The Carolina Hurricanes have three scouts in attendance tonight at the Dallas Stars-Toronto Maple Leafs game and, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, that is not just a fluke. Per Friedman, for the one team to have that many scouts in attendance on a night with 26 teams in action, there has to be a reason. Unless the Hurricanes and Stars have a deal on the table that no one has heard about quite yet, the implication would be that Carolina continues to be in hot pursuit of young forward William Nylander. Yet, Nylander is not in the Toronto lineup tonight, as he remains unsigned as a restricted free agent. Why then would the Hurricanes still be out scouting the Maple Leafs? Friedman suggests that a possible Nylander deal, which looks more and more realistic with each day, could be of a much greater magnitude than a one-for-one swap. While many have suggested that a relatively simple exchange centered around Nylander and ’Canes defenseman Justin Faulk would make sense for both sides, it would seem to leave Toronto a little shortchanged. As such, if Carolina is watching other Maple Leafs, it would seem to indicate that the package from their side is quite larger than just one veteran defenseman. At the end of the day, there very well may never be a Nylander trade. However, the clues are building toward what could be a Toronto-Carolina blockbuster.
- The opposite of mysterious trade dealings? How about a team outright stating they have no interest in acquiring a player. That is what the Arizona Coyotes did today, with The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reporting that the team has absolutely no interest in adding free agent defenseman Slava Voynov. Voynov, 28, has been out of the NHL for four years, but today applied for reinstatement. An interested team would have to trade for his rights from the Los Angeles Kings, but dealing with a division rival is likely not what is holding the Coyotes back. Voynov’s troubled past would mean bad PR for any team he ends up with and Arizona is simply opting not to expose themselves to that onslaught. There will no doubt be interest in the talented blue liner, just not from the Coyotes.
- With NHL currently overseas as the Global Series takes place with games in Finland between the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers, commissioner Gary Bettman took the opportunity to hint at what the future of the league’s action abroad could be. NHL.com’s Brian Compton writes that Bettman is currently working toward having preseason games in Germany and Switzerland again next year, while also planning for a season-opening series in Prague, Czech Republic and a later series in Stockholm, Sweden. He also states that the league has interest in returning to Finland in the near future as well. To date, the league has played 31 games overseas and has enjoyed success with growing the game on an international scale. The Global Series seems like a venture by the NHL with no shortage of opportunities and a excellent longevity.
Seriously? Scouts don’t have any mgmt pull for a deal other than to report on what they see. If they want Willie and he’s not even there, there would also have to be mgmt there and we just don’t know about it. At the end of the day, Faulk would be a great addition, but the leafs have been on a slump since game 9 and have been playing the come from behind game even before Matthews got hurt. If they lose to Dallas tonight, they’ll have to sign Nylander just to get him back to help stop the bleeding and then trade him once Matthews is back!
Scouts don’t have any pull, but they do go where they are told. They don’t just randomly show up at games. They already know what they’d have in Willy, they are there looking at other pieces the Leafs might offer in a bigger deal. If you’d have read the whole thing you’d see it’s explained there.
panic much?
yes they’ve lost to Pittsburgh, Calgary, Dallas and st. Louis. and in between swept the Jets. guess the season is over.
I don’t think you see any move until after the west coast trip mid November. Heck they haven’t even lost on the road yet.
I’d guess the leafs have asked for Faulk and something like a 1st, the ‘canes are scouting for a middle piece to even things out. A complimentary piece in the bottom 6 that might help them overall that the leafs feel they can replace with someone off the Marlies. Possibly been given a list of guys offered so there are multiple scouts there with the objective figuring out which one seems to best fit their system and if it’s worth it.
BREAKING NEWS: The Inuit Icebreakers organization just traded for Nylander to play in the Eskimo league located in North Antarctica. Good luck to the Swede. Good deal for the Maple Queefs.
another zinger from BSR. His comedy knows no bounds.
Justin Faulk is not a good defenseman. He’s consistently among the worst in +/- on the canes, doesn’t block many shots and costs $6M/yr. I wouldn’t trade 46yr old Michael Nylander for him.