In today’s NHL rumor rundown, one scribe took a look at the potential of Taylor Hall going to the Colorado Avalanche. Another inside provided the latest word on the Dustin Byfuglien saga? And, a third asked what will the Ottawa Senators do with Anthony Duclair?
Avalanche Have Eyes on Taylor Hall?
The Score’s Sean O’Leary took a look at NHL Central Division teams and wondered what their offseason plans might be? When specifically talking about the Colorado Avalanche, he mentioned they might be one of the few teams not worried about salary cap space and wondered if GM Joe Sakic might pursue Arizona Coyotes winger Taylor Hall via free agency?
He did admit that it’s probably a “pie-in-the-sky fantasy,” but still tried to put the pieces together, saying it was possible. Considering Hall was already linked to the Avs in trade rumors earlier in the season, the question would be how much the Avalanche are willing to spend? Overpaying for Hall just doesn’t make sense with such uncertainty surrounding the cap.
Assuming Hall would join the team, where he would slot is another question worth asking. He’s likely a second-line player on the Avs, so how much is that worth?
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Updates on Byfuglien’s Situation in Winnipeg
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, a resolution could come soon in respect to what’s happening between the Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien. There’s nothing concrete, but there is movement on the matter.
Dreger notes on the latest edition of TSN Insider Trading:
What I know is that the National Hockey League is scheduled to discuss the situation with the Winnipeg Jets in the very near future. Now the Players Association, the league, the player and the Winnipeg Jets are all aligned on the termination agreement but it hasn’t been executed yet and because of that the Winnipeg Jets aren’t in a position to announce but the detail work between the league and the Winnipeg Jets is expected to be ironed out in the near future.
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Senators and Anthony Duclair
Pending restricted free agent Anthony Duclair will be an interesting player worth watching this off-season. He was on fire to start the season but tailed off before the shutdown. Still, he has a career-high 23 goals and the Ottawa Senators will need to make a decision on him.
Graeme Nichols of The Athletic writes:
For a player who turns 25 this August, Duclair is arbitration eligible and only has one year of restricted free agent eligibility left. In other words, it’s inevitable that the Senators will send him a qualifying offer this summer, but if they are looking to lock Duclair up to a multi-year deal, it will necessitate paying him for one or more unrestricted seasons.
source – ‘Nichols: Is it time for the Senators to move on from Anthony Duclair?’ – Graeme Nichols – The Athletic – 04/03/2020
He notes that Andreas Athanasiou’s contract (now with the Edmonton Oilers) could be a good comparable – three years at $3 million per but if the Senators don’t like the way contract talks go, could be looking at a trade.
The Senators don’t need picks in any return for Duclair should they choose to move him. Instead, the Senators might package Duclair with draft picks in an attempt to land a better player.
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Jim Parsons is a freelance writer who covers the Edmonton Oilers and news and rumors posts here at The Hockey Writers.
You can also catch him writing at NHLtradetalk.com, The Sportster and hosting weekly video casts, THW News and Rumors Rundown, plus Oilers Overtime.
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