BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring John Gibson (ANA), Vince Dunn (STL), Timo Meier (SJ), and more!
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NHL Rumors and Speculation
Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic): Notes on some head coaches who are not under contract for next season.
- Rod Brind’Amour – Carolina Hurricanes – Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon said that week that an extension will get done, but there is a gap. Believe a deal will get done but it’s not a slam dunk.
- Travis Green – Vancouver Canucks – There haven’t been any in-season contract talks. He’s earned an extension.
- Rick Tocchet – Arizona Coyotes – Tocchet could move on with no hard feelings and GM Bill Armstrong brings in his own guy. Tocchet may be looking to coach a contending team.
- Jeff Blashill – Detroit Red Wings – Not sure where this one is headed. Maybe time for a fresh start as they enter the next part of their rebuild.
- John Tortorella – Columbus Blue Jackets – Both sides will sit down and talk to see which direction both want to go. Feeling that they will go in different directions.
- The Seattle Kraken still need to name a head coach. The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens have interim coaches.
- Gerald Gallant and the Kraken seem like an obvious choice but they haven’t spoken in a year.
- If the Canadiens have a good playoff run, Dominic Ducharme could lose the interim tag.
- Coaches with a year left on their deals:
- Jared Bednar, Colorado, Rick Bowness, Dallas, Dave Tippett, Edmonton, Dean Evason, Minnesota, D.J. Smith, Ottawa, Craig Berube, St. Louis, Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay, Sheldon Keefe, Toronto
Kevin Kurz (The Athletic): The San Jose Sharks core is aging, and the contributions they’ve been getting from their younger players haven’t been what they had hoped.
- Players like Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc are being paid well and not living up to their end. Both should be entering their primes and having to be demoted in the lineup to try and motivate them shouldn’t be needed.
Ben Pope (Chicago Sun-Times): Suggested the Blackhawks’ signing physical defenseman Riley Stillman to a three-year contract extension casts more doubt over Nikita Zadorov’s future in Chicago. He speculates Zadorov’s RFA rights could be traded in the offseason.
Salim Valji (TSN): Examined the seven-year tenure of Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving and the big decisions he faces in the offseason. He pointed out the perception of the Flames as a flawed team has grown, suggesting it’ll take more than a handful of transactions to turn this disappointing club into a perennial Stanley Cup contender.
Rory Boylen (Sportsnet): Says the St. Louis Blues should probably try and trade defenseman Vince Dunn before the expansion draft or they’ll be forced to choose between protecting him or some valuable forwards they’d rather not lose to Seattle for free.
- “The question here revolves around one big decision on the blue line. Assuming Colton Parayko, Torey Krug and Justin Faulk will be protected, that leaves Vince Dunn hanging in the balance. Protect him and you’re going to expose a few forwards who would provide the Kraken with a range of choice. Leave him unprotected, and you’re surrendering a 24-year-old quality puck mover who is an RFA this off-season.”
Rob Ellis (NHL Trade Rumor.com): Says the Anaheim Ducks are in for an interesting off-season as they’ve already let the league know they’re willing to trade Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson. There are questions surrounding the future of team Captain Ryan Getzlaf and Ellis suggests there’s one more potential option for Ducks GM Bob Murray,
- “One interesting trade that could happen in the off-season for the Ducks is trading their goaltender John Gibson. NHL rumors are going around that Gibson does not want to be part of a rebuilding team and the Ducks appear to be years away from being a contender.”
Sources: nhlrumors.com, The Athletic, Spector’s Hockey, Daily Goal Horn, nhltraderumor.com
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