BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Taylor Hall, Travis Dermott, Tyson Barrie, Nils Hoglander, and more!
Oilers pundit says the club might be down ANOTHER forward before camp starts! Who could it be?
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Have you read this hilarious Joe Thornton story about the time he was chirping Connor McDavid from the bench and he made everyone within earshot burst out laughing? Do it now!
Have you ever seen the video of the time Doug Risebrough sucker-punched Marty McSorley and then had his ass handed to him? You have to check it out here.
Did Connor McDavid have a hand in bringing Jesse Puljujarvi back to Edmonton? Read about it here.
NHL Rumors and Speculation
- Eric Engels (Sportsnet): On where new Montreal Canadiens forward Corey Perry could be deployed with the Habs this year,
- “It’s probably safe to assume Perry won’t dress for every game, but we’re of the opinion he was signed to play and not just for taxi squad purposes. Heck, cap problems or not, we don’t anticipate him going to the taxi squad at all — at $750, 000, he’d be an ideal player to claim on waivers for any team with less depth than the Canadiens … and there are many teams with less depth than the Canadiens.”
- Chris Johnston (Sportsent): Reports that the competition on the blue line at Toronto Maple Leafs camp is on another level,
- “…it was notable that Travis Dermott found himself in healthy scratch territory on the fourth pairing with Rasmus Sandin here, especially after dressing for all 56 games he was healthy for last season. You could interpret that as a step back at a time the 24-year-old is expected to be progressing in his career.”
- Mark Spector (Sportsnet): Sounds like Tyson Barrie would like to remain an Edmonton Oiler if everything pans out,
- “If there is an opportunity for me to stay here long-term in Edmonton, it could be a great fit.”
- Iain McIntyre (Sportsnet): 20yr old Swedish forward Nils Hoglander is making heads turn at Vancouver Canucks camp,
- “Playing with captain Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson, Hoglander set up one goal and scored a beauty himself as his Whites beat the Blues 6-4 at Rogers Arena. He got stronger as the game went on and was probably the most dangerous player on either team in the third period when, in one memorable sequence, he pilfered the puck from Canucks star Elias Pettersson, which is like stealing a painting from the Louvre, only to have his countryman charge back after him.”
- Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic): On a few of the more notable contenders for unrestricted free agency in 2021,
- Taylor Hall (BUF) – “If the Eichel-Hall chemistry develops into something special, and Hall finds his MVP form or close to it, and the fact that Buffalo isn’t far from his offseason home, I could see the winger wanting to stay put if the Sabres really step up.”
- Tuukka Rask (BOS) – “Where does Rask fit in Boston’s transition? I think the answer lies in how he plays this season and if the Bruins see the goalie who can help shepherd that transition for the next few years.”
- Dougie Hamilton (CAR) – “My guess is his camp, led by J.P. Barry, sees the conversation starting with Alex Pietrangelo’s new $8.8-million AAV just signed in Vegas and working (down) from there.”
- Paul Stastny (WPG) – “Here’s a guy who, I believe, will want to stay. The question is, is there risk for the Jets to extend a player who just turned 35 last week? Well, there’s always risk, but this one is worth it in my mind.”
- Alex Ovechkin (WAS) – “To me the question has never been whether Ovechkin would re-sign with the Caps if he decided to continue his NHL career. It just whether he yearned to go home to Russia and finish his career in the KHL or not.”
- Josh Yohe (The Athletic): Is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford believes spending money in free agency will be pivotal to keeping his club competitive two years from now.
- “It’s important to Rutherford that the Penguins have some young building blocks now that the team’s core — Crosby, Malkin and Letang — is aging. Rutherford believes spending money in free agency — perhaps the kind of money the Penguins typically don’t spend during the summer — is going to be pivotal to keeping the Penguins competitive a couple of years from now.”
- Adrian Dater (Colorado Hockey Now): Reckons that Colorado Avalanche bluechip prospect Bowen Byram may force the Avs to trade a defenceman to fit him into the lineup.
- “The most likely player to be moved is veteran Ian Cole, who is in the final year of a contract that carries a cap hit of $4.25 million.”
- Larry Brooks (NY Post): Says that there are multiple teams interested in giant centerman Brian Boyle but no contracts have been offered. The New York Rangers are one of those teams but they’ve told Boyle that they’re waiting to see how the team’s young players perform before committing to him.
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