Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Snapshots

Snapshots: Tkachuk, Alberta Hockey Hall Of Fame, DiPietro

at CDT | by 7 Comments

With Johnny Gaudreau’s departure from the Calgary Flames organization, all eyes have turned to superstar Matthew Tkachuk and his future with the team. Currently, Tkachuk sits on the RFA market after unsurprisingly receiving a $9MM qualifying-offer from the Flames last week. Not much update has come since then on the 24-year-old’s situation until now, when it was revealed that Tkachuk declined to file for player-elected arbitration ahead of today’s deadline.

In light of the decision not to file, Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike believes the Flames will not elect arbitration on their end before tomorrow’s 5:00 pm ET deadline for teams to elect. Pike cites the fact that by doing so, the Flames would have to offer in arbitration, at the very least, the $9MM qualifying offer. Even still, the arbitrator in Tkachuk’s case could award a number higher than $9MM, perhaps the number Tkachuk were to file at, making arbitration all the more unpredictable at this point for Calgary. Not filing for arbitration will also keep the offer-sheet avenue open, which could pave the way to a long-term resolution for both player and team.

  • Two familiar names are set to be inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame this evening. Former NHL Head Coach Ken Hitchcock and former NHL goaltender and current Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson will join alongside Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Bill Bucyk, Bob Clark, Dr. Randy Gregg, Jamie Macoun and the 1974-75 Lethbridge Native Sons.
  • According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Vancouver Canucks have given goaltender Michael DiPietro and his agent, Darren Ferris, permission to talk with other teams to help facilitate a trade for the goaltender (link). Once a heralded goaltending prospect out of the OHL, DiPietro has yet to live up to the expectations set for him when Vancouver drafted him in the third-round in 2017. The goaltender had a strong 2019-20, his first full pro season, but dealt with injuries and limited playing time in 2020-21. He would rebound in 2021-22, but still hasn’t been able to pull himself back to the blue-chip status he once had. Even if DiPietro could make a full turnaround, he’ll find the net in Vancouver considerably blocked by that of 26-year-old star netminder Thatcher Demko, who is signed through 2025-26. A key distinction with this permission to talk to other teams is not to negotiate a contract, much like Anthony DeAngelo was allowed to do earlier this offseason, but to help find a trade to a destination that will work for DiPietro, with the goaltender having already accepted his qualifying offer yesterday.

Snapshots: Zadorov, Rodrigues, Laine, Canucks

at CDT | by 2 Comments

On top of Johnny Gaudreau opting to get the open market, defenseman Nikita Zadorov will also be doing so, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  The 27-year-old had a career-high 22 points last season but also averaged a career-low in ice time at 16:55 per game.  A veteran of over NHL games 500 games between the regular season and playoffs, Zadorov is a well-known commodity around the league and will have interest from teams looking to shore up the left side of their back end in free agency.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Pending UFA forward Evan Rodrigues has changed representation to Darren Ferris of Quartexx, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link). After bouncing around the previous two seasons, the 28-year-old had a breakout year in 2021-22, collecting 43 points in 82 games with Pittsburgh while spending plenty of time in their top six.  After being on one-year deals the past three years, Rodrigues should be able to secure a multi-year commitment this time around.
  • While Patrik Laine is a year away from being eligible to test unrestricted free agency, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that there is mutual interest in getting a long-term extension done with the winger. Laine is coming off his first career point per game season, notching 26 goals and 30 assists in 56 games and received his $7.5MM qualifying offer.  He’s eligible to file for arbitration if an agreement can’t be worked out in the coming days.
  • Canucks president Jim Rutherford told CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal (Twitter link) that the team will not be looking to re-sign pending UFA forwards Alex Chiasson, Brad Richardson, and Brandon Sutter right away but could circle back at some point this summer. Chiasson had 13 goals in 67 games last season, a decent return on a league minimum deal while Richardson won over 58% of his faceoffs in 2021-22.  Sutter, meanwhile, missed all of last season with long COVID symptoms and there’s no word yet on whether or not he’ll be able to play in 2022-23.

Snapshots: Kane, Bowman, Malkin

at CDT | by 17 Comments

Forward Evander Kane is nothing if not the most polarizing and interesting free agent on the market this offseason. The 30-year-old power forward has had his fair share of off-ice controversies in his career, including a pending arbitration hearing that may award him back to the San Jose Sharks after the team terminated his contract during the 2021-22 season. Yet Kane was still spectacular on the ice after signing a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers for the remainder of the season, notching 39 points in 43 regular-season games and leading the NHL in scoring during the playoffs with 13 goals in just 15 games.

Yet, reports surfaced earlier this week that Kane and the Oilers weren’t close on an extension. Today, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta adds that there haven’t been any conversations yet today between Kane’s camp and the Oilers, adding to the likelihood Kane hits the open market tomorrow. It doesn’t limit Edmonton’s ability to re-sign him, and quite frankly, it’s still the most likely destination for him. Kane’s risk factor is only increased by the pending arbitration decision, and other teams will be hesitant to commit term to Kane without either having a deal in place with San Jose to trade back for him or having clarity on his future.

  • Legendary coach and executive Scott Bowman is moving on from the Chicago Blackhawks organization this summer, per the man himself. Now 88, Bowman had been a senior advisor for the Blackhawks since 2008. A winner of 12 Stanley Cups, Bowman will likely have any job he wants if he wants to continue his management career in the NHL.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke spoke today, denying rumors that the team didn’t offer Evgeni Malkin his desired term of four years. He did say that giving a six-year contract extension to Rickard Rakell yesterday didn’t rule out Malkin’s return, and said that “the window is still open” for Malkin. However, with all the varying reports of Malkin’s unhappiness with the situation, his moving on in free agency is likely still a done deal.

Snapshots: PHF, McLeod, Nesterov

at CDT | by 10 Comments

This morning, the PHF officially announced they are expanding into Montreal for the 2022-23 season, adding a seventh franchise to the women’s league. The new team will be led by Kevin Raphael and Emmanual Anderson. Through a partnership with Center 21.02–a sports complex in Verdun, a Montreal borough–will be the training home for the new club, games for the upcoming season will be played in communities across Quebec in an attempt to showcase women’s hockey to greater audiences.

The schedule for the upcoming season has yet to be announced, while the official team name and logo are expected within the next few weeks. The new Montreal club joins the Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride, Metropolitan Riveters, Toronto Six, Connecticut Whale, and Minnesota Whitecaps in the growing league.

  • The Minnesota Wild have hired Cody McLeod as a player development coach, effectively announcing his retirement as a player. The 38-year-old tough guy played in 59 games for the Iowa Wild last season and will now make the transition to coaching, along with Matt Harder, who was hired as strength and conditioning coach, and David MacLean, who was named a pro scout. In 776 NHL games, McLeod racked up 72 goals, 127 points, and 1,630 penalty minutes.
  • You won’t be seeing Nikita Nesterov in the NHL anytime soon. The veteran defenseman has signed a new four-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, keeping him at home in Russia instead of attempting any kind of return to North America. The 29-year-old defenseman played in 38 games for the Calgary Flames during the 2020-21 season but never did find much success on this side of the pond. In the KHL, he was one of the most dynamic players in the league this season, logging more than 25 minutes a night and scoring 33 points in 41 regular season games, good enough for third on the entire CSKA roster.

Snapshots: Burns, Gaudreau, Lemieux, PHF, Struble

at CDT | by 4 Comments

As the San Jose Sharks look to turn a corner with the franchise, not necessarily declaring a rebuild, rumors surrounding superstar defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson have turned up in recent months, with some speculating the Sharks could try to deal one of them. That speculation didn’t seem too off-base, but with the Sharks without a GM for the first time in nearly 20 years and still searching, it was unclear if the team would want to make that sort of franchise-altering trade before making the hire, and if the new hire would want to do such a thing as well.

Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News had a chance to speak to the new man in charge in that of Sharks GM Mike Grier, who touched on Burns’ future in San Jose. Grier said that he would speak with Burns soon and let him lead the way on whether or not he wanted to be dealt, understanding if the former Norris winner wanted to win now, but adding that he had been a “great Shark.” Burns, who has a modified no-trade clause, does in effect lead the way already in this situation, but Grier’s comments show that San Jose is ready to proceed in either direction with the 37-year-old, depending on how their conversation turns out. The defenseman has three more years at $8MM per season left on his contract.

  • If and when superstar free agent Johnny Gaudreau hits the free agent market on Wednesday, he will be one of the most sought-after players to ever go to free agency, with no shortage of suitors. One of those suitors, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports, will be the New York Islanders, who he believes will “competitively” pursue the winger. It’s no secret that the Islanders have been looking for offense and a dynamic winger to play with Mathew Barzal, especially after missing the playoffs following back-to-back trips to the Conference Finals. Bringing in a player like Gaudreau would solve many of those problems of course, but having just under $11.2MM in salary cap space while needing to sign RFA defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, a Gaudreau signing would necessitate another move to shed salary on the Island.
  • Although he was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Kings, forward Brendan Lemieux may still re-sign with the team after all is said and done, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston, with contract talks still ongoing. This news isn’t too shocking, as the gritty winger has played well for the Kings since being acquired from the New York Rangers during the 2020-21 season, but coming with a qualifying offer of $1.65MM, Los Angeles may have opted to try and re-sign Lemieux at a lower rate, not taking the chance of him accepting a salary they may view as too high.
  • Erin Brown of The Hockey News reports that the PHF will announce its 2022-23 expansion plans on Tuesday morning. One of the premier women’s hockey leagues in North America, the PHF currently consists of five teams, including the Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride, Metropolitan Riveters, Connecticut Whale, and Minnesota Whitecaps.
  • The Montreal Canadiens announced that defense prospect Jayden Struble suffered a lower-body injury today and would miss the remainder of development camp. The Canadiens’ second-round pick, 46th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, just finished his third season at Northeastern University, where he put up three goals and 11 assists in 34 games from the backend. The defenseman has just one more year before he will become a UFA if he does not sign with Montreal.

Snapshots: Gibson, Dahlen, Brink, Oilers

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With the Maple Leafs being one of the teams that still need to add a starting goaltender, some have speculated that Ducks goaltender John Gibson could be a potential trade option for them.  However, his agent Kurt Overhardt told Sportsnet 590’s Nick Kypreos (Twitter link) that Gibson has “no interest” in playing in Toronto and is committed to staying in Anaheim.  Gibson has five years left on his deal with a $6.4MM AAV with a ten-team no-trade clause so even if the Ducks were inclined to move him this summer, the 28-year-old may be able to block a move.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • While Sharks winger Jonathan Dahlen had a decent rookie season with 12 goals and 10 assists in 61 games, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports that the team is considering non-tendering him by tomorrow’s deadline. Even though he has only been in the NHL for one year, this is his fourth year on an NHL contract which gives him salary arbitration rights.  While Dahlen couldn’t command a significant increase on his league-minimum salary from this past season, San Jose likely will want to keep the last few spots on their roster at low salary slots so whatever raise he could get from an arbitrator may be more than they can afford to allocate.
  • Flyers winger Bobby Brink has sustained a hip injury during offseason workouts that might require surgery, Anthony SanFilippo of Crossing Broad was first to report (Twitter link). No timeline for a return is known yet but SanFilippo suggests the injury is severe enough that it could run into the start of next season; Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds (via Twitter) that the 21-year-old will see a specialist in a few days and that the team will have a better understanding of how much time he’ll miss by the end of the week.  Brink had four assists in 10 NHL games down the stretch while logging over 15 minutes a night.
  • The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve tendered qualifying offers to forwards Tyler Benson, Ryan McLeod, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Kailer Yamamoto. That means that defenseman Filip Berglund and forwards Brendan Perlini and Ostap Safin will go non-tendered.  Those three will become unrestricted free agents later this week.  Of the unqualified players, only Perlini has NHL experience and had four goals and an assist in 23 games this past season while Berglund has already signed in Sweden.

Snapshots: Sharks, Cirelli, Islanders

at CDT | by 3 Comments

While there was some trade activity in recent days with goaltenders, the Sharks weren’t among the teams involved.  That might come as some surprise as the team has three NHL netminders in Adin Hill, James Reimer, and pending RFA Kaapo Kahkonen.  However, GM Mike Grier told reporters after the draft including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that there’s no guarantee he’ll move one of them in the coming weeks:

Everything is on the table with regards to that. But if you looked around the league during the playoffs and the regular season, you need goaltending. Having three is not the worst thing in the world.  If something comes up where we can use (the depth) to make ourselves better, we will. We’ll see how it goes, but we have three goaltenders that we like and I think that’s a good thing.

Hill and Reimer each have one year left on their contracts at $2.175MM and $2.25MM respectively and will be unrestricted free agents in 2023.  The Sharks could move one of them and in the process, give themselves a bit more flexibility this summer.  If not, this could be a repeat of 2003 when they carried three goalies to start the season when they had Evgeni Nabokov, Vesa Toskala, and Miikka Kiprusoff with the latter eventually being moved to Calgary.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Lightning center Anthony Cirelli underwent shoulder surgery on Tuesday, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link). He suffered an AC joint sprain on one side and a collarbone injury on the other which led to surgery being needed.  However, at this time, the team does not have a definitive timeline as to when the 24-year-old will return with GM Julien BriseBois indicating that “There’s a wide range” in terms of how long Cirelli might be out.  Cirelli had 43 points in 76 games in 2021-22 for Tampa Bay during the regular season but was limited to just eight points in 23 playoff contests with the injury likely contributing to that drop in production.
  • With Ilya Sorokin establishing himself as the starter for the Islanders, some have wondered if Semyon Varlamov could be a trade candidate this summer, especially with there being strong demand for goaltending help. However, GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters including Ethan Sears of the New York Post that his intention remains to keep the tandem intact for next season.  Varlamov carries a $5MM cap hit through next season but New York has enough cap space to round out their defense – including new deals for RFAs Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov – without needing to create any extra flexibility.

Snapshots: Kane, Talbot, Kase

at CDT | by 20 Comments

As the league begins to decompress from a busy NHL Draft with some blockbuster news, the Chicago Blackhawks are sure to be in the forefront of many discussions after being one of the most active teams on the market this week. One question that remains to be answered is how their Hall of Fame talent feels about the club’s direction. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta confirms today that the team will reach out to winger Patrick Kane “in the very near future” to have a conversation about his future with the team.

Both Kane and Jonathan Toews each have just one year remaining on their matching contracts, both carrying a cap hit of $10.5MM. They also both have full say in what the future holds for them in the form of full no-movement clauses. If one or both do end up wanting a trade out of Chicago in order to make another championship run, it makes sense that the Blackhawks would want to know now. The highest value for them will likely be this offseason, as the risk of declining performance could lower their trade value by next year’s deadline.

  • There’s some good old-fashioned drama in the State of Hockey. Many believed the Minnesota Wild had reinforced their goaltending situation by re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year contract yesterday, but as quotes from general manager Bill Guerin and Cam Talbot’s agent George Bazos reveal, Talbot may not be entirely happy with the team’s choice to keep Fleury around. Bazos gave a cryptic quote after meeting with Guerin during the third round of today’s draft, saying that Guerin “had a lot to think about.” Guerin countered later, reminding media that Talbot is still under contract, and said that “George can say whatever the hell he wants.” If the relationship turns sour quickly between Talbot and the Wild, it could leave them in an interesting position next season in the crease.
  • The deadline for issuing qualifying offers to restricted free agents is July 11, and the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made a decision on whether or not to qualify winger Ondrej Kase. Kase is eligible for arbitration, and after producing 27 points in 50 games, the award might be too rich for Toronto’s blood if Kase elects for it. Not issuing a qualifying offer to Kase wouldn’t prevent him from returning to Toronto, but it would make him an unrestricted free agent, and could sign anywhere in the league.

Snapshots: Campbell, Kuemper, Johnson

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The Coachella Valley Firebirds have hired Jessica Campbell as an assistant coach, making her the first woman to hold that role at the AHL level. She joins Dan Bylsma’s staff after a year of coaching in Germany with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL. Campbell also served as an assistant coach for Germany at the recent men’s IIHF World Championship and medaled for Team Canada at the women’s tournament during her playing days.

Campbell and Bylsma will take the reins of a new AHL franchise in its first year, one that still has plenty of spots to fill. Because they are so new to the league, the Seattle Kraken have yet to populate the system with many draft picks and actually have just 23 players signed to NHL contracts in the entire organization. That’s obviously not enough to give the Firebirds a fighting chance, meaning plenty of work will be needed by Ron Francis and company in the coming weeks and months.

  • The Colorado Avalanche might not be looking for a new goaltender after all. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes that the Avalanche are working on extensions for Darcy Kuemper and Valeri Nichushkin, noting that there is a “decent chance” the netminder sticks around. If Kuemper does sign with Colorado, it would thin out a very shallow free agent goaltending pool even further, and potentially put even more pressure on the teams without legitimate starting options.
  • Friedman also notes that the idea Erik Johnson could retire to create some additional cap room won’t be happening. Peter Baugh of The Athletic even asked the veteran defenseman directly, who explained that he wants to play for a “lot longer.” The Stanley Cup champion is heading into the last season of his seven-year, $42MM deal and carries a cap hit of $6MM for 2022-23.

Snapshots: Chychrun, DeAngelo, Sharks

at CDT | by 18 Comments

After being at the forefront of trade speculation for most of last season, Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun hasn’t been mentioned in trade talk as much in recent weeks.  At this point, it doesn’t seem as if he’ll be on the move as GM Bill Armstrong told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports that there hasn’t been much movement on the trade front when it comes to the 24-year-old.  Arizona’s asking price before the trade deadline was reported to be in the range of three first-round picks (or equivalent assets) or slightly more than that and evidently, no one came in with a big enough offer to get him.  Chychrun, who has three years left on his deal with a team-friendly $4.6MM, is coming off a bit of a down year and while the Coyotes will certainly listen to offers at the draft, they may be better off seeing if he has a strong start in 2022-23 to try to bolster his value.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Ethan Bear isn’t the only pending Hurricanes RFA blueliner that is being allowed to speak to other teams in the league as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that defenseman Anthony DeAngelo has been granted permission to shop his services. The 26-year-old was one of the biggest bargains in the league in 2021-22, picking up 51 points in 64 games with just a $1MM AAV.  DeAngelo is arbitration-eligible this summer and with Carolina having a lot of key players to re-sign, there may be a price point that’s too rich for them to agree to.  Allowing DeAngelo to speak to other teams will give everyone a better understanding of what his market could be this summer.
  • ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that former Montreal assistant GM Scott Mellanby no longer appears to be in the running for the GM position with the Sharks. Interim GM Joe Will indicated on Friday that the plan is for the team to hold three to five in-person interviews with the hope of making their choice soon after.  Rangers’ Hockey Operations Coordinator Mike Grier and Ray Whitney (who currently works for the Department of Player Safety) are believed to still be in the mix for the position.

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

scroll to top