In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the New Jersey Devils revealed they’ve lost two key defensemen for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, contract talks are ongoing between the Chicago Blackhawks and Ryan Donato. Is there a reason to think the Blackhawks might get a deal on an extension? Did the Pittsburgh Penguins ever come close to trade Rickard Rakell? Finally, Is Auston Matthews still playing through an injury?
Dougie Hamilton Out for the Season
New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald just revealed that defenseman Dougie Hamilton is out for the rest of the season and probably the playoffs. During a recent interview, Fitzgerald explained that the Devils pursued a left-shot defenseman because they knew they’d be without Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, who is also out long-term.
In the span of a month, the Devils have lost three key players for the season: Jack Hughes, Siegenthaler, and Hamilton.
It was rumored the Devils tried to make a play for Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn. O’Reilly didn’t get traded and Schenn went to the Winnipeg Jets.
Ryan Donato is Still in Talks with the Blackhawks
A report byTSN’s Pierre LeBrun suggests the Blackhawks are still working on getting forward Ryan Donato signed to a contract extension. LeBrun tweeted, “As reported on Deadline Day, there were contract negotiations last Friday between Blackhawks and Donato’s agent Matt Keator, obviously didn’t get done, but both sides aim to talk again. Lots of time now ahead of July 1.”
Donato reportedly loves the area and his family is growing roots in Chicago. That said, he is a pending UFA and there might be some intrigue into what the market will offer as a pending UFA. There wasn’t a ton of trade interest in him at the deadline — at least not in terms of what the Blackhawks wanted in return but he had eight goals and nine assists in the 11 games leading up to the deadline. If the continues to produce, teams will likely make offers.
Who makes the better one could dictate what Donato decides to do.
Penguins Weren’t Close to Trading Rakell
Even though there was rumored “heavy interest” from teams, including the Edmonton Oilers, The Athletics’ Josh Yohe recently reported there was never a time when the Penguins were close to trading Rickard Rakell. Yohe writes:
“For the right price, Rakell could have been traded. That price, however, was never matched and I don’t think Kyle Dubas expected it to be matched. Truth be told, the Penguins never wanted to trade Rakell.”
source – ‘What I’m hearing about the Penguins’ trade deadline execution and future’ – John Yohe – The Athletic – 03/10/2025
Because the Penguins think they can be competitive again in a shorter period of time and there is no desire to completely tear down the roster, if a big return wasn’t coming back to the Penguins, Rakell wasn’t going to be moved.
Auston Matthews is Not 100 Percent
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic writes that the lower production from Auston Matthews this season is evidence that he’s not fully healthy. Siegel writes:
“Matthews isn’t at 100 percent, or close to it, physically. That, as the captain of a team trying to win its division, Matthews has simply decided he must play through the same injury (and accompanying discomfort) that’s bothered him since training camp. Matthews hasn’t said this. But it’s evident in what we can see. Matthews doesn’t look nearly as explosive moving around the ice and his shot doesn’t feel anywhere near as lethal.”
source – ‘Auston Matthews still isn’t himself. What does it mean for the Maple Leafs?’ – Joan Siegel – The Athletic – 03/13/2025
He doesn’t believe Matthews will take any more time away from the team and will just battle through the issues. The hope is that Toronto can cut his minutes per game and get him better rested for the playoffs that way.