BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM), Andrei Svechnikov (CAR), Yegor Chinakhov (CBJ), and more!
This is not the kind of news Edmonton Oilers fans will like.
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NHL Rumors and Speculation
Mark Scheig (The Hockey Writers): Reports say Yegor Chinakhov’s contract is up at the end of this month and that is when he could sign the ELC. This would be big news for the Blue Jackets if they could get him over to North America. It has been a mystery as to when they could get him over.
Aaron Portzline (The Athletic): (mailbag) Not sure that firing head coach John Tortorella after back-to-back loses to the Detroit Red Wings, or at any other point this season, would have greatly changed their fortunes. Their roster has underperformed but it is flawed and under talented.
- If the Blue Jackets decide to move on from Tortorella, someone like Gerard Gallant could want $4 million a year, which is likely too much for the Blue Jackets. Gallant is also a candidate for Seattle Kraken. The Blue Jackets looked Kevin Dineen back in 2010 when they tried to hire Guy Boucher. Boucher passed on the offer and Dineen withdrew his name. Jukka Jalonen wants to coach in the NHL and he is Finnish.
- If the Blue Jackets are going to trade for a No. 1 center, they may have to build a package around Zach Werenski. They can’t move Werenski without having Seth Jones signed long-term though.
- The top unrestricted free agent centers are Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Phillip Danault. Nugent-Hopkins would be a No. 2 center on a good team and Danault is a middle-six center.
- The belief is that the Blue Jackets will need to draft their No. 1 center.
BLH’s Thoughts: If the Blue Jackets are looking to draft their future no.1 center, they’d best be looking to tank the next couple of seasons with the likes of Shane Wright (Kingston, OHL), Brad Lambert (JYP, SM-Liiga), Matthew Savoie (Winnipeg, WHL), and Connor Bedard (Regina, WHL) set to join the NHL in 2022 and 2023.
Now, it could mean moving Patrik Laine, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and/or Max Domi, but if they were smart, they’d try to find a way to get both Nugent-Hopkins AND Danault in the off-season so they’d be set for the next 5-7 years at that position and tack that on to the very promising goaltenders they have now and in the future as well as having two elite defensemen already… If they could find an excellent coach this summer, I think that CBJ could be back competing for top spot in their division very shortly.
Losing RNH would be a blow to the Oilers special teams but I’m of the belief that Edmonton has a plan in place should he move on. One that includes targeting Montreal’s UFA LWer (and former Detroit Red Wing) Tomas Tatar and another forward that would take Nugent-Hopkins’ place on the penalty kill and alongside one of the Oilers’ mega-stars in their top-six.
Luke Fox (Sportsnet): A look at the top pending RFAs and some notes on each.
- Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) – Thomas Chabot‘s eight-year $64 million could be a starting point on a long-term deal. Charlie McAvoy‘s three years at $4.9 million and Zach Werenski‘s three years $5 million could be bridge comparables.
- Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars) – Similar to Makar. P.K. Subban‘s $9 million per year deal is the largest an RFA defenseman has signed.
- Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) – Elliotte Friendman reported the sides have held preliminary talks. Could do a bridge deal.
- Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks) – Has recently switched agents. Hughes and Pettersson’s contract could be tied together.
- Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild) – Could take a two-year bridge deal around $6.5 million AAV to a $9 million on a six-year deal according to executives and agents that The Athletic’s Michael Russo spoke with.
- Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) – The Senators have the salary cap space.
- Igor Shesterkin – New York Rangers) – The 25-year old has arbitration rights.
- Andrei Svechnikov (Carolina Hurricanes – Talks have gone quiet since February.
- Patrik Laine (Columbus Blue Jackets) – Things haven’t gone well for Laine this season, but he has arbitration rights and the Blue Jackets need him to stick around.
- Pavel Buchnevich (New York Rangers) – Could use Anthony Mantha‘s four-year, $5.7 million per and Oliver Bjorkstrand‘s five-year, $5.4 million per as comparables.
Sources: nhltraderumors.com, The Athletic, nhlrumors.com
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