NHL Rumor Mill – June 25, 2024
What next for the Panthers and Oilers following the Stanley Cup Final? Do the Bruins and Senators have any more moves in store? What’s the latest on Predators goalie Juuse Saros? Find out in the NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS AND OILERS?
ESPN.COM: Kristen Shilton observed the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers have most of their core players under contract for next season. However, Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour head a list of 11 pending unrestricted free agents.
Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Recent media speculation suggests the Panthers will sign Reinhart to a long-term deal for slightly less than market value, possibly around $9 million annually. However, their re-signing of Gustav Forsling over Montour earlier this year suggests the latter will be going to market on July 1.
Turning to the Oilers, Ryan S. Clark believes the cap-strapped club will again attempt to round out their roster with players on team-friendly contracts. Warren Foegele, Adam Henrique, and Mattias Janmark are among their seven pending UFAs.
Clark also wondered if they might seek a goalie upgrade. Stuart Skinner played well during the Stanley Cup Final but was shaky earlier in the postseason.
Leon Draisaitl is a year away from UFA eligibility. Clark believes the Oilers will do everything possible to turn its promise into a Stanley Cup.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s been reported that Oilers management has held preliminary contract extension discussions with the Draisaitl camp. The serious negotiations will soon begin.
The Oilers can afford to retain Foegele, Henrique, or Janmark but not all three. As for Skinner, they’ll stick with him. They could attempt to shed Jack Campbell’s contract via trade or buyout once that window opens Wednesday evening.
ARE THE BRUINS AND SENATORS DONE DEALING FOLLOWING THE ULLMARK TRADE?
NBC SPORTS BOSTON: Nick Goss analyzed the pros and cons of the Bruins shipping Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators with Joonas Korpisalo heading to Boston as part of the return.
Goss noted Korpisalo was one of the NHL’s worst goalies this season. The Senators retained 25 percent of his annual cap hit but it still works out to $3 million per season with four years remaining on his contract.
The Bruins are likely to carry Korpisalo on their roster for next season. However, Goss speculated they could attempt to flip him this summer to another club by attaching a draft pick or offering to retain part of his cap hit. They could also buy out the remainder of his contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins could attempt to peddle Korpisalo this summer. However, he’s more likely to serve as Jeremy Swayman’s backup next season.
OTTAWA SUN: Tim Baines wondered if Senators general manager Steve Staios will attempt to trade left-shot defenseman Jakob Chychrun and what type of return he might fetch.
Chychrun, 26, had a good season with the Senators in 2023-24. He played all 82 games and netted 41 points. He has a year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $4.6 million and will be expensive to re-sign.
With left-shot blueliners Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson under long-term contracts, the Senators can’t afford to sign Chychrun to an extension. They could carry him on the roster for next season and attempt to move him at the trade deadline but Baines considers that unlikely. They’re also unlikely to trade Chabot and re-sign Chychrun.
Baines noted there’s been rumblings of a pending deal between the Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers. He wonders if Chychrun might be part of it.
Staios could attempt to recoup some of the draft capital used to acquire Chychrun last season. However, Baines believes it best to acquire young players who can bring more immediate roster help.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Most of the musings about this rumored swap between the Flyers and Senators suggest Chychrun will be part of it. The deal could occur before the upcoming NHL Draft, starting on Friday.
UPDATE ON JUUSE SAROS
102.5 THE GAME NASHVILLE: Predators GM Barry Trotz provided an update on contract extension talks with Juuse Saros. The 29-year-old goaltender has a year left on his contract with a cap hit of $5 million.
Trotz claimed he’s had good dealings thus far with Saros’ agent, adding they’re hoping to find common ground on a win-win deal. He also confirmed the netminder has reached the stage of his career where he’s earned a no-move clause, something that’s not in his current deal.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trotz has been open with the media regarding his negotiations with the Saros camp. The netminder has frequently surfaced in trade rumors, with the most recent having the Predators shipping him to the Toronto Maple Leafs for winger Mitch Marner.
Trotz has swatted aside these rumors. It appears Saros will be staying in Nashville beyond next season.
I am not a Bruins fan so I am nor 100% sure. But isn’t a young teddy called Bussi waiver eligible next year and likely to be claimed. If so, it does not make sense for the Bruins to have Korpisalo on the roster next year. Unless that is the way that they have decided to go. Again I am not sure how good this guy will be, just what I have heard.
Trade Korpisalo and a pick to SJ for Blackwood
Saves BOS another 750k this yr and no contract after this yr since Blackwood would be a UFA
Sj needs a goalie for longer and it fits their need for a cost controlled goalie under term
Korpi has a 10 team no-trade list. I would think SJ is on that list.
Johnny you are prob right but my thought I he would start rather than sit as back up in BOS
Bussi is waiver eligible which is why they need to buy out Korpisalo and use Bussi as a backup. Last year in Providence was good but the year before was excellent. Time to see what he can do as a backup.
Buying out Korpisalo will cost the Bruins around $1M each of the next 8 years. Bruins should do the same thing Habs did last season, start with 3 goaltenders and trade Korpisalo before trade deadline $1M retained. With one of the best defense of the league, Korpisalo will do better and Bruins will get a decent return for him.
The trading of Korpisalo before the deadline makes good sense Pat, more than buying him out.
Not sure they need to keep 3 tenders, but ya, an option.
I’m not convinced Bussi gets picked up on waivers.
Swayman should be in their net for some time making Bussi an asset to be managed to fill other holes.
If EDM say sends Campbell and a big sweetener like Broberg or their first this yr plus to Sj for say Vanecek that’ll say EDM long term cap space to retain more players or go bigger like
To EDM : Ferraro and Vanecek
To SJ: Campbell , Broberg a 1st and prospect
Vanecek is only 3.4m and a UFA after the season so clearing plenty of cap space for Leon and depth players
Would Korpisalo look good behind the Canes defence?
He struggled behind the Sens defence…would likely fare much worse in SJ.
Seems it would be a good move for FLA to trade a goalie. $14.5 million for 2 goalies is a lot to carry in the cap era. Bob can be traded to half the league on July 1, Knight can go to the highest bidder……Stolarz can be re-signed for about $1.5M. It sure would leave more room for other signings as well. After all, MAF was traded after winning a Vezina….and for peanuts!
Detroit, SJ, Caralina and most notably, Toronto all need upgrades in goal!
Bob to Seattle for Grubauer?
Free up 4mill plus to try to sign Reinhardt
Or to Utah ?
Bob just won them a cup. Why would they trade him? I am all for throwing ideas out there for discussion but let’s be realistic.
I don’t see Mike Grier being a party to becoming the new dumping ground for unwanted contracts.
As matters now stand he has $32,729,166 in cap space and, being committed to 15 players, has to sign 8.
None among his 8 RFAs had seasons that screamed “give me the big deal” and should he re-up all 8, they will all be very modest, minimum cost deals.
His back-up goalie, Devin Cooley, is among his 7 UFAs and likely won’t be back, so he’s not giving up Blackwood for Korpisalo and a pick. Not with having the 3rd best prospect pool according to The Hockey Writers, with the best of them being Filip Bystedt, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Will Smith, Quentin Musty and Mattias Havelid.
The only one among their UFAs who Grier might try to re-sign is Alexander Barbanov. The rest are probably history (Justin Bailey, Ryan Carpenter, Mike Hoffman (have we seen the last of him?), Kevin Labanc and Jacob MacDonald.
So he doesn’t need more picks, and rather than take on an unwanted contract, he has more than enough cap to shop carefully in the UFA pool as well as engage in trades for decent players some teams might have to shop in order to broaden their own needed cap space.
Yet they just took Jake Walman and his $3.2M contract + a 2nd round pick from Detroit for future considerations.
Correction – $3.4M contract.
Yeah, but that was more of a cap-clearing move rather than the dumping of a useless asset.
Walman, a 28 y/o 6′ 1″ 218 lb LD, had 12g 9a 21 pts and was a very decent -2 on a team that did give up 274 goals. He’ll help that team.
Maybe he can help SJ George, but I am just glad he is gone from Detroit.
Maybe I just don’t get it…..but why in the world would Boston make this trade?
They seem 0% better. And not even all that much more cap space which was the reason to unload Ullmark, right?
Just looking at it peripherally, “here you take a gift, give us back a few things you don’t really want anyway”
What am I missing?
Kastelic is a cheap replacement for Maroon for a year. They get their draft pick back. They save a little bit of cash. More things likely to happen.
A 1st RD pick, 4th line banger and $2M in cap space.
It’s the best offer he got, so he took it.
1st rd pick and 5 million in cap space is better
They wanted that 1st BEFORE the draft for some reason……do they actually use it to draft someone??? or do they use it to trade for someone they have their eye on? It seems to be the latter because they are in win-now mode.
Swaymen already defacto starter; so already saved $2M in Cap space on their back-up; gained a 1st and Kastelic
Now Bruins can buyout Korpasallo
Would only mean $250,000 and $625,000 in dead cap this year and next respectively
Bussi as back up
Effectively then netting (after accounting for Bussi) Bruins about $4 M in Cap space this year
The dead cap next year and onward:
$625,000
$1,375,000
$1,750,000
$1,000,000 then for 4 years
Is absolutely negligible compared to out year’s Cap increase and the gain of $4 M in Cap, 1st, Kostelic right now
Bruins did well
Would Edmonton consider Jarry an upgrade over Skinner? I wouldn’t, but you never know.
A backup goalie they don’t need with his play .. money & term … Kastelic a 4th line player and there’s a lot of his type in the league … 25th draft pick 1st rd is a crap shoot ..
Wonder if Ullmark is an upgrade over Skinner … maybe the Bruins should’ve waited a day before making the trade
Ullmark wasn’t going out west wanted to stay east
Campbell is a MUST buyout for Oilers IMHO
They must get space
Campbell in no way can play on the big club; buried he still counts $3.85 M against cap
Buyout frees up $3.9 M, $2.7 M, $2.4 M followed with a paltry 3 years of $1.5 M in dead cap space with Cap ceiling will be nigh (maybe over ) $100 M
Trading at 50 % retained only frees up $2.5 M and will cost at least a 2nd and a fair prospect
Trading ALL of his contract is going to cost Broberg AND maybe a 1st; big mistake
We live in a weird world when $1.5 mil a year for 3 years can be described as “paltry!”
“We” don’t live in that world
But take those figures proportionately scaled to “our” world and the present value of that long term pain is “paltry”
Just relative
Compare that to the $14 M + dead cap for Wild last year (against $83.5 M) and $1.5 M (against nigh $100 M) IS “paltry”
again, subjectively “relative”
Or
They call Utah and blow their wad
Campbell, Ryan, Broberg, Holloway , Petrov, 1st ‘25,
For Ingram and McBain
That would shock me P8E7N8G7Y.
So an 8th overall, 14th overall, who both played well in their first real playoff test, will both be affordable, along with a 1st to dump Campbell and a couple OK players.
Broberg and Holloway are too valuable and are exactly what the Oil need moving forward. Young, affordable with high upside. Both coming off ELC. Who you gonna replace them with that doesn’t cost more $$. Likely won’t save you anything unless you want your roster to take a big hit.
Ingram and McBain won’t do it to offset that IMO.
Next year will be Skinner starting with either Campbell or Rodrigue as the backup. Maybe bring a 3rd guy into like they did with Pickard to hedge.
Campbell played well in Bakersfield last year. Is he back into his NHL form? Who the heck knows, but worst case scenario you send him back down.
Holland won’t make a panic move.
If he moves salary, I would go with Kane or most likely McLeod. The latter has the wheels, but keeps you wanting more. He can get in on the forecheck with his wheels, but doesn’t engage physically often enough. Maybe the Oil are done waiting for him. Might even get a young asset back from a young team needing a C.
Again Ray
Not Pengy (I know you know that and are just keeping the gag going, so just pointing it out again for others here)
Agree those two should stay and are low cost
My point was more to articulate how much it WOULD cost to get rid of Campbell’s full contract
Kane has an NMC so will be staying
McLeod at $2.1 M id reasonable
I disagree wholeheartedly with you if you believe Campbell should play for Oilers
Up, and it’s $5 zM in very valuable cap space (that they absolutely need) completely wasted
Bury is option 1
Better option is to buy him out
Retaining 50% will not save as much space AND will also cost sweetener(s)
No way Holland is as stupid as Dubas
Last two seasons have seen Brandon Bussi play a half dozen times… great size with quickness and a swagger to boot like Sway just a bigger body could become a good one … I’m for sure no expert but I could see him easily handle the backup goaltender roll for the Bruins going forward… there was no need to take that goalie back
There’s more cooking, Joe. Be patient.
The Bruins have a lot of cap space even with Korp to add secondary scoring. Kastelic solid on draws and the hometown will love him.
Boston can bring in at least one 5million+ UFA.
What ever happened to Pengy?
Shockingly Edmonton is the second oldest team in the NHL. Right behind Pit. In no way are they trading Holloway or Broberg . Both played very well for their age and minutes afforded. Bouchard .Ekholm played half the game anyway .
E. Kane gone traded bought-out punted. Ryan retires . They need Henrique but not for $6m
Skinner 7 goals in last 4 games.
OTT trades:
Tkachuk
Pinto
Chychrun
#7 pick on Rd 1
PHL trades:
Konecny
Farabee
Ristolainen
#12 pick of Rd 1
rumor mill, names involved parts moving.
LJ14 what a joke of a trade rumour
Tkachuk would cost you 2 1st round picks and Konecny minimum
Pinto would cost you a 1st and 2nd and top prospect
Chychrun would cost you a 1st and prospect
Subtract Brady and it almost a fair deal.