In today’s NHL rumors rundown, now that most of the dust has settled on the NHL draft and trades will have slowed, there are three goaltenders in play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Also, is there trouble in paradise between the Minnesota Wild and goaltender Cam Talbot? Are the Montreal Canadiens still working on trades and why did it take so long for Duncan Keith to elect to retire from the NHL?
Maple Leafs Looking at Three Goalie Options
Among other reporters following what the Maple Leafs will do about their goaltender, Chris Johnston of TSN and Northstar Bets says that GM Kyle Dubas will sit down with Jack Campbell as they still hold his exclusive rights. Johnston explains:
“But certainly as he gets back to Toronto, it sounds like Jack Campbell is at least in this moment the priority for the Leafs to see if there’s some way to get a negotiation done with him. Until this point, there has been dialogue there but there hasn’t been a lot of numbers thrown around in this case so I think that that has to be established”
Elliotte Friedman also notes that Dubas intends to talk to Campbell but feels the two sides might be past the point where a deal can get worked out. Toronto might take a run at Darcy Kuemper but Friedman believes the Washington Capitals have had interest before and will make a major pitch again. Some say Dubas has spoke with the Ottawa Senators about Matt Murray.
Talbot Not Happy About Fleury Extension
There were comments made on Friday from both the agent of goaltender Cam Talbot and GM of the Minnesota Wild Bill Guerin in relation to the netminder’s future with the Wild. After Marc-Andre Fleury was signed to a two-year extension, agent George Bazos said he spoke with Guerin on behalf of his client: “We both stated our positions. Billy has a lot to think about.”
Speculation was that Talbot wasn’t happy about splitting games, but further reports are that he’s not pleased about the fact he doesn’t have an extension, Fleury was signed to a deal that pays him more this season and he’s looking to be rewarded by the Wild for his strong play and shown some love with a new deal that is similar or more than what Fleury was just signed to.
Guerin said in response to Bazos’ comments:
“I don’t have sh-t to do. Cam Talbot’s under contract. George can say whatever the hell he wants. My team’s set right now, and that’s the way it goes. We can have all the discussions we want. Cam’s a member of our team. We really like Cam. All we’re trying to do is win”
There is some chatter that maybe teams will look into the availability of Talbot, but it doesn’t appear Guerin has any plans to trade the player. He likes the idea of the tandem splitting games and Fleury was on board with that plan.
Trade Interest in Petry and Allen out of Montreal
As per Darren Dreger of TSN’s Insider Trading, teams are showing some interest in defenseman Jeff Petry, as well as kicking tires on the availability of goaltender Jake Allen. The Canadiens would still like to move some more salary out but haven’t gotten the bites on Petry and are hesitant to move their goalie.
Related: Host Canadiens Steal Show by Getting Slafkovsky, Dach at 2022 Draft
Dreger explains:
“Is there interest in Jeff Petry? There is but not enough that the Montreal Canadiens were comfortable to move him this week. So it’s a story that we’re going to continue to follow. Jake Allen getting traded seems less likely until they get some certainty on the future of Carey Price.”
Bruins Begin Negotiations with Pastrnak
Contract extension talks have also begun between the Boston Bruins and forward David Pastrnak. The Bruins are reportedly going to be very aggressive in trying to get this deal done and Eric Russo of NHL.com quotes Bruins GM Don Sweeney who said that contract extension talks with David Pastrnak‘s agents “went well.” He met with his agents J.P. Barry and Ales Volek on Friday.
Sweeney said of Pastrnak’s camp, “They know the position the organization is in and how aggressive we’d like to be. David has a say in that, obviously, so you hope the two things align and you move forward in an aggressive manner.” At this point, the two sides have not exchanged numbers or terms on an extension.
As for Patrice Bergeron, unofficial reports are that he’s returning but Sweeney said the team is still waiting to decide if he’s coming back next season or going to retire.
Duncan Keith Elects to Retire
The Edmonton Oilers haven’t officially announced news of Duncan Keith’s retirement, but multiple reports state that the defenseman is finished and the Oilers will have an additional $5.5 million in cap space in which to use on July 13th. It was rumored that Keith had decided to retire weeks ago, but still needed time to make the decision because he knew the Chicago Blackhawks were going to get hit with a big cap recapture penalty. Ultimately, this was the way to go about calling it a career.
As for where the Oilers will spend the money, Johnston notes, “The Oilers have conducted their due diligence on Campbell and are believed to consider him a priority in free agency…They may even be willing to extend a five-year offer at $5 million or more per season.”