In today’s NHL rumor rundown there is news surrounding the value of a player like Alex Galchenyuk who is on the trade block but has struggled, there are targets the Vegas Golden Knights might be looking at and there is rumored motivation on the New Jersey Devils part to get a deal done for Taylor Hall right away. Finally, are the Red Wings looking at making a coaching change?
Alex Galchenyuk Trade Buzz
Eric Engels of Sportsnet discussed at length the reputation of Alex Galchenyuk around the NHL. A top draft choice and a player pegged to be a top-six forward in the league, he’s struggled with consistency.
Now on the fourth line in Pittsburgh, general manager Jim Rutherford is reportedly attempting to trade Galchenyuk but doesn’t see there being much of a market since the word is out. “Everyone knows what he is. Not sure who will want to acquire him”, one Eastern Conference executive told Engels. “And more importantly, what will they want to give up to get him knowing all that?”
Galchenyuk is playing himself into a huge pay cut on his next contract and it will be interesting to see who has interest in him if he doesn’t turn things around.
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Blue Line Targets for Vegas
Jesse Granger of The Athletic took a look at five possible defense targets for the Vegas Golden Knights, among them being Shayne Gostisbehere, Sami Vatanen, Erik Gustafsson, Marco Scandella, and Mike Green.
Among them, Mike Green is the player with the most say over where he goes considering he has a full no-move clause that becomes a 10-team trade clause on February 1, 2019.
Granger writes:
At 34, Green’s best years are definitely behind him, but he could still serve as a puck-moving defenseman who can create offense and perhaps pitch in on the power play. He has a history with McPhee, playing the first 10 years of his career with the Capitals.
source – ‘Five defensemen the Golden Knights could target before the trade deadline’ – Jesse Granger – The Athletic – 12-08/2019
All players (except Gostisbehere) are on expiring contracts and would be considered rentals. It would be hard to imagine the Golden Knights being willing to give up much, or that they would invest in a struggling Gostisbehere at his salary over the next few seasons.
Related: Devils Won’t Save Their Season by Trading Hall
Devils Motivated to Move Hall
Via Sportsnet Elliotte Friedman notes on Hockey Central that the New Jersey Devils are seen as a team motivated to get a Taylor Hall deal done and quickly.
The Avalanche are still the team leading the charge but the Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, New York Islanders and even St. Louis Blues might be in there depending on the status of Vladimir Tarasenko.
Friedman added, “New Jersey is willing to keep money to make the deal better and facilitate it, and that is smart.”
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Blashill’s Job in Jeopardy?
Even though the Detroit Red Wings are staring at a 12-game winless run, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, GM Steve Yzerman has not given any indication he will make a coaching change this season.
The GM has said he wanted to use this season to observe the team but one has to wonder how many games the organization is willing to lose before they make a change. Blashill said of the rumors that he gets that his name is in the rumor mill as a future coaching casualty but said:
“For me, all I’m doing is what I always do and that’s be solution based and worry about what we can control. What we can control right now is learning from this game and make sure we are helping our team get better.”
source – ‘ Jeff Blashill’s job under microscope as Red Wings near longest skid in franchise history’ – Detroit Free Press – Helene St. James – 12/11/2019
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