In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on the Edmonton Oilers and possible interest in center Riley Sheahan. There is also news out of Toronto where GM Kyle Dubas seems to be living in a fantasy world where he thinks he can get Mitch Marner and Jake Gardiner under contract. What’s the latest on Chris Kreider and, the St. Louis Blues let Patrick Maroon walk this past week. Are they facing a situation where more players will have to leave after this season?
Oilers Interested in Riley Sheahan?
It’s no secret the Edmonton Oilers could use a third-line center. That’s probably the reason they were associated with Derick Brassard before Brassard signed with the New York Islanders. In an attempt to fill that hole, Allan Mitchell of The Athletic wonders if the Oilers are looking at free agent Riley Sheahan?
What makes Sheahan so attractive for the Oilers is his ability to win face offs and kill penalties. He is over 50 percent on the draw and while the Oilers brought in Gaetan Haas and have players like Cooper Marody seemingly ready to make a jump, neither has much experience nor are they known for their defensive prowess.
Mitchell writes:
This is an interesting midsummer dilemma for Holland. Does he bring Sheahan to camp on a one-year deal, giving his new coach a veteran hand to lean on? That’s probably the play here, if making the playoffs is the solitary goal of the 2019-20 campaign.
… In signing Sheahan, he could suck all of the oxygen out of training camp chances for Haas and Marody…
source – ‘Is Riley Sheahan an ideal fit for the Oilers as their No. 3 centre?’ – Allan Mitchell – The Athletic – 08/24/2019
The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson also found the fit to make sense saying, “Still think UFA C Riley Sheahan could get PTO with history with Holland in Detroit.”
Related: Revisiting the Brayden Schenn Trade
Dubas Wants to Sign Gardiner and Marner?
While many media scribes go back and forth on the pending future of unrestricted free agent defenseman Jake Gardiner, The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons writes that he believes general manager Kyle Dubas is hoping to sign both Mitch Marner and unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner. That’s a tall task considering the trouble that seems to be surrounding just getting a Marner deal done.
Simmons writes:
The only way the Leafs could sign Gardiner — I’ve been told — was by signing Marner to a bridge deal, then inking the defenceman, which would mean the likely trading away of Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson. And still that might not be doable.
source – ‘SIMMONS SAYS: Dubas would like to find way to sign both Marner, Gardiner’ – The Toronto Sun- Steve Simmons – 08/25/2019
It’s hard to envision a scenario where the Maple Leafs would be willing to trade one of Kapanen or Johnson to get a deal done with Gardiner, and while Dubas may want to have his cake and eat it too, Simmons doesn’t see Gardiner remaining with the Maple Leafs.
Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Simoneau, Expansion Draft, Training Camp
Could the Blues Have Trouble Keeping Everyone?
St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that the top priority for the St. Louis Blues will be to re-sign Alex Pietrangelo. That could cause issues for players like Joel Edmundson and Brayden Schenn.
Schenn’s numbers dropped in 2018-19 54 points and unless he returns to the previous season’s numbers could be priced out of St. Louis. Could that make Schenn a trade candidate this coming season, especially if he struggles out of the gate?
Gordon writes:
So if I’m Brayden Schenn, I bet on myself rather than accept a team-friendly deal. And if I’m Doug Armstrong, I play out the season and reassess things before the market opens.
source – ‘Quick Hits: Gordo on the Blues’ – St. Louis Today.com – Jeff Gordon – 08/21/2019
Related: Kreider Trade Could Be a Mistake
Kreider Knows He Could Be Traded
Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic said he had an off-the-record chat with Chris Kreider who understands he is far more likely to be traded than not before he gets to unrestricted free agency.
Kreider told the scribe he is not about to clutter his mind with what-ifs and distractions and isn’t worried because he feels he has a lot of hockey left in him.
Carpiniello writes:
Kreider is one of the smarter players in the game and he knows the deal. … And he has to know that with his league-wide value being in the seven years/$7-plus million per ballpark next July 1st that the Rangers may not want to go there.
source – ‘Rangers notebook: John Davidson’s first 100 days, Kreider’s mindset and more’ – Rick Carpiniello – The Athletic – 08/26/2019
Related: Rangers: 5 Things to Look for in 2019-20
