In today’s NHL rumors there is talk about the New York Rangers and forward Kevin Hayes, the Oilers need to find secondary scoring in the absence of Alex Chiasson and the Carolina Hurricanes may look towards the Toronto Maple Leafs to solve their offensive woes. Plus, what is the reaction to the tirade delivered by the Stars organization towards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin?
Rangers and Kevin Hayes
The Rangers are officially allowed to negotiate with pending free agent Kevin Hayes after January 1st but the winger who has 32 points in 36 games has no idea if the team is going to do so. In an article published by Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic, Carpiniello writes the two sides have about two months to figure things out.
Carpiniello writes:
By signing the one-year deal, and thus becoming eligible to hit the unrestricted free agency jackpot on July 1, Hayes became just as likely to be traded before the Feb. 25 trade deadline as he is to sign an extension.
“I have no idea what the Rangers are going to do at this point,” said Hayes’ agent Robert Murray. “That’s their decision more than ours. We’ll see what they do after the first.”
source – ‘With negotiations about to begin, Kevin Hayes leaves contract (or trade) decision up to the Rangers’ – By Rick Carpiniello – The Athletic- 12/28/18
To get him re-signed, speculation is that it will take at least a six-year contract worth $6 million or more per season. Should that not be in the cards for the Rangers and they look to trade him at the deadline, they could ask for at least a first-round draft pick, maybe a top prospect or a young NHL-ready player.
One of the reasons Hayes might not be part of the future in New York is that there is speculation the Rangers have their eyes on some big fish. Pierre LeBrun reports that the team might be looking at trying to land Artemi Panarin.
Related: NHL Rumors: Anderson, Carter, Skinner, More
Oilers Looking for Yamamoto to Fill in For Alex Chiasson?
After the Oilers lost to Vancouver on Thursday, the loss wasn’t the only bad news. Winger Alex Chiasson is headed for injured reserve and the team waived Valentin Zykov. They’ll call up Kailer Yamamoto from the AHL Bakersfield in hopes that he can find some success scoring goals.
There is no confirmation on where the Oilers will place him in the lineup but it is assumed he’ll get a look in the top six to maximize his ability to score goals and produce points.
Related: NHL Rumors: Carter, Manning, Holtby, More
Carolina Still Looking for Offense
Darren Dreger was on TSN 1050 and commented on the plans for the Carolina Hurricanes heading towards the trade deadline. Rumors were already rampant that the team was looking for offense after losing Elias Lindholm and Jeff Skinner. The expectation is that the Hurricanes will be busy.
Dreger said, “I think we’re going to continue to link the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes. We know that the Hurricanes were interested in William Nylander, and are interested in Kasperi Kapanen.” He added, “So who knows, maybe there’s a fit there for both of those clubs in the New Year.”
Related: NHL Rumors: Kings, Blues, Predators, More
The Reaction to the Dallas Stars Tirade
It appears the tirade that was delivered by Stars CEO Jim Lites is getting a reaction, which was his plan. It’s simply not known what kind of reaction is ideal for the organization.
While the consensus that the comments were meant simply to light a fire under Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, there is some speculation that the rant was meant to urge one or both players to stand up and ask for a trade. If the Stars miss the postseason this year, expect the chatter of either or both being traded to go up.
Benn and Seguin both met with media this morning and said they have not heard from Lites during this season. Benn also said he doesn’t play for Lites, he plays for the rest of his teammates
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) December 29, 2018
Benn already told the media that his phone lit up like it was his birthday yesterday after the comments went public and both he and Seguin were part of the Stars optional skate on Saturday morning.
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Jim Parsons is a freelance writer who covers the Edmonton Oilers and news and rumors posts here at The Hockey Writers.
You can also catch him writing at NHLtradetalk.com, The Sportster and hosting weekly video casts, THW News and Rumors Rundown, plus Oilers Overtime.
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