NHL Rumor Mill – May 31, 2021

by | May 31, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – May 31, 2021

Will the Blue Jackets trade Seth Jones this summer? Could the Blues leave Vladimir Tarasenko unprotected in the expansion draft? Will the Canucks consider shopping Nate Schmidt? Check out the latest in today’s NHL rumor mill.

JACKETS COULD TRADE JONES BY NHL DRAFT

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reports sources said the Columbus Blue Jackets are likely to trade Seth Jones this summer, perhaps by the NHL Draft in late July. The 26-year-old defenseman is due to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Jones informed the Jackets he intends to test the market.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones (NHL Images).

Portzline reports John Davidson, the Jackets president of hockey operations, declined to confirm Friedman’s report. However, Davidson indicated the club won’t take the same approach with Jones as they did two years ago with winger Artemi Panarin.

Panarin was due to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2018-19 season. The Jackets, however, opted to keep him throughout the season. Davidson said the club felt at that time felt they had a chance to make a run for the Stanley Cup. That’s not the case this time around.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Unless Jones changes his mind, it’s clear he feels his future isn’t with the Blue Jackets. That leaves them little option but to move him this summer, rather than have his free-agent status hover over the club throughout next season.

Jones will draw plenty of interest in this summer’s trade market. Portzline expects the return will be loaded with draft picks and prospects. Rather than a reload for next season, he feels the Jackets could be heading for a rebuild.

The Jackets have witnessed a steady departure of talent over the past three years. Fairly or not, it’s given the team and the city of Columbus a reputation as a place players want to avoid. It’s up to Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to change that culture.

WILL THE BLUES EXPOSE TARASENKO IN THE EXPANSION DRAFT?

STLTODAY.COM: Jim Thomas recently wondered what the St. Louis Blues will do with Vladimir Tarasenko in this summer’s expansion draft. Injuries hampered the 29-year-old winger over the last two seasons, hurting his offensive production. He has two years left on his contract worth an annual average value of $7.5 million.

Tarasenko’s recent injury history and offensive struggles generated speculation outside the organization over whether they’ll expose him in the expansion draft. If the Seattle Kraken claims him, the Blues could use the salary cap savings on re-signing other key players. However, there’s the risk would regain his high-scoring form in Seattle. If he’s exposed and not claimed, it could create a rift between the winger and Blues management.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leaving Tarasenko unprotected in the expansion draft would be a bold move. According to Thomas, however, GM Doug Armstrong’s comments on the subject suggest he’s not considering that tactic.

The preference is for Tarasenko to rest and prepare for next season. If he’s healthy in 2021-22 he should return to this 30-goal form.

Blues management still believes their championship window remains open. They stand a better chance of winning the Cup with a healthy Tarasenko in the lineup.

COULD THE CANUCKS TRADE SCHMIDT?

THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston suggested Nate Schmidt could become a trade candidate this summer. The 29-year-old defenseman struggled in his first season with the Vancouver Canucks. He noted there’s been trade speculation about Schmidt of late.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Schmidt’s contract could make him difficult to move this summer. He has four years remaining with an annual cap hit of $5.95 million, plus a 10-team no-trade list.

However, the Golden Knights were able to trade Schmidt to the Canucks last fall in a cost-cutting move. Perhaps another club would be interested in him. While his production was down this season with the Canucks, he had three straight 30-plus point seasons in Vegas.










NHL Rumor Mill – March 10, 2021

by | Mar 10, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – March 10, 2021

​Eric Staal linked to the Oilers plus the latest on Jake DeBrusk, Filip Forsberg, Nate Schmidt and more in today’s NHL rumor mill.

COULD THE OILERS PURSUE ERIC STAAL?

TSN: Darren Dreger reports Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams is evaluating his entire hockey operations department. It’s too early to say what this means for head coach Ralph Krueger though some suggest it’s unlikely he’ll be let go in-season. He also said Adams continues to try and make trades.

Buffalo Sabres center Eric Staal (NHL Images).

Pierre LeBrun reports the Sabres’ pending unrestricted free agents are the most likely to move before the April 12 trade deadline. He’s been told Eric Staal would be open to a trade to a contender. The 35-year-old center has a 10-team no-trade list. LeBrun suggests keeping an eye on the Edmonton Oilers, who’ve been looking to upgrade their third line and Staal’s name was among those mentioned internally by the Oilers’ brass.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: LeBrun pointed out the Oilers are right up against the salary cap so any move would have to be dollar-in, dollar-out. Staal carries a $3.25 million annual average value though his daily remaining cap hit is currently over $1.6 million. Cap Friendly shows the Oilers with over $2.5 million of their long-term injury space remaining.

If Staal is willing to finish the season in Edmonton the Oilers could try to convince the Sabres to take Kyle Turris ($1.65 million AAV through 2021-22) off their hands. However, they’d have to include a sweetener to make that deal palatable.

LATEST ON DEBRUSK

NBC SPORTS BOSTON: Nick Goss reports Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy explained his decision to make Jake DeBrusk a health scratch in yesterday’s game against the New York Islanders was based on the winger’s disappointing performance this season.

“At the end of the day, we’re not quite getting out of Jake what we want,” said Cassidy. He acknowledged some of it was due to circumstances beyond the winger’s control, such as injury and bouncing around the roster a bit. Nevertheless, he stressed DeBrusk has been given sufficient playing time but they’re not getting the effort required.

Goss notes the NHL trade deadline is a month away, giving DeBrusk enough time to turn around his season before then. He feels trading the winger when his value is at an all-time low wouldn’t make sense and would only further weaken the Bruins’ already lackluster scoring depth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Unless DeBrusk is part of a larger trade package he’s not going to fetch anything on his own that would provide immediate improvement to the Bruins roster.

TRADE RUMOR TIDBITS FROM FRIEDMAN’S LATEST “31 THOUGHTS”

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman believes it wouldn’t be surprising if the Toronto Maple Leafs made a move within the next 14 days. That would allow sufficient time to minimize quarantine for any player acquired from the United States. Recent rumors have linked to the Leafs to Mattias Ekholm, Filip Forsberg, Mikael Granlund, Eric Staal and Marc Staal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Most of the speculation has the Leafs seeking a top-six forward, with Granlund considered the likely target. I wouldn’t rule out Eric Staal as an option. Forget Forsberg, the Leafs would have to dump considerable salary to take on his $6 million annual average value through 2021-22.

Speaking of Forsberg, Predators GM David Poile said in a recent interview he doesn’t see the winger as a player they’ll move at the trade deadline. Friedman also said the Predators had conversations with the Flames (who seek right-handed shooters) but nothing came of them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Preds could, however, consider moving Forsberg in the offseason if they engage in a full rebuild. The winger could be reluctant to be a part of that or Poile could be unwilling to make a long-term investment in a veteran player during a rebuild.

Friedman believes the Detroit Red Wings are willing to entertain offers on almost anyone but not captain Dylan Larkin.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pending UFAs like Marc Staal and Bobby Ryan are most likely to move but the Wings could listen to offers for streaky, oft-injured winger Anthony Mantha.

There’s interest in Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte, who played well in last year’s playoffs. Friedman also believes the Canucks were asked about defenseman Nate Schmidt but doesn’t believe that’s got leg.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, maybe on the affordable Motte and not on Schmidt. Moving the latter would weaken an already porous Canucks blue line. They’re only three points out of a playoff spot in the Scotia North Division so they won’t be sellers as long as they’re still in the chase. Besides, Schmidt is signed through 2024-25 with an annual average value of $5.95 million and a 10-team no-trade clause. Tough to move midseason in a flattened cap situation.

Friedman notes the recent speculation linking the Winnipeg Jets to Ekholm but the price could be too high plus there’s quarantine to deal with. He instead wondered if they might target Travis Hamonic if the Canucks decide they’re out of the playoff race.

The inconsistent Philadelphia Flyers’ plans for the trade deadline will depend upon their play in their next seven games against Washington, the Rangers and Islanders.

Carolina, Colorado and Washington could be in the market for goaltenders. Friedman thinks the Avalanche were looking at Buffalo’s Jonas Johansson as a depth netminder.










NHL Trade Roundup: Reviewing the Deals Last Week

by | Oct 14, 2020

NHL Trade Roundup: Reviewing the Deals Last Week

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 13, 2020

by | Oct 13, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 13, 2020

The latest on Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner, Canucks acquire Nate Schmidt, the Islanders sign Cory Schneider and trade Devon Toews to the Avalanche, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

SPORTSNET: Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said he will be keeping his goaltending tandem intact for next season and won’t be trading Marc-Andre Fleury. He also indicated Robin Lehner will undergo shoulder surgery but will recover in time for training camp.

Marc-Andre Fleury is staying with the Vegas Golden Knights (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fleury was the subject of trade speculation after Lehner got the bulk of the starts in the playoffs and signed a contract extension earlier this month. There was talk they were trying to move Fleury by getting a third team involved who would absorb part of his $7 million salary-cap hit. It was assumed he’d be moved to clear salary-cap space to sign Alex Pietrangelo, but the Golden Knights made another move (see below) to address that issue.

The coming season could be Fleury’s last in Vegas. He lacks a full no-movement clause and will likely be left unprotected in next year’s expansion draft.

THE PROVINCE: The Golden Knights found another way to shed some cap payroll after signing Pietrangelo yesterday, trading Nate Schmidt to the Vancouver Canucks for a third-round pick in 2022.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights shed Schmidt’s $5.95 million cap hit. They’re still above the $81.5 million salary cap by over $974K but that’s within the 10 percent allowable offseason cap overage.

The Canucks, meanwhile, find a suitable replacement for Chris Tanev, who signed with Calgary as a free agent. Schmidt is a good puck-moving defenseman who can log over 21 minutes per game and skate on the left or right side of the blueline. He’s got five years remaining on his contract, which could become a cap headache in the latter years, but he should be a welcome addition to the Canucks defense corps in the short term.

TSN: The New York Islanders signed goaltender Cory Schneider to a one-year, $700K contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Isles are expected to go with Semyon Varlamov and promising Ilya Sorokin as their goalie tandem next season. Schneider is an affordable insurance move in case Sorokin struggles to adjust at the NHL level.

THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Devon Toews from the Islanders in exchange for a second-round pick in 2021 and a second-rounder in 2022. They also re-signed defenseman Ryan Graves to a three-year, $9.5 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avs were looking for a defenseman after shipping Nikita Zadorov to Chicago for Brandon Saad over the weekend. Toews, 26, is a fine replacement. Colorado GM Joe Sakic sang his praises as “a smart, two-way puck-moving defenseman” who logs over 20 minutes per game and is “excellent in transition”.

Graves’ new contract is worth an annual average value of $3.16 million. That’s a considerable raise over the $735K of his previous deal. He earned it with a career-best 26-point performance and a league-leading plus-minus of plus-40.

Speaking of the Avalanche, The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark took to Twitter reporting preliminary contract talks have begun with captain Gabriel Landeskog. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers signed defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a one-year, $3-million contract.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: The Blackhawks signed center Mattias Janmark to a one-year, $2.25-million contract and center Lucas Wallmark to a one-year deal worth $950K.

TWINCITIES.COM: The Minnesota Wild re-signed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen to a two-year, $1.45-million contract.

NEW YORK POST: Alexis Lafreniere signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New York Rangers. The 19-year-old left-winger was the first-overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft.

THE ATHLETIC: Bill Shea reports talks are ongoing to extend the NHL’s 10-year, $2-billion broadcast rights contract with NBC Sports that expires at the end of next season. While the league’s playoff ratings were down due to the pandemic, it still helped NBCSN have one of its best-ever third quarters. ESPN, Fox Sports and Turner Sports are also interested in the NHL’s TV and streaming business.










Alex Pietrangelo Signs With The Golden Knights

by | Oct 12, 2020

Alex Pietrangelo Signs With The Golden Knights

Sportsnet and TSN report Alex Pietrangelo has agreed to a seven-year, $61.6 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. The annual average value is $8.8 million. Elliotte Friedman reports the deal comes with a full no-movement clause.

Alex PIetrangelo has joined the Vegas Golden Knights (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: To the surprise of no one, the Golden Knights land the big fish in this year’s UFA pond. Pietrangelo, 30, is among the NHL’s elite defensemen who captained the St. Louis Blues to their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2019. His experience, leadership and all-around skills will provide a significant boost to their blue line.

The contract is expensive and lengthy, with an annual cap hit and a no-movement clause that could become burdensome for Vegas should Pietrangelo’s skills decline over the latter half of the deal. In the short term, however, his presence should keep the Golden Knights among the Cup contenders.

Cap Friendly reports Pietrangelo’s contract pushes the Golden Knights above the $81.5 million cap ceiling by over $6.9 million. They can sit over the cap by 10 percent during the offseason but must be cap compliant when the 2020-21 season opens sometime next year.

The Golden Knights have reportedly been trying to shed salary by shopping goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury ($7 million AAV through 2021-22) and defenseman Nate Schmidt ($5.95 million AAV through 2024-25). One of them, or perhaps someone else (Jonathan Marchessault?) could be playing elsewhere when the regular season begins.

**UPDATE** The Golden Knights didn’t take long to shed some salary, trading Nate Schmidt to the Vancouver Canucks for a 2021 third-round pick. 










NHL Rumor Mill – October 12, 2020

by | Oct 12, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – October 12, 2020

In today’s NHL rumor mill: The Golden Knights could trade Nate Schmidt to the Panthers, the Jets are reportedly working on trading Jack Roslovic, plus the latest on Mike Hoffman and Sami Vatanen

GOLDEN KNIGHTS SHOPPING SCHMIDT TO PANTHERS?

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt (NHL Images).

  FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: George Richards cites Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland reporting the Vegas Golden Knights are in talks to trade defenseman Nate Schmidt to the Florida Panthers. The Golden Knights must shed cap space to make room for Alex Pietrangelo. He carries an annual cap hit of $5.95 million for the next four seasons.

The Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta claimed the Panthers weren’t the potential destination for Schmidt. Richards believes acquiring Schmidt would add more heat to the MacKenzie Weegar trade speculation.

THE BOSTON GLOBE: Kevin Paul Dupont also took note of the Schmidt trade speculation. He suggested the left-hand shot would be the top candidate to pair with Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy on the Boston blue line.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights are also believed to be trying to trade goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury but his $7 million annual cap hit through 2021-22 is proving difficult to move. Schmidt’s is more affordable but the length of that deal could be a sticking point. We’ll find out soon enough if he’s heading to Florida, Boston or another destination.

JETS SHOPPING ROSLOVIC?

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Mike McIntyre cited two sources claiming the Jets are actively in trade discussions looking to move Jack Roslovic for a high-end defenseman, preferably a left-hand shot. Roslovic, 23, is a restricted free agent center who’s been stuck on the Jets’ bottom-six as a winger.

McIntyre said Roslovic, who’s completing his entry-level contract, has been quietly seeking a change of scenery. He noted the availability of Vegas’ Nate Schmidt but also the speculation linking the blueliner to the Panthers. McIntyre also listed the Panthers’ Weegar and the New York Islanders Nick Leddy as two players of interest to watch.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Roslovic has top-six potential and could interest a number of clubs looking for a young center with upside. The Golden Knights could be reluctant to take back a player for Schmidt as they’re trying to dump salary to sign Pietrangelo. They might not be interested in Roslovic unless it’s to flip him to another club.