In today’s NHL news and rumors rundown, the Boston Bruins are reportedly interested in keeping Taylor Hall but will have to do some roster shuffling to make it work. Meanwhile, where will former New York Rangers John Davidson wind up after being released by the organization? There is more news on Wayne Gretzky possibly becoming a TV analyst and could goaltender Pekka Rinne be leaving the NHL at the end of this season?
Bruins to Move Jake DeBrusk, Hall to Take Discount?
Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic recently took a look at the fit in Boston when it comes to Taylor Hall. He said that if Hall sticks with the team, which he believes is a real possibility, “someone pricey in the forward brigade will need to move on — possibly Jake DeBrusk.”
Duhatschek notes:
DeBrusk was a featured name on our NHL trade board, he slides to No. 3 on the depth chart at left wing behind Marchand and Hall. If his $3.675 contract moves elsewhere and Hall is willing to slot in behind the members of the Bruins’ Perfection Line in the payroll hierarchy, then the payroll numbers could theoretically work. Hall’s point, when he was first traded to Boston, was that he didn’t want to be the focal point anymore. He just wanted to be part of the band.
source – ‘Duhatschek notebook: Why Kevin Weekes is a fit for the Rangers’ front office’ – Eric Duhatschek – The Athletic – 05/07/2021
There’s a lot that needs to happen for the Hall signing to work. He needs to take a discount, David Krejci needs to stick around at a fraction of the cost he is now and the Bruins need to find a home for DeBrusk.
John Davidson In Columbus or Buffalo?
Most insiders don’t believe former Rangers executive John Davidson will be out of work very long. It’s simply a matter of what job he’ll want and finding the best fit inside the hockey world. Duhatschek believes that he would love to be part of a Stanley Cup championship team “as a swan song to a lifetime in the game.”
While neither one of the two teams Duhatschek mentions are contenders right now, he says Columbus could be a an option and that Davidson might listen if the Buffalo Sabres called. Both teams need a senior voice of reason to steady their franchises.
More Gretzky News
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, “ESPN is out on Wayne Gretzky, paving the way for The Great One potentially going to TNT as an analyst for its NHL studio coverage”. We reported yesterday that ESPN was interested in Gretzky as an analyst for their broadcast but Gretzky had yet to respond.
The Post is now reporting that the numbers offered by ESPN pale in comparison to what he’s being offered by TNT. They write:
Gretzky’s role with TNT would be akin to Charles Barkley’s on “Inside The NBA.” If a deal is done, Gretzky, 60, is expected to command in the range of $5 million per year, according to sources. Turner has put the full-court press on for Gretzky by using Barkley, the Great One’s former neighbor in Arizona, as its chief recruiter, according to sources.
ESPN was willing to go as high as $2 million for Gretzky, but the bidding got too high, however, and ESPN has decided to bow out.
Rinne to Leave Predators for Finland?
After this season, there is chatter that goaltender Pekka Rinne might be leaving the Nashville Predators and heading to Finland to join local hockey team, Oulun Karpat, who has been in conversation Rinne about signing. According to reports by Kaleva, a newspaper serving the Oulu area of Finland, the team has been in “active conversations” with Rinne.
The story suggests that Rinne’s departure would come after this current season but admits that the goalie has not indicated whether 2020-21 will be his final year in the NHL.