In today’s NHL rumors rundown, it appears Carey Price’s return date has been set as he gets ready for another season with the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes have locked up forward Andrei Svechnikov to a long-term, potentially team-friendly deal. The Anaheim Ducks might have an unhappy goaltender on their hands and the Ottawa Senators are still looking for a center.
Price Will Be Ready for Camp
As reported by Marc Antoine Godin Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme confirms that goaltender Carey Price is expected to be with the team and ready at the start of training camp, if not in the days that follow. This is great news for the Canadiens and it certainly seems to shed some light on the entire process that took place with Seattle.
Yes, Price did have surgery, but the “presentation” of the status of Price’s injuries were that he could miss a significant portion of time in 2021-22 and that’s why the Canadiens have bet the Kraken weren’t going to select him. Eventually, they chose not to based on their being too much uncertainty. That Price is already back and skating, plus should be ready for camp makes you wonder if Marc Bergevin and that Habs played a strong hand of poker.
Hurricanes Lock Up Andrei Svechnikov
Svechnikov will be staying in Carolina for another eight seasons as he signed a long-term extension with the team on Thursday. A $62 million deal, the contract will average $7.75 million per season. It was Artur Khairullin of Sports Express who first reported an eight-year contract was in the works. Other reports had suggested the deal wasn’t entirely accurate. It wound up being a bit of both as the player got the 8-year term, but a little less money.
This should be deemed a great deal for the Hurricanes as Svechnikov is a top-line player with elite level skill. As salaries rise, his contract should stay under market value. Part of the reason the team was likely to get a deal done at this annual average salary is because there weren’t a lot of close comparables at the age of 21. Clayton Keller signed with Arizona for $7.15 million in 2019, Jack Eichel signed with Buffalo for $10 million in 2017, and Leon Draisaitl sign with the Oilers for $8.5 million in 2017. There was Connor McDavid as well, but his $12.5 million deal isn’t really a comparable.
Will John Gibson Ask for a Trade?
Eric Stephens of The Athletic writes in a recent mailbag column that he believes Ducks goaltender John Gibson has been frustrated by Anaheim’s lack of progress over the past three seasons. Still, he says: “It’s impossible to know, however, if Gibson will request a trade.”
Stephens writes:
Now, without question, he has been frustrated with the lack of progress and the losses piling up over the last three seasons. If this is a season in which Anaheim is again among the NHL’s worst teams and is showing no signs of improvement, then it is fair to wonder if he still wants to be here for the long haul.
source – ‘Should the Ducks trade John Gibson now? What’s with the lack of offseason moves?: Mailbag, part 2’ – Eric Stephens – The Athletic – 08/23/2021
Senators Still Looking for Veteran Help
As per Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com, he believes the Ottawa Senators still need some veteran depth at center for this coming season, especially after the departures of Artem Anisimov and Derek Stepan. As for what they’ll add, it’s unclear if the players still available will be of any real help.
This report seems to match a column from The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch on August 17th, when he noted the Senators were also believed to be in the market for a top-six winger that had the ability to play center. He mentioned New York Rangers center Ryan Strome and Chicago Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome as possible trade targets.
