In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Nathan MacKinnon was injured on Monday for the Colorado Avalanche. How much time will he miss? Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues are struggling. What’s the plan there and is the team looking to shake things up?
Are the Carolina Hurricanes trying to get Jordan Staal re-signed? Finally, how much action is there already on the Brock Boeser trade front?
McKinnon to “Miss Some Time”
Nathan MacKinnon is still being evaluated, but head coach Jared Bednar acknowledged while a guest on Altitude radio this morning: “The fact he’s leaving early in the game is not a good sign. We know he’s gonna miss some time. Just don’t know how long”. The Avs are a team being decimated by injuries and this only makes things worse.
Blues Falling Apart?
There is a lot going wrong in St. Louis. It appears Blues’ goaltender Jordan Binnington is in hot water based on his antics and the coach has had enough. Craig Berube said, “It’s got to stop,” after Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh where Binnington got a 10–minute misconduct for inciting. Berube added, “That doesn’t help anything. It doesn’t help anything. Just play goal. Stop the puck.”
Blues coach Craig Berube is growing old of the antics and he’s certainly got the GM on his side. Doug Armstrong is looking at making changes to the roster, but it likely won’t come in the form of a new coach. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic writes:
“I don’t have any knowledge of group discontent with Berube. …Armstrong has said Berube isn’t the problem, and I agree with him. Whether Armstrong thinks the same about the rest of the staff, I don’t know. The Blues have struggled defensively and on special teams, so perhaps changes could be made to the coaches who are in charge of those areas.”.
source – ‘What’s with Jordan Binnington’s antics? Are the Blues just not good? Trade O’Reilly and Tarasenko? Mailbag, part 1’ – Jeremy Rutherford – The Athletic – 1205/2022
As for what Armstrong can do about this team, he’s already admitted that it’s difficult to make a “shakeup” trade before the deadline, or even in-season. Because other teams aren’t going to help the Blues out of a jam, the Blues might have to wait until closer to the NHL trade deadline on March 3, 2023. There is chatter that both Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly could be moved before then.
Jordan Staal Extension Close in Carolina?
Cory Lavalette of The Athletic writes that he spoke to Carolina Hurricanes president and GM Don Waddell and asked about the status of extension talks with Jordan Staal. Waddell responded:
“I’ve talked to the agent during training camp, and I think at some point here we’ll get together. I don’t anticipate it being a tough one to get done. It’s just a matter of figuring out that we both have to come up with reasons why we support whatever numbers we’re gonna get. We want Jordan to finish his career here, and I think Jordan wants to finish his career here. So I’m confident we’ll get something done.”
source – ‘Hurricanes GM Waddell on injuries, contracts, goalies, the team’s needs and more’ – Cory Lavalette – The Athletic – 12/05/2022
Boeser’s Agent Has Already Spoken to Half-a-Dozen Teams
LeBrun also reports that Brock Boeser’s agent has spoken to half-a-dozen teams since receiving permission last week from the Vancouver Canucks to seek a trade. He’s expected to speak with some more this week. The belief is though that Boeser ends up playing elsewhere before the end of this season.
That said, LeBrun doesn’t believe a trade is imminent and a trade won’t necessarily be an easy thing to pull off. Writers over at Montreal Hockey Now believe the Canadiens might be a good fit for Boeser and note, “At 25 years old, Boeser could become a player that could cover two very important factors for a team amid a rebuild.” They add, “Not only can he act as a mentor for some of the upcoming stars, but he’s also young enough to take part in the long-term vision of the team.”
Iian MccIntyre Of Sportsnet TV wrote, “Don’t know how much (if anything) it has to do with Brock Boeser, but there are as many NHL scouts at Rogers Arena tonight as I’ve seen all season. I counted 11 teams represented.”
