In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Minnesota Wild don’t want anyone else to sign Kirill Kaprizov, but they aren’t at the point where they are talking about a contract extension either. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins have told teams that almost everything is available for trade, and they already made one deal. What is the latest on the status of Robert Thomas with the St. Louis Blues? Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that defenseman Jani Hakanpaa has been activated off of LTIR. Will he play against the Washington Capitals?
Wild a Long Way From Extending Kirill Kaprizov
According to an article by NHL.com, Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin isn’t at a place where a contract extension for star forward Kirill Kaprizov is close. Kaprizov is eligible for an extension on July 1st and the two sides can potentially get their ducks lined up to sign him on that date if both sides know they want to move forward together.
When asked if there was anything new on that front, Guerin responded, “No. We’re a long way away from that. We’re just focusing on the season. We just want to play. Kirill just wants to play hockey. We just want to play hockey. We’ll figure all that out later.”
Penguins Trade Eller, Are Open to More Deals
After trading Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals, insiders are wondering what might be next for the Pittsburgh Penguins. An exclusive report by DK Pittsburgh Sports’ Taylor Haase noted that a league source told her Dubas had let it be known that “everyone is available, except 87 (Sidney Crosby)”. That has led to speculation the Penguins will be dumping players.
TSN: Darren Dreger reports the Penguins aren’t engaging in a fire sale despite recent speculation. Dreger claims that Dubas did recently reach out to other GMs around the league to let them know he’s open for business but that’s standard practice for NHL general managers. There’s no sense of panic, but the Penguins want to have discussions.
Related: Boston Bruins’ 3 Trade Targets From the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Eller deal wasn’t a quick decision. It had been in the works for some time. And, Dubas has promised Crosby that the team will try to remain competitive. A full rebuild isn’t happening until Crosby retires.
Robert Thomas Back with the Blues, But No Timeline
As per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, Drew Bannister said on the status of forward Robert Thomas: “It was great to see him on the ice. He wants to be with the team. I think the guys were excited to see him and maybe a little bit surprised, too. I thought he looked good (but) obviously there’s no timeline with his injury.”
Maple Leafs Activate Jani Hakanpaa
As per a statement by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ PR department on Wednesday, defenseman Jani Hakanpää has been recalled from an LTIR conditioning loan and activated from LTIR. After two games in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, he might be ready to join the lineup as the Leafs take on the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.
Hakanpaa hasn’t played an NHL game since March 16 and fans will be intrigued to see how well he holds up and who comes out of the lineup to make room for him. As per PuckPedia, with Hakanpaa activated, the Leafs now have $732K Cap Space remaining in LTIR with 23 active players IR: Matthews, Pacioretty LTIR: Mermis, Jarnkrok.”
Are other changes coming? Will the Leafs wait to see how things go before planning any other moves?