In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the Nashville Predators are receiving calls about center Ryan O’Reilly, and while their preference is to keep him, the club is telling other teams that he is being treated as if he has a full no-move clause. Elsewhere, the Vancouver Canucks could be shifting towards the Western Conference when it comes to a potential deal with Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller. Finally, an update was given on the future of Rasmus Ristolainen and Scott Laughton with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Predators Giving Unofficial No-Move Clause to O’Reilly
On Saturday Headlines, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Predators have been receiving calls on their top center, Ryan O’Reilly. That isn’t much of a surprise considering the shorter deal O’Reilly is signed to with just two more seasons after this at just $4.5 million. Friedman reports that general manager Barry Trotz and the Predators management are treating O’Reilly as if he has a full no-move clause.
When he signed his contract, O’Reilly did not get any trade protection, meaning the Predators could move him anywhere they would like to. Friedman suggests that because O’Reilly is so well-respected around the league, and looked at as a leader on and off the ice, the Predators won’t move him without consent.
The Predators aren’t looking to move him just yet, so Friedman says that any trade offer would have to really excite Nashville, and O’Reilly would need to sign off on it.
O’Reilly is the type of center that many teams would be looking to acquire at the trade deadline. The Toronto Maple Leafs did in 2022-23, and he fit in very well. The offensive impacts, defensive presence, leadership, and championship pedigree are all characteristics of a player who is highly coveted at this time of year. Especially considering the contract, teams are certain to be interested.
Canucks Listening to Western Conference Offers on Pettersson/Miller
It is always a teams preference to trade a superstar player as far away as they can. Often times, when a player of Pettersson’s caliber gets moved, they do very well against their former team. They also know how good of a player they are moving, so regardless of the return, having the trade with a team in the opposite conference is the preference. However, teams also know that you need to look for the best return possible, so if the Canucks opt to move Pettersson or Miller, they may be willing to trade him to a team in their own conference.
Friedman continued his Saturday Headlines segment by touching on the fact that when a Western Conference team calls, the Canucks are not telling them no.
Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon suggested four teams that could make sense for Pettersson and mentioned the Minnesota Wild. As the Wild are one of the more dominant teams in 2024-25, they still have a fairly thin center group and don’t have an established star center to lead the way alongside Kirill Kaprizov. Dixon suggests that with the uncertainty of Marco Rossi and his future with the Wild, he could be a big chip in a trade for Pettersson.
The Wild have $13 million in buyouts coming off the books this offseason, plus an expected $9 million increase in the salary cap, the Wild could certainly have room to add Pettersson and his $11.5 million cap hit.
Ristolainen Likely to be Traded, Laughton Probably Stays
In a recent post by Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, he reported that among all of the players who could potentially move at the 2025 trade deadline, Rasmus Ristolainen is the likeliest player to be moved. (from What I’m hearing about the Flyers: Rasmus Ristolainen, Scott Laughton and more, The Athletic, Jan. 9, 2025)
Related: Flyers 2024 Recap: Second Half Brings Michkov Bump But Familiar Woes
Both Ristolainen and Laughton have been in trade talks for a few years now, but Kurz believes this is the year they do move on from their defender. Over the past few seasons, Ristolainen has gone from overplayed to underrated. His defensive efforts have improved a great amount, especially over the last calendar year. He still has his offensive abilities, and with some term and a $5.1 million cap hit, there could be teams interested in adding the right-shot defenseman.
As for Laughton, like Ristolainen, his name has been floated around a lot, especially at the 2024 trade deadline. The rumored asking price is a first-round pick, which, as speculated by Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast episode, is the Flyers saying he could be moved, but they aren’t eager to do so. The odds a team actually offers a first-round pick for Laughton is slim, so the Flyers have a high price for a player that aren’t keen on moving.
Kurz writes “…it was strongly suggested to me by a team source recently that the Flyers don’t have much interest in moving their alternate captain…”.
The Flyers are certainly within a realistic range to grab a playoff spot this season, and while it is unlikely they will catch up, it is becoming clear that this season isn’t about tanking or selling off big assets. They are trying to develop a winning culture, and unless it makes perfect sense to move a player, they will likely be hesitant to. With a player like Laughton, he has been having a good season, and it a part of the leadership team as of now, and likely moving forward too.
