In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes are talking trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs are still closely watching what happens in St. Louis. The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning could be landing spots for Luke Schenn, and the Minnesota Wild will have some difficult decisions to make now that they’ve signed Matt Boldy to a seven-year contract extension.
Kings Interested in Chychrun
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic says the Kings and Coyotes have been talking about a Jakob Chychrun trade and he believes the Kings might be frontrunners. He writes:
My understanding is that the Coyotes have talked to the Kings, on and off, dating back a year regarding Chychrun, and I can’t let go of the idea that it makes so much sense for the Kings, based on how deep they are on the right side of their blue line and how they could really strengthen their top four on the left side with the left-shot Chychrun. He can play both sides, but it’s on the left where the Kings need him.
source – ‘ LeBrun: O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs, Monahan to the Avalanche and 4 more perfect NHL trade fits’ – Pierre LeBrun – The Athletic – 01/16-2023
LeBrun adds that this might be a good deal for the Kings even though the price on Chycrhun is high. It’s a hockey deal that makes sense as he’s not a rental.
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As far as other trade options out of Arizona are concerned, Shayne Gostisbehere, Nick Bjugstad, Nick Ritchie, and Christian Fischer are the names to watch. Frank Seravalli notes that any trade for Gostisbehere will likely need to include a third-party broker, but says that teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders, and Calgary Flames could be interested. The NHL insider adds that the Coyotes don’t need to hit a home run with whatever return they get for the defenseman and that “Gostisbehere could be a great check-down option for a playoff-bound team looking to add firepower to their back end.”
Maple Leafs Still Watching O’Reilly
LeBrun doesn’t talk about the cap space situation, but he notes that this is the year the Maple Leafs need to go out and acquire Ryan O’Reilly. Acknowledging that the St. Louis Blues haven’t written off the season yet, he writes, “They’re hanging in there, just six points out of a wild-card spot.” He also adds, “But Blues general manager Doug Armstrong also has a track record of being realistic with his team’s chances. I predict he’s a seller closer to March 3.”
One thing of note is that O’Reilly is injured again. He is sidelined until mid-February with a broken foot.
Lightning and Bruins Possible Landing Spots for Luke Schenn
Elliotte Friedman noted during the 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night in Canada that the Lightning are intrigued by the idea of bringing back Luke Schenn. Friedman suggested they were a real possibility and a legit contender to acquire the defenseman.
Meanwhile, LeBrun believes the Bruins might be a good landing spot. He writes, “It’s my understanding that the Bruins have already had a chat with Vancouver about him, although this is the time of year when contenders are calling a lot of teams to explore what’s out there and potential prices. Still …”
Wild Sign Boldy, Have Tough Decisions Coming
The Minnesota Wild have inked Matt Boldy to a seven-year extension worth $49 million. With that high a price for a player to be locked in long-term, combined with the fact the buyout penalties for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter actually increasing for the next two years, the Wild are now going to be forced to make some tough decisions and the team is going to need to cut money elsewhere.
There has been talk of Matt Dumba being traded and it seems a given now that the team won’t re-sign him over the summer. If he’s moved, what could come back is a player not under contract beyond this season. Michael Russo writes the Wild “wanted to do bridge w/ Boldy, but if you can lock him up at around 7/$50M now, you do it and deal with the aftermath. And there will be an aftermath.”
