In today’s third instalment of the rumor rundown, we take a look at the long-term potential for Ryan Dzingel in Columbus, if teams are scared off from pursuing Eric Staal, and if the Carolina Hurricanes will finally be able to move a defenseman for some scoring help. Plus, what just happened in Dallas where the newly acquired Mats Zuccarello and star Jamie Benn just went down to upper body injuries?
Dzingel to Re-Sign in Columbus?
The Columbus Blue Jackets added forward Ryan Dzingel in what most people believed was a rental trade meant to give the Blue Jackets better odds of competing for a Stanley Cup this season. Recent comments by both the team and player suggest there may be more to his stay in Columbus.
The trade is certainly a “win now” trade but general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Sunday that the team hopes that Dzingel will consider sticking around long term. At 26 years old, he has plenty to offer the team and is familiar with state of Ohio, having played three years at Ohio State University.
Kekalainen said, “He is definitely one of those players that we have identified as a candidate to stay here into the future.”
So too, Dzingel was open to the possibility according to NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. “There’s a very high chance of that if they want me,” Dzingel said.
Carolina Wants to Add a Forward
News & Observer’s Luke DeCock writes he believes the Carolina Hurricanes are looking to add at the trade deadline as he believes the Hurricanes want to add another forward and could see the team moving a defensive player for a potential forward.
The Hurricanes willingness to move a defenseman is nothing new. They have been rumored to be willing to ship out one of Dougie Hamilton, Justin Faulk or Brett Pesce for the right price.
It is this need for scoring that makes it seem unlikely the team ultimately decides to move Michael Ferland before the deadline.
Related: NHL Rumors: Simmonds, Hayes, Oilers, Blue Jackets, More
Teams Steering Clear of Eric Staal
Sportsnet is reporting via Elliotte Friedman that Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal does not want to be traded. While he has little control over that actually happening, his public comments are scaring off teams who don’t want to add a player that might be upset he was moved.
Staal has a 10-team no-trade list he can use to slow a trade but at the end of the day, he has no desire to leave Minnesota. Teams don’t often want players who have no willingness to come and it’s a sure fire bet that Staal would look to circle back with the Wild during the summer and that makes him purely a rental. Teams are only willing to give up so much for that kind of contract.
Related: NHL Rumors: Simmonds, Hayes, Oilers, Blue Jackets, More
Immediate Concern in Dallas
During Sunday’s debut game for Mats Zuccarello as a Dallas Star, the team got bad news on two fronts. Both Zuccarello and Jamie Benn were hurt during the game.
https://twitter.com/friedgehnic/status/1099792063984369664?s=21
Benn left the game with an upper body injury and Zuccarello blocked a shot and left the bench. No word on what this does for the Stars heading into the trade deadline. GM Jim Nill said they were done with the addition of Zuccarello but if the injuries are serious does it change the team’s stance on what to do next? Clearly, without those two, the chances of being competitive in the postseason go way down.
First speculation is that Zuccarello could be out at least four weeks with a broken arm.
Panthers Inquired About Mark Stone
Apparently, the Florida Panthers asked about Mark Stone but after he didn’t give any indication of a willingness to extend long-term, the Panthers dropped out of the race.
Sounds like #FlaPanthers are among the teams that have sniffed around on Mark Stone in the last couple days. Don’t think there would be any promise of an extension, which likely cooled talk.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 24, 2019
