In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Dallas Stars have placed Anton Khudobin on waivers, why did the team ultimately decide to try and dump his contract? The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Robby Fabbri to a three-year extension. Jim Rutherford talked about the possibility of trades being made in Vancouver and the Toronto Maple Leafs are taking on the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday night. Who will be playing in the game and who won’t be?
Stars Waive Khudobin
Multiple sources noted that Khudobin was placed on waivers Monday and Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News, general manager Jim Nill said the team waived Khudobin for two reasons: Dallas needs the roster spot with its current injuries and illnesses, and Khudobin needs to play games.
Reports are that this was done after the Stars called multiple teams about a move. DeFranks also notes:
The move helps the Stars immediately find roster and cap space to deal with illness and injury. On Monday morning, Roope Hintz (sick), Alexander Radulov (sick) and Joel Kiviranta (upper body) missed practice.Dallas has $821,666 in cap space to recall a player from Texas. By waiving Khudobin (and having him clear or be assigned to the AHL), the Stars would have enough space to recall a second player, if necessary.
source – ‘Why the Stars waived Anton Khudobin, and what comes next for Dallas’ – Matthew DeFranks – Dallas Morning News – 12/13/2021
Related: Bruins News & Rumors: Kane, Bergeron, Lucic & More
Dallas is happy enough if he clears and goes to the AHL simply because it will get him in games and gives the team some financial flexibility.
Red Wings Extend Fabbri
Detriot inked Fabbri to a three-year extension on Monday worth an annual average salary of $4 million. Early reactions are mixed, with some suggesting this is a slight overpay and others a bit surprised the Red Wings were able to get this deal done at just $4 million.
Fabbri was potentially a big decision the Red Wings were going to have to make this season as he would have likely been moved if he wasn’t signed. There is no trade protection worked into the deal which gives GM Steve Yzerman flexibility should he need to move the player down the road.
Rutherford Won’t Rush Into Trades
Kevin Woodley of NHL.com reports that Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford received calls from other teams interested in making trades for Canucks’ players before he even arrived in Vancouver. That said, he’s not going to rush into making any trades.
He explained:
“I’m not in a hurry to make a trade. I’ve already got calls. I got calls before I got to Vancouver: ‘I like this player, I like that player, give me a call if you decide to move somebody.’ If somebody calls and something pretty good comes along that we think improves our team now and in the long run, yeah, we’ll take a look at it. But I’m not going to be making a lot of calls. My focus immediately will be to get this restructured and get people in place, because the stronger the hockey department is off the ice, it will make the team stronger on the ice.
Rutherford does know there are holes but he indicated he’d like to take some time to evaluate his roster. He also stated he doesn’t want to move draft picks unless they’re in the later rounds because it’s not the cycle the club is in.
Ilya Mikheyev Expected to Return to Maple Leafs, Keith for Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday evening and Ilya Mikheyev is expected to return as the Maple Leafs try to win back-to-back games and increase Edmonton’s losing streak to six games. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Miheyev’s return, “It’s big for our depth… He is a guy who does a lot for us and makes us a better team.”
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers won’t be getting Mike Smith back in the net as some had originally expected, but defensemen Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek are probable. Zach Hyman is considered day-to-day after suffering what looked like a shoulder injury. He is not being ruled out of Tuesday’s game.
Speaking of the Oilers, there was talk the team had inquired about Khudobin in the past but it’s not likely they look to add him via waivers.