BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Rickard Rakell (ANA), Jake DeBrusk (BOS), Clayton Keller (ARI), and more!
Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.
A new name in the rumor mill for Oilers fans! Check out who it is here.
Could Tyson Barrie be trade bait for the Oilers? Read about that here.
This is not the kind of news Edmonton Oilers fans will like.
NHL Rumors and Speculation
Rory Boylen (Sportsnet) has a number of players listed for the upcoming NHL trade deadline categorized in group entitled, “Headturners”. Presumably it means that the only way these guys are getting dealt is if the trade is a blockbuster. There are definitely some notable names in the group.
- Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators: The best defenceman believed to be available, Ekholm makes just $3.75 million against the cap this season and next, making him affordable to any team.
- Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes: As the Coyotes look to cut costs and rebuild their prospect and pick base, the 22-year-old Keller would be the player who could give them the best return on a single trade. He has been on a tear lately, though, and might prove too valuable to move in the end.
- Sam Reinhart, Buffalo Sabres: On one hand, he could bring the Sabres a nice return to move on with, but on the other trading away players who are actually performing is a risky proposition for a team stuck in the mud.
- Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres: Shot attempts are actually in Buffalo’s favour when he’s on the ice at 5-on-5 and he has a solid eight points in 17 games. He’s a $5.4 million blueliner and signed through another season. The Sabres may be motivated to move him before that deal expires and he’s free to explore signing elsewhere.
- Travis Dermott, Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs need defensive depth, so giving up Dermott would present its own risk that could be offset by a specific, possibly high end, target.
- Vince Dunn, St. Louis Blues: He’s a young (24) puck-mover with an affordable contract and controllable beyond this season. Most teams would be happy to have him within their top four.
- Anthony Mantha, Detroit Red Wings: The Wings are one of those teams considering all of its options and while we’d assume it’d be extremely hard, if not impossible, to pry Dylan Larkin out of there, Mantha could be a different story.
- Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers: An up and down NHL career has brought us to this point where at 27, Gostisbehere is a bit of a project with tantalizing upside for a team looking to bolster its blue line.
The Cult of Hockey’s Bruce McCurdy recently suggested that the Edmonton Oilers explore bringing Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk home to Alberta in return for tough guy Zack Kassian and had this to say on the topic,
- “The Edmonton native has slumped badly in Boston, where he has just 1 goal in 17 games this season after scoring just once in his final 14 games of 2019-20. He has a year and a half remaining on the two-year deal he signed last fall at an AAV of $3.675 million. That puts him in the range of Kassian’s $3.2 million cap hit, albeit for two fewer years. From the perspective of contract for contract in the salary cap era, “the money works”.
NHL Trade Talk’s Jim Parsons commented on the DeBrusk/Kassian proposal over at his own site thusly,
- “Would Edmonton be willing to part with a budding blue line prospect like Caleb Jones or a later-round draft pick along with Kassian to make it work? DeBrusk is a player that could go on a tear if he’s paired with the right center. That said, this theoretical move isn’t without its risks.”
According to Shug McSween over at nhltraderumors.me, the Calgary Flames recently tried to lowball the Anaheim Ducks in a trade that allegedly had Sam Bennett being offered for Rickard Rackell. McSween says that Anaheim was also looking for a 2nd round pick in the package.
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