Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – September 16, 2018
Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – September 16, 2018
Updates on the unsigned restricted free agents in your Sunday NHL rumor roundup.
NBC SPORTS: Adam Gretz updates us on the seven restricted free agents still without contracts with NHL training camps now underway.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander tops the list of unsigned restricted free agents. (Photo via NHL Images)
William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs. Gretz said there are reports the two sides are far apart in negotiation as Nylander doesn’t want to sign a bridge deal. The Leafs have already invested big money in John Tavares and must re-sign Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner next summer. While some suggest the Leafs should trade one of their young players, Gretz believes they can make this work.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran reports it’s believed Nylander seeks $8 million per season while the Leafs are offering $6.5 million annually. General manager Kyle Dubas wants to get the young forward signed as soon as possible but said he doesn’t want his club setting any marketplace records. In other words, the Nylander camp won’t be getting $8 million per season.
The Leafs are intent on holding the line here. The longer this holdout goes, the more pressure shifts onto Nylander, who has no leverage other than to withhold his services.
Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights. He was among their top defensemen last season for the Golden Knights, whose blueline will be shorthanded by Nate Schmidt’s suspension for the opening 20 games of the regular season. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports the two sides are far apart.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word on how much Theodore seeks or what the Golden Knights are offering. Cap Friendly indicates his annual cap hit was just over $863K per season on an entry-level deal. While the Knights have the cap space to re-sign Theodore, they obviously want to keep it manageable while they have the leverage.
Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers. The indefinite absence of veteran defenseman Andrej Sekera adds a measure of urgency for the Oilers to get Nurse under contract. However, his agent said there’s a disagreement with management over Nurse’s value.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nurse was reportedly willing to accept a bridge contract. If so, the sticking point here is likely dollars.The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson presumes the Nurse camp could look at Calgary’s Noah Hanifin’s contract (six years, $4.9 million annually) as a comparable.
Cap Friendly indicates the Oilers have around $3.9 million in cap space. That doesn’t leave much room to re-sign Nurse and perhaps add another blueliner to offset Sekera’s absence. The Oilers can only seek cap relief by placing Sekera on long-term injured reserve at the start of the season if they’re sitting over the cap ceiling when the season begins.
Sam Reinhart, Buffalo Sabres. Gretz feels there’s a bit of a mystery over Reinhart’s potential. While there’s still the possibility he can break out, his three seasons of 20-25 goals and 45-50 points could be what to expect of him going forward.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Reinhart and the Sabres have kept negotiations under wraps as much as possible. It’s assumed the Sabres could be pushing for a two-year deal. Considering Reinhart’s production and questions over whether he’s capable of greater production, that might be the best way to go right now.
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets. Gretz believes the Jets want to avoid the contentious Jacob Trouba contract negotiation storyline repeating itself with Morrissey.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe recently speculated over what type of contract Morrissey could receive and its effect upon the Jets’ limited salary-cap space. He notes a bridge deal worth between $3.-$3.5 million annually will push the Jets closer to the $79.5-million salary-cap ceiling. A longer-term pact could cost between $4.75 million – $5.5 million, which would be more difficult (though not impossible) for the Jets to handle.
Nick Ritchie, Anaheim Ducks. Given Ritchie’s performance to date, Gretz considers him the one player in this group destined to get a short-term “prove-it” contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: So far, there’s no indication the two sides are close to reaching an agreement.
Miles Wood, New Jersey Devils. Gretz cites Devils GM Ray Shero saying at the start of training camp that the two sides are getting closer to an agreement but “philosophical issues’ remained.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wood’s agent recently said his client is keen to join his teammates at training camp. However, dialogue between the two sides remains quiet. It’s believed the two sides are working toward a bridge deal.