In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Ottawa Senators signed Vladimir Tarasenko. What’s next as they creep closer to the salary cap ceiling and still have to find room for Shane Pinto? Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens are either stuck with or aren’t moving a few names, according to one source. Finally, if the Pittsburgh Penguins intend to get this Erik Karlsson trade done, they are going to need help. What might a three-team trade look like?
Senators Land Tarasenko, Are They Done?
Following the signing of Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, $5 million contract, questions arise about how the Ottawa Senators will manage their salary cap space. Currently, they are nearing the $83.5 million salary cap limit, leaving limited room to re-sign restricted free agent Shane Pinto.
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Ian Mendes of The Athletic predicts that Pinto’s salary request will likely surpass the available $900K that the Senators have at their disposal. He writes:
In most projections of their lineup, Pinto is slotted into the No. 3 center ice position, so they will need to figure out a way to get his contract done. But in order to satisfy Pinto’s contract demands — which are sure to exceed the $900,000 of cap space Ottawa currently has to play with — the Senators will need to ship someone out.
source – ‘Senators sign forward Vladimir Tarasenko to 1-year deal: Where does he fit into the lineup?’ – Ian Mendes – The Athletic – 07/27/2023
However, finding suitable trade candidates becomes challenging as they are reluctant to part ways with core players. This leaves the Senators with a tough decision to make in order to maintain cap compliance while also securing key assets for their roster.
Canadiens Keeping Primeau, Harris, and Dvorak
According to Montreal Hockey Now’s Marc Dumont, it seems highly unlikely that any team would claim goaltender Cayden Primeau if he were put on waivers at the beginning of the season. He writes, “I’ll just come out and say it: there’s almost no chance he gets claimed unless a team is desperate for a goalie. Every NHL club has a Primeau or two in their prospect pool, and most of them have better numbers.”
So too, even if the Canadiens were trying to move him out, it appears doubtful that any team would express interest in trading for Christian Dvorak.
One player they want to keep is Jordan Harris and the Canadiens have no intentions of trading him. He proved to be their top-performing rookie defenseman last season, handling significant responsibilities without being sheltered. If he were to be involved in any hypothetical trades, it would only be as a valuable asset, not a mere throw-in.
A Three-Team Trade Scenario Involving Erik Karlsson
According to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, completing an Erik Karlsson trade might require the involvement of a third team. After discussions with an NHL executive, a scout, and Puck Pedia, he laid out a possible three-team trade scenario.
Using the Chicago Blackhawks as the third team, Peng suggested the Penguins could acquire Karlsson with the Sharks retaining $4.5 million (39%) and the Sharks would receive Ty Smith, Sam Poulin, and the Penguins’ 2025 second-round pick (or their first if the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2024 or 2025). In the deal, the Blackhawks would get Jeff Petry (who is rumored to not want to play in San Jose) and the Penguins’ 2024 first-round pick (top-5 protected).
The executive and scout believe that acquiring Petry may require a first-round pick due to his contract and trade protection. If the deal involved Mikael Granlund instead of Petry, that might also command a first-round pick but they might not need a third team.
