In today’s NHL rumors rundown, one NHL insider wonders if the Florida Panthers would be open to listening to trade offers on Sam Bennett. As wild as that might sound, there’s a reason. Meanwhile, with the Edmonton Oilers’ decision to claim Alec Regula off of waivers from the Boston Bruins, another roster move is likely coming. The Ottawa Senators have squashed trade rumors about Brady Tkachuk, but could they be looking at a deal on another big name?
Kypreos Lists Sam Bennett Among Intriguing Trade Candidates
Nick Kypreos has released his first trade board of the 2024-25 NHL season, highlighting several players to watch in the lead-up to the trade deadline. Under the “Intriguing Names to Watch” category, Kypreos mentions Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett, Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot, San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro, and Nashville Predators blueliner Alexandre Carrier.
Bennett, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent next July, could be a key piece in the trade market. According to Kypreos, there is a concern that the Panthers may lose Bennett to free agency, which is a scenario that general manager Bill Zito wants to avoid. As a result, Zito is reportedly open to listening to offers for Bennett, potentially making him one of the more sought-after players ahead of the trade deadline.
With Bennett’s potential availability, teams looking for a reliable center might look to capitalize on the situation before the Panthers risk losing him to free agency in the off-season. The next few months will be crucial in determining whether Florida can retain Bennett or if a trade will materialize.
Oilers Could Make Follow-Up Roster Move After Regula Claim
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic points out that with Alec Regula having been claimed off of waivers by the Oilers, Edmonton isn’t accruing LTIR cap space. As such their ability to build up useable money at the trade deadline has been placed on hold. That means a likely corresponding roster move is coming to get back into a position where they accrue again.
Related: 5 Things to Know About New Oilers Defenceman Alec Regula
Nugent-Bowman noted:
Bringing in Regula and his two-way contract with an NHL league minimum cap hit of $775,000 means the Oilers are now carrying eight defencemen…This could open the door for a subsequent roster move in the near future because Oilers management has been consistent in its desire to accrue cap space ahead of the trade deadline in March.
source – ‘Why Oilers claimed defenceman Alec Regula off waivers from Bruins’ – Daniel Nugent-Bowman – The Athletic – 12/11/2024
The Oilers want to add a bigger piece at the trade deadline, and if they aren’t building cap space, they can’t.
In other Oilers news, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun noted that the Oilers aren’t talking with Connor McDavid yet about a contract extension. Both sides will wait until the end of the season, when McDavid has decided what’s best for him personally and when there is more clarification on the salary cap. The cap for next season wasn’t confirmed at the Board of Governors meetings this week.
Senators Still Looking to Make Trade Outside of Tkachuk Trade Talk
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the Ottawa Senators are looking to make a trade. They may not be considering a deal that includes Brady Tkachuk, but names like Josh Norris, Claude Giroux, Thomas Chabot, and Drake Batherson are out there.
According to Pagnotta, Norris may be the centerpiece of a “big impact, shake-up type of move.” He appears to be the primary candidate for a trade and there was a suggestion that the Calgary had shown strong interest in Norris in the past.