In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Montreal Canadiens are close to signing extensions with both Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes. Meanwhile, there is injury news in the NHL, with Jacob Markstrom going out, Brady Tkachuk hurting his hand, and Pierre-Luc Dubois out day-to-day. Finally, are the Calgary Flames looking to make a move to upgrade their backup goalie position?
Canadiens to Sign Hughes and Gorton to Extensions
As per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Montreal Canadiens are closing in on new contracts for Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton and General Manager Kent Hughes. He reports the deals are close to being done, which will keep the duo running the Canadiens for some time.
Just a day after extending star prospect Lane Hutson, the news is being welcomed by fans who have watched Hughes and Gorton transform Montreal into a rising NHL contender. Their smart drafting, trades, and contracts accelerated the rebuild, returning the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Latest Injury News
Washington Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois will miss tonight’s game vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury, listed day-to-day. He left Sunday’s win over the New York Rangers, hasn’t gone on IR, and may return against the Canucks on Oct. 19.
He’s not the only player who was injured this week.
The New Jersey Devils’ goaltending situation doesn’t look good, as both Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom came away banged up in a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Allen started strong but exited after the second period due to cramps. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said the veteran should be fine. Unfortunately, less is known about Markstrom, who finished the game but hurried off the ice and didn’t look good.
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk also left Monday’s game against the Nashville Predators as he suffered what looks like a wrist injury. While he did temporarily return but was unable to finish the game. Senators head coach Travis Green said of Tkachuk after the game, “He didn’t finish the game down the stretch, he tried too.”
Flames Looking at Backup Goalie Market
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Calgary Flames have been in contact with other clubs to explore potential options at the backup goaltending position. The issue for the Flames is that there might not be a clear fit, and the team has too many players on one-way contracts.
Calgary plans to give Devin Cooley a chance to prove himself, but there is a concern there as Cooley hasn’t looked good since being injured. If the Flames can’t find a backup to ease the load for starter Dustin Wolf, general manager Craig Conroy may have no choice but to revisit the trade market.
Roslovic to Play for the Oilers vs. Rangers
Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer posted the lines at the team’s morning skate on Tuesday, and Jack Roslovic appears to be in for the Oilers and playing top-six minutes on a line with Matt Savoie and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Edmonton does have a bit of a logjam at forward, and it looks like Noah Philp will come out of the lineup, which is a surprising development considering how well the forward has played, scoring his first NHL goal on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.
Friedman noted on his podcast that a key date for the Oilers is November 1st. That is the date they expect Zach Hyman to come back; it is also the date that Roslovic’s full no-move clause converts over to a four-team trade list. Friedman said. “It’s almost a trial to see if everybody’s happy here, and I assume the teams on that list are the ones that were also looking at him.”
