporting of possible friction between Flames head coach Darryl Sutter and center Nazem Kadri having an adverse effect on the latter’s production this season.

Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (NHL Images).

Friedman cited Kadri’s limited minutes in three recent games where he saw less than 14 minutes of ice time, including their 8-2 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He believes Kadri’s blunt nature could be behind the reduction in his playing time and led to frustration between the center and Sutter boiling over in that Kings’ game.

MacFarlane noted Kadri’s been in a scoring drought since Feb. 18 and had just two goals in his previous 23 games before scoring on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. He wondered if that means it was time for a change and if the Flames’ ownership has the stomach to make the right ones.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kadri downplayed the conjecture about tension between himself and Sutter, claiming his relationship with the Flames coach was fine. He also observed that there’s lots of speculation in Canadian NHL markets but was putting his focus on the game.

MacFarlane pointed out that Kadri was acquired last summer to help improve the Flames, especially during this point in the season when they’re jockeying for a playoff spot. His reduced playoff time and popgun offense could be attributable to age, the wear and tear of a long season or an ongoing adjustment to a new team and coach.

Whatever the cause, Kadri’s struggles are among the reasons why the Flames are in danger of missing the playoffs. That could spark some offseason changes but I doubt Sutter or Kadri will be part of it. It could be in the front office starting with general manager Brad Treliving, who built this club, brought back Sutter and signed Kadri last summer.

WILL THE FLYER SHOP SOME RIGHT WINGERS THIS SUMMER?

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Sam Carchidi reports the Flyers possess a deep group of right wingers. They include Travis Konecny, Cam Atkinson, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Wade Allison and Bobby Brink.

If the Flyers move one of them this summer, Carchidi believes it’ll be to bolster their depth at center, left wing and defense. The center position, however, could improve if Sean Couturier is healthy for next season and promising Cutter Gauthier is ready to make the jump to the NHL.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers head coach John Tortorella’s recent cryptic comments about the need for subtraction before adding in younger players could provide grist for the rumor mill. He felt that some of the young players had improved and some hadn’t. “Some of the veteran guys hadn’t,” he added.

I still believe the more likely trade candidates are veterans like center/left winger Kevin Hayes and defenseman Ivan Provorov. Still, we don’t know yet what interim general manager Daniel Briere has in store for his roster.

Maybe Briere will move one of those right wingers mentioned by Carchidi. Konecny would draw the most interest and has the best trade value but he played very well under Tortorella so I can see them hanging onto him. Atkinson was sidelined by injury for the entire season so they might want to see how he performs in 2023-24.

They’ll likely hang onto Tippett and Foerster but Allison could become the odd man out here, especially if they’re looking at promoting Brink next season.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 30, 2022

by | Jul 30, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 30, 2022

John Klingberg signs with the Ducks, an update on Jesper Bratt’s contract negotiations, and the Sharks will honor Doug Wilson this season. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: John Klingberg is off the free-agent market. The 29-year-old defenseman signed a one-year, $7 million contract on Friday with the Anaheim Ducks.

Anaheim Ducks sign former Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some observers expressed puzzlement on social media regarding this move. Why did Klingberg accept just a one-year deal? Why sign with the rebuilding Ducks? For that matter, why did the Ducks make a short-term investment in a veteran player?

Klingberg may have overestimated his value on this summer’s free-agent market. While he reached the 40-point mark last season for the sixth time in his eight-year NHL career, the puck-moving blueliner struggled with consistency during his final season with the Dallas Stars. Interested clubs may have been reluctant to sign to a long-term deal at this point in his career.

This deal gives Klingberg an opportunity to prove that he still has value as a top-pairing blueliner. A strong season in Anaheim will improve his chances for a more lucrative deal, either with the Ducks or another club in next summer’s free-agent market.

The Ducks, meanwhile, had to spend money to reach this season’s $61 million salary-cap minimum. Signing Klingberg achieve that goal, putting them at $63.6 million invested in 22 players.

It also addressed their need to bolster their blueline while adding a veteran presence to their rebuilding roster. If Klingberg plays well this season, the Ducks can peddle him at next year’s trade deadline for a solid return if they’re out of playoff contention by then.

NJ.COM’s Ryan Novozinsky took to Twitter on Friday regarding Jesper Bratt’s contract negotiations with the New Jersey Devils. He cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman saying there hasn’t been much discussion between the two sides so it’s hard to figure out what’s going on.

Novozinsky acknowledged it’s been “pretty silent” from Bratt’s camp for weeks regarding updates on contract talks. He believes it’s been another tough negotiation like his last deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bratt’s arbitration hearing is set for Aug. 3.

DAILY FACEOFF: The San Jose Sharks intend to raise a banner for former player, captain and general manager Doug Wilson in the coming season. He’ll be honored in a pregame ceremony by the club before their game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Wilson spent 14 of his 16 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks before joining the Sharks. He become their general manager in 2003 and held that position until stepping down for health reasons in April 2022. Wilson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 2020.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wilson built the Sharks into a Western Conference powerhouse during most of his tenure as their general manager. They finished atop the Pacific Divison five times under his watch, won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2009 and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Philadelphia Flyers signed Owen Tippett to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.5 million. The 23-year-old right wing was part of the return the Flyers received from the Florida Panthers in the Claude Giroux trade last March.

The Flyers also named Rocky Thompson as an assistant coach.

YARDBARKER: The Seattle Kraken recently announced the Kansas City Mavericks as their ECHL affiliate.










Giroux to Panthers, Lindholm to the Bruins, Deslauriers to the Wild

by | Mar 19, 2022

Giroux to Panthers, Lindholm to the Bruins, Deslauriers to the Wild

​The Philadelphia Flyers have traded forward Claude Giroux and minor-league center Connor Bunnaman to the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Owen Tippett, a first-round pick in 2024 and a third-rounder in 2023 (as per RDS’ Francois Gagnon) while TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the Flyers will retain 50 percent of Giroux’ $8.275 million cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Giroux’s no-movement clause gave him full control over this situation and severely limited where the Flyers could ship him. While the Colorado Avalanche were also considered among the bidders, it was apparent in recent days that the Panthers were emerging as the most likely destination.

Philadelphia Flyers trade Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers (NHL Images).

Panthers general manager Bill Zito was considered to be in “go-for-it” mode this season with his club riding high in the Eastern Conference standings. Having bolstered his blueline earlier this week by acquiring defenseman Ben Chiarot from the Montreal Canadiens, he’s provided additional firepower to his forward lines with Giroux.

A versatile, productive forward who can play all three forward positions and is among the best faceoff men in the league, the 34-year-old Giroux will provide the Panthers with veteran experience and leadership to go with his impressive skill set. It’ll be interesting to see where they put him on their already deep forward lines.

The return for the Flyers probably won’t sit well with their fans. Considering the Panthers were believed the only serious bidder, this is the best they could get.

Tippett, 23, should provide some immediate help and will have an opportunity to get his NHL career on track after seeing checking-line minutes with the Panthers. The first-rounder is worthwhile but it’s two years from now. Still, this return is quite light considering the harvest the Anaheim Ducks got from the Boston Bruins for Hampus Lindholm.

The Anaheim Ducks trade defenseman Hampus Lindholm and minor league blueliner Kodie Curran to the Boston Bruins for a first-round pick in 2022, a second-rounder in 2023 and a second-rounder in 2024, along with defensemen Urho Vaakanainen and John Moore. The Ducks will also retain 50 percent of Lindholm’s $5.205 million cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Having traded Josh Manson to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has shipped out another of his veteran defense core in Lindholm after failing to reach an agreement on a contract extension. The 28-year-old blueliner is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

This is a significant addition for the Bruins, who’ve been lacking skilled top-four left-side blueline depth since Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug departed via free agency two years ago. The 6’3, 208-pound Lindholm plays a solid all-around game and can log big minutes. He’ll lift some of the defensive burdens from Boston’s top rearguard Charlie McAvoy.

It remains to be seen if Lindholm will be merely a rental player or if the Bruins can re-sign him. It’s believed his insistence on a seven- or eight-year deal was the factor that scuttled his contract talks with the Ducks. Bruins GM Don Sweeney has a history of re-signing notable pending free agents acquired by the trade deadline (hello there, Taylor Hall) so perhaps he’ll take a stab at retaining Lindholm if he proves a good fit in Boston.

Verbeek has signaled the rebuild is on for the Ducks considering the draft picks he’s getting in this deal to go along with the 2023 second-rounder he got from the Avalanche in the Manson trade and the 2023 third-rounder he’s getting from the Wild. The Ducks are also getting a 23-year-old defenseman in Vaakanainen who had difficulty cracking the Bruins blueline but could have a better opportunity to reach his full potential with the Ducks.

The Ducks also trade forward Nicolas Deslauriers to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a third-round pick in 2023.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild GM Bill Guerin decides to add some muscle to his checking lines for the playoffs. Deslaurier, 31, is a big, physical depth forward with 10 points and 90 PIMs in 61 games with the Ducks this season. He’s also an unrestricted free agent this summer.