Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Connor McDavid

NHL All-Star Selections Announced

at CDT | by 18 Comments

Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:

Atlantic Division

G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)

Metropolitan Division

G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Central Division

G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild

Pacific Division

G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:

Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner

Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie

Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine

Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty

Pacific Notes: Markstrom, Hjalmarsson, Nygard

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Vancouver Canucks are locked into a battle to hold onto one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. The team is tied with the Edmonton Oilers with 44 points for the final playoff spot and much of the team’s success has fallen on starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

The 29-year-old netminder has been solid with a 13-11-3 record with a 2.63 GAA and an impressive .919 save percentage and has been critical in stealing victories for a team desperate to make the playoffs. The Canucks have a challenge approaching them this summer as the goalie hits unrestricted free agent this summer. With backup Thatcher Demko posting an inconsistent season and salary cap concerns, the team has made it clear that locking up Markstrom to a long-term deal is a priority for the team.

NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz looks at what it might cost to sign Markstrom, finding several comparison goaltenders, pointing to Ottawa’s Craig Anderson and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard. Both goalies, when they signed their long-term deals years ago, were comparable players to Markstrom, who has gone from middling prospect, to solid backup, to impressive starter. If you take fast forward their deals to the current salary cap structure, it would come out somewhere between $5-6MM, something the team should be able to afford.

  • The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required) writes that the Arizona Coyotes are close to getting back a key defenseman. Niklas Hjalmarsson, who has been out since Oct. 12 after breaking his left fibula on a slapshot from Colorado’s Erik Johnson, worked out on his own Friday, but is expected to return to practice soon, according to head coach Rick Tocchet. Hjalmarsson was projected to miss 10-12 weeks with the injury and it has now been 11 weeks, suggesting his return is close.
  • Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid is considered to be one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, but the skilled forward lost to teammate Joakim Nygard in the Faster Skater competition at the Oilers Skills Competition Sunday, the team announced. Nygard, signed out of the SHL during the offseason, skated 14.014, beating McDavid, by three one-hundredths of a second, who finished with a 14.041. Nygard has served most of his time in the bottom-six. He has two goals and six points in 24 games this year.

Edmonton Oilers Interested In Chicago’s Brandon Saad

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers are not getting much offense from their other lines and desperately need help. Almost all of the team’s offense has come from their top line of Connor McDavid (22-41-63), Leon Draisaitl (22-39-61) and Zack Kassian (13-13-26). James Neal has chipped in 16 goals, but after that, the Oilers just don’t have the top-six players they need. However, the team is trying to rectify that by the trade deadline as Edmonton has shown interest in Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad, according to Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins.

The Oilers and Blackhawks might be a good match as Chicago is looking for defensive prospects, something that Edmonton is loaded with. The Oilers’ top two prospects are blueliners in Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg, although neither are likely to be included in a trade for Saad. However, the team has a number of secondary prospects that could interest Chicago, including William Lagesson, Caleb Jones and Dmitri Samorukov to name a few. Saad might make a good fit as well for Edmonton as he would slot onto the team’s second line and could shift Neal back to the right side, where he has been more successful. The only problems for Edmonton is Saad’s salary, which is at $6MM for the next two years. While the Oilers might be able to make Saad’s salary work for this year, next year’s salary could prove more challenging for the team.

Chicago, meanwhile, has $72.5MM invested in just 15 players next season with several significant free agents, including goaltenders Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford as well as forward Dylan Strome and defenseman Erik Gustafsson. The team might be willing to unload Saad in a cost-cutting effort for next season. Saad is currently out for three weeks due to an ankle injury, but should have been back on the ice for a month by the time the trade deadline rolls around.

Edmonton hopes that prospects might be enough to persuade Chicago to trade Saad as Edmonton general manager Ken Holland has shown an unwillingness to move draft picks, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

“I’ve been told the Oilers internally feel that they have given up way too many draft picks,” Friedman said on 630 CHED radio in Edmonton on Friday. “And as you look back in (their) last five drafts, in four of them, (they’ve) had holes in how many players they could take. So, I think two picks for (Taylor) Hall, that was one of the reasons why (they) didn’t want to do it.”

Friedman also suggests that the Oilers have expressed interest in Tyler Toffoli of the Kings, but Los Angeles would be looking for picks, which could be a stumbling block for the Oilers.

NHL Announces All-Star Captains

at CDT | by 9 Comments

The 2020 NHL All-Star captains were revealed today as three of the names remain the same from last season as Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon headline the captains for each division as picked by the fans. The new name on the captain’s list is Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak.

Pastrnak replaces Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews who was captain at the 2019 all-star game. The 23-year-old is having a dominant season with Boston this year. Having scored a career-high 38 goals last season, Pastrnak is already closing in on that number in almost half that time. The winger already has 28 goals and 50 points in just 36 games as he heads for another career-high this season. Last year was Pastrnak’s first year as an all-star, who was also the “accuracy shooting” winner.

McDavid continues to improve every year. The 22-year-old has continued to put up more and more scoring each year and is on pace to have a career-high in points once again this year. McDavid has 20 goals and 59 points this season through 38 games. MacKinnon is also have another impressive season for the Avalanche, boasting 21 goals and 53 points so far in 35 games this year. The veteran of the group, Ovechkin will make his 11th all-star appearance this season as the 34-year-old has 22 goals this season.

The all-star game will be in St. Louis this season, which will be Jan. 24-26.

PHR Originals: 11/25/19 – 12/01/19

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In an otherwise quiet week for news and action, with three different days of three games or less, PHR’s writers stayed busy with some original articles:

Brian La Rose began our annual holiday series “What Your Team Is Thankful For”. Going alphabetically, he took a look at Anaheim, Arizona, and Boston. The league leading Bruins obviously have plenty to be thankful for, but so too do the Coyotes, who currently hold a top-ten record in the NHL. There’s room for improvement in Arizona, but the team has to be happy with how the season has gone thus far. Anaheim however has a hefty wish list this holiday season, needing more out of their young forward corps and a difference-maker on defense. Stay tuned for more write-ups from Brian on the other 28 teams as we march toward 2020.

Sticking with the holiday theme, I outlined the recent trend of the standings at American Thanksgiving being a strong playoff predictor and asked who could be the outlier teams that qualify for the postseason this year after missing the mark on Turkey Day. The readers responded very favorably toward one team in each conference – the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vegas Golden Knights. If only those two teams turn things around this season, then the current standings already reflect 14 of 16 playoff teams.

Gavin also offered a poll to the readers, asking who might be the early favorite for the Hart Trophy this season as NHL MVP. Gavin detailed the accomplishments to this point in the year of a number of the game’s biggest names, but voters gravitated toward two forwards on ungodly scoring paces. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid already has almost 50 points and is currently on pace for 144 points, while Boston’s David Pastrnak has 24 goals in 26 games and looks poised to score 75+ goals at this rate. However, do the presences of Leon Draisaitl and Brad Marchand also among the league’s top scorers hurt their teammates’ Hart cases? Could the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and John Carlson swoop in as more “valuable” candidates?

In my bi-weekly piece, I took a look at the happenings in college hockey of late. As Hockey East teams continue to underwhelm this year, especially Boston University, other northeast schools have filled the top-ten void in Cornell, Clarkson, and Harvard. Meanwhile, Minnesota may not be a top contender in the Big Ten this year, but added another talented recruit to an impressive incoming class. And college hockey will continue in Alaska, at least for now.

Finally, Gavin hosted his weekly chat, with topics ranging from coaches on the hot seat, the sustainability of upstart teams, and franchise building blocks. The Red Wings, Predators, and Senators received some special attention in yet another great segment.

For all of the original work from PHR’s writers, be sure to keep up with all of the action each and every day!

Snapshots: Three Stars, Makar, Nugent-Hopkins

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With another month having passed, the NHL revealed its Three Stars for the month of November and no surprise that Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid heads the list. The two-time Art Ross Trophy winner dominated November in 14 games, leading the league with 13 goals, 26 points, six power play goals and 11 power play points over the month. That performance has put Edmonton at the top of the Pacific Division with a 7-5-2 record in November.

The Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane round out the top three. MacKinnon ranked second in the NHL in points in November with 10 goals and 25 points in 14 games and did it while being without his two linemates, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog for most of that month. Kane, meanwhile, scored a point in all 15 games that he played, scoring 11 goals and 24 points.

  • The NHL also announced the NHL ’Rookie of the Month,’ handing the award to Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, who dominated the month of November. The 21-year-old led all rookies with seven goals, 16 points, three game-winning goals, +10 plus/minus and ATOI, averaging 21:25. Makar became the fifth rookie to score seven or more goals in a month and the last to do it since Brian Leetch did it in 1989. Makar beat out New York Rangers’ Adam Fox, Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes, Carolina Hurricanes’ Martin Necas, Buffalo Sabres Victor Olofsson and Pittsburgh Penguins’ John Marino.
  • The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that despite rumors that Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a surgical procedure last week on his hand, he did not. Instead, Nugent-Hopkins received an injection, suggesting that the injury is more pain-related than anything else. The Oilers hope to get the top-six forward back sometime later this week.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Draft Rankings, McKee

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and once again a member of the Boston Bruins “Perfection Line” has taken the top spot. Brad Marchand is the first star after a seven-point week, taking him to 39 on the season in just 23 games. Marchand also leads the NHL in +/- with a +17 rating and looks like he could be in legitimate contention for the Hart Trophy this season.

Second and third place go to Connor McDavid and Brock Nelson respectively after each posted four-goal weeks. While Nelson doesn’t get quite the same press as a player like McDavid, he has still been quite effective for the New York Islanders this season with 19 points in 21 games including four game-winning goals.

  • Alexis Lafreniere may be the presumptive first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but Craig Button of TSN argues that Quinton Byfield and Yaroslav Askarov should both be considered contenders for the spot. Button contends that if a team really values the center position Byfield should be the pick, going so far as to say he “can’t imagine a scenario” where a center-needy team doesn’t go with the 6’4″ pivot. Askarov meanwhile is the best goaltending draft prospect since Carey Price according to Button.
  • The Kitchener Rangers have fired head coach and former NHL defenseman Jay McKee, naming general manager Mike McKenzie the interim bench boss. McKee, who played over 800 games in the NHL, took over as head coach of the OHL’s Rangers in 2016 and took them to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Gilbert, Calvert

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and it will surprise absolutely no one to see Connor McDavid on the top. The Edmonton Oilers captain scored ten points in three games including an incredible six-point game against the Colorado Avalanche. McDavid is on pace to score 149 points this season.

Speaking of the Colorado Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon takes home the second star after his own excellent week with seven points in three games. Keith Yandle took the third spot after posting eight points and now sits sixth among all NHL defensemen in scoring.

  • The AHL has suspended Chicago Blackhawks prospect Dennis Gilbert for two games after an interference incident on Saturday night. Gilbert is still looking for his first point at any level this season after going scoreless through seven AHL games and three NHL games.
  • Matt Calvert has been sent back to Colorado and is out indefinitely after taking a puck to the head over the weekend. Calvert’s injury was the subject of much discussion in the hockey world after the officials did not blow the whistle even with him bleeding profusely on the ice. The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers reports that Logan O’Connor has been recalled from the AHL Eagles, likely indicating that Calvert is headed for a stint on the injured reserve.

Oilers Notes: Puljujarvi, Niemelainen, Hall

at CDT | by 7 Comments

Some fans in Edmonton are probably wishing that Jesse Puljujarvi would just fade into irrelevance in Europe so that they can stop hearing about him. However, the reality is that Puljujarvi is excelling in his native Finland and it is only creating more buzz about his availability. The Oilers have been adamant that they will not rush into a trade for Puljujarvi and will wait for a fair return, but as he continues to put up points for Karpat in the Liiga, the more likely that offer will come. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell tries to put Puljujarvi’s production into context rather than let the hype train run wild. He writes that there is some question as to the quality of a few of Puljujarvi’s six goals on the year and, more importantly, adds that his point-per-game pace in the Liiga is only equivalent to approximately 0.43 points per game in the NHL. Puljujarvi’s level of play in Finland lends itself to a projection of a third-line forward in the NHL in Mitchell’s estimation; however, given his upside and natural size and athleticism, the 22-year-old is worth more than your typical third-liner. The Oilers will eventually get an offer that they like for Puljujarvi and this story will go away, but the question is whether or not that deal occurs before the December 1st signing deadline for Puljujarvi, a restricted free agent, to play this season. Mitchell does not add any new names to the list of teams interested in Puljujarvi, but reiterates that the Carolina Hurricanes remain intrigued, as do the Oilers do in ’Canes prospect Julien Gauthier. Mitchell also posits that Dominik Bokk, a raw, but talented prospect recently acquired by the Hurricanes in the Justin Faulk trade, could be another target of Edmonton’s in a Puljujarvi trade. Carolina sought a regular NHL forward in exchange for Faulk, but settled for the upside of the young Bokk. Perhaps the team could be convinced to flip him for Puljujarvi. One way or another, the Hurricanes lead the pack when it comes to the most likely landing spot for Puljujarvi until new information emerges on the race to land the divisive young forward.

  • Another Edmonton prospect could also be looking at an extended stay in Finland. Defenseman Markus Niemelainen, the team’s third-round pick in 2016, has signed a one-year extension with Assat of the Liiga, the team announced. Niemelainen is in his first year with the Aces after growing up in the system of HPK, as well as two seasons with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. While the big defender has been held scoreless through 12 games, he brings a well-rounded game that balances checking ability and defensive awareness with mobility and play-making ability. Niemelainen has the makings of a player ready for the jump to North America, but claims in the team’s release that he is happy to continue developing with Assat. It seems likely that the Oilers will have to wait until 2021-22 to see Niemelainen cross the pond.
  • The “Taylor Hall-back-to-Edmonton” rumors were inevitable once the New Jersey Devils entered the season without an extension in place with their superstar and then subsequently got off to a rough start. Despite what many may think, Hall never requested a trade when he was with the Oilers, the team that selected him No. 1 overall in 2010, and actually enjoyed playing in Edmonton. It’s possible that Edmonton could continue to build off their hot start to the season and put themselves in position to be a real contender and a potential rental destination for Hall later this season. However, The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis all but rules out Hall as a possible free agency target and long-term fit. With the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, James Neal, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins signed long-term on substantial contracts and a number of other top players in need of new contracts, there doesn’t appear to be space for Hall, who Willis expects to command a contract in the vicinity of $11MM per year. Even taking into account salary cap inflation, Willis feels that the Oilers would need to shed considerable salary to afford Hall and questions whether that would be the right play. Edmonton’s days as home to Hall are likely exclusively in the past.

Report Suggests Connor McDavid Intends To Give Ken Holland Two Years

at CDT | by 8 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers haven’t exactly been the model franchise since their star Connor McDavid signed his eight-year, $100MM back in July of 2017. The 22-year-old continues to do his part, having scored 224 points over the past two seasons and winning the Art Ross and Ted Lindsay awards in 2018. However, the team hasn’t built much of a winning program around him. The franchise hasn’t reached the playoffs in those two years and the teams till seems to have a questionable list of wingers to help McDavid and fellow star Leon Draisaitl. There are plenty of fans that are starting to wonder if McDavid regrets signing long-term with the Oilers.

Appearing on Sportsnet 590 radio on Friday, Elliotte Friedman said that he believes that new general manager Ken Holland will get two years to prove to McDavid that the team is heading in the right direction. However, he also believes that McDavid is getting impatient with the organization.

“I think the answer is no, he’s not patient,” Friedman said. “But he’s also willing to be convinced. I think they’ve got two years to show him they’re going in the right direction. This year and next year.”

Friedman added the he believes the team might be better off getting one more lottery pick after this season in hopes of striking it rich in a deep 2020 draft year and then take that next step, although that doesn’t necessarily mean the team isn’t intent on making the playoffs this season. Holland was active during the summer despite little cap space to work with. He traded veteran Milan Lucic to Calgary for winger James Neal in hopes the veteran might bounce back to his 20-goal scoring ways this year. He also dipped into the international market, signing Joakim Nygard and Gaetan Haas, who both made the team out of training camp. The GM also brought in veteran goaltender Mike Smith to help balance out the goaltending situation.

The team does have a lot of young prospects that are on the brink and much of it is on the defensive end. The team has 2018 first-round pick Evan Bouchard in the AHL, but he could come up at any time and become a regular. They also have prospects Dmitri Samorukov and Philip Broberg, who may only be a year away. They also have a number of young forward, including Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan McLeod and Tyler Benson, who could contribute in the near future as well and help the team take that next step. Other than Broberg, who is playing in the SHL this season as an 18-year-old, the majority of the team’s top prospects are with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, which should be a loaded team this season.

The team also is right up against the cap, which has a lot to do with McDavid and Draisaitl’s deals, but the team also has quite a few contracts on the book that aren’t helping. The Oilers must also deal with the eventual contract of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who will be a unrestricted free-agent after the 2021 season. Edmont has to hope that McDavid is patient enough to wait around while they rebuild the team and try and get it to a point where the team is challenging for a Stanley Cup on a regular basis while McDavid remains in his prime or he could eventually demand a trade.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top