Today’s NHL news, rumors, and speculation feature the likes of Taylor Hall, Torey Krug, Jacob Markstrom, Andreas Athanasiou, and many more!
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— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) September 15, 2020
The News and Rumors
- TSN’s Pierre Lebrun states that the Edmonton Oilers could bring back Mike Smith, but they’re exploring the goalie market for the time being. Also, they won’t be trading their first-round pick in this year’s draft for a netminder.
BLH’s Thoughts: The goalie market is going to be too saturated this year. I think not using the first-rounder this year on a goalie is a wise decision. The Oilers have basically been gifted a chance to draft a future top-six scoring winger, starting netminder, top-four defender, or a middle-six center. They should do that because there’s no guarantee that the next off-season won’t be just as opportunistic.
- LeBrun also reports that the Arizona Coyotes have made multiple offers to Taylor Hall since their elimination from the post-season, but it seems like the former Hart Trophy winner is set on testing the market.
BLH’s Thoughts: The sky’s the limit for Hall this off-season. He could sign with a plethora of teams depending on his motivation. Could you imagine him in Pittsburgh if the Pens could open up the cap room? What about running the show in Montreal with Price and Weber? How about alongside MacKinnon in Colorado? Would he consider going to Toronto on a cheap 1yr deal? What would it take to get him in Edmonton or Calgary? Could the Bruins become players here?
- On the 31 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman suggested that the Vancouver Canucks won’t go to $6M+ AAV for goalie Jacob Markstrom. He inferred that a possibly backloaded deal in addition to a NMC after the expansion draft could work.
BLH’s Thoughts: Seeing what Thatcher Demko did in those few games against Vegas and not coming to the conclusion that he’s ready for the starting job is hard, but it’s a very small sample size of games. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Canucks to retain Markstrom but I can’t see him staying in Vancouver unless he really has that desire. But then that comes around to Demko. What happens to him in that scenario?
- Joe Smith (The Athletic TB) says the San Jose Sharks didn’t want to move forward Barclay Goodrow, but he was Tampa’s main target and GM Doug Wilson made it clear he’d only trade him for a 1st round pick.
- Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal said Tyler Motte’s agent Rich Evans is saying that both the player and the Canucks want to get a new deal done with term. They’ll talk with GM Jim Benning soon.
- The Athletic’s James Mirtle says it’s doubtful that the Maple Leafs re-sign Kyle Clifford this fall. He didn’t contribute enough to justify and extension or giving up a 2nd round pick.
- On TSN1200 radio, Pierre MacGuire said he believes the Montreal Canadiens have had internal discussions regarding left-shot defender Torey Krug, but wasn’t sure if that’s going to work out.
BLH’s Thoughts: The Habs could come out of this offseason like a bat out of hell if they do it right. They’ve got lots of cap room available at the moment and an absolute ton of draft picks. Krug, Hall, and others have all been rumored to be in Montreal’s sights…
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The Oilers Speculation
I reckon the consolation prize is Oliver Ekman-Larsson… #Oilers https://t.co/VHp5XJAx3Q
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) September 15, 2020
Both the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers are in the market for a pair of Arizona Coyotes named Darcy Kuemper and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and it wouldn’t shock me if each Alberta-based club got one of them.
On Oilers Now this morning, Bob Stauffer said that he can’t see a team giving soon-to-be-RFA Andreas Athanasiou more than $1.5M if the Edmonton decides not to qualify him at $3M and he goes to market. He wondered which team has $3M laying around for an inconsistent player like AA.
My question is, in that scenario, would Athanasiou want to return to Edmonton OR go to a club with a better chance at a Stanley Cup? His agent is known to be a bit of a stickler during negotiations… So the Oilers could very well try to recoup some assets in a trade here.
That said, I believe it was Jason Gregor who mused upon the idea of putting Gaetan Haas and AA together on the 3rd line… That, my friends, intrigues me. Lots of skill and speed on display there but who would you put on the RW of that line? Maybe a young Finnish talent looking to make his place in the NHL?
A quick non-Oilers related bit of speculation to end this one.
I had a source suggest to me that Calgary Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic could possibly retire from the game instead of re-signing with another club.
Now, I don’t know Hamonic or his entire story, but it was impressed upon me that he’s had some really tough challenges in his personal life that have forced him to consider his playing future.
If things are really this serious for him and he has to step away for a while, I hope that they clear up really fast. The NHL is a better place with Travis Hamonic in it but I think everyone can agree, family comes first.
