In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Connor McDavid could be facing a suspension after his actions in the Jan. 18 game between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Additionally, the Canucks came close to moving J.T. Miller, but something fell through and the trade wasn’t completed. Finishing off, there is some good news out of Ottawa surrounding Linus Ullmark, who is joining the team on their three-game road trip.
McDavid’s Cross-Check on Garland Could Be Suspendable
In a tight game between the Oilers and Canucks, McDavid and Conor Garland got into a wrestling match mid-play. With the Canucks holding a one-goal lead in the final 30 seconds of the game, McDavid and Garland had crossed paths and both fell to the ice. McDavid landed on Garland, and held him to the ice for 10 seconds, which considering the tempo of the game and desperation with 20 seconds left, felt like an eternity.
Connor McDavid was issued a match penalty on this play for cross-checking Conor Garland. pic.twitter.com/sB2Gpb3xAA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 19, 2025
Garland broke free and grabbed McDavid as he tried skating away, and held him in a makeshift headlock for a few seconds before McDavid was freed. The Oilers captain and face of the NHL then went for a cross-check on Garland, hitting him square in the face. He was given a match penalty for the incident, which results in an automatic hearing from the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Related: Canucks Use Strong First Period to Defeat Oilers 3-2
McDavid was suspended for two games in 2019 for an illegal check to the head against Nick Leddy of the New York Islanders at the time, but he will not be seen as a repeating offender. McDavid did also make head contact against Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson earlier in the week, but there was no fine, hearing, or suspension for that.
Miller Was Almost Traded to the Rangers
A few weeks ago, there were rumors about the New York Rangers offering up center Mika Zibanejad for Miller, but that trade was reportedly quickly declined by the Canucks. When offering up one of your top players, despite his performance this season, the idea of acquiring a player like Miller doesn’t just go away. There was a lot of noise surrounding Miller and the Rangers on Jan. 18, and it sounds like a deal was close to being completed.
Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday Headlines that the Canucks are ready to move Miller and keep Elias Pettersson. It was mentioned that Pettersson went to management and requested to stay with the Canucks, and they responded by saying that was their preference as well.
Further in the report, Friedman noted that there was a lot of planning to keep Miller out of the lineup for trade-related reasons against the Oilers, which is a trend we have seen teams begin doing over the past few seasons. There haven’t been any reports on the potential return, but between Friedman and Rick Dhaliwal’s reports, it was certainly going to be a deal to the Rangers.
There is lots of time for these two teams to figure out the logistics of a trade involving Miller, who spent six seasons with the Rangers to begin his career.
According to Dhaliwal, Miller has not been asked to waive his no-movement clause as of yet, but Friedman also believes that the no-movement clause isn’t what led to a change of direction on the trade front and that Miller didn’t decline the deal.
Ullmark Could Return to Senators Crease Soon
Since Dec. 22, the Ottawa Senators’ most crucial piece of the roster hasn’t been in the lineup. Ullmark left that game against the Oilers with a back injury, and in his absence, the club has relied on Leevi Merilainen, who has been outstanding for them as of late.
Ullmark’s injury came off of a phenomenal stretch of play, including a .956 save percentage, 1.30 goals against average, and a 7-0-1 record all in the month of December. With poor play from Anton Forsberg and Mads Sogaard, they had to rely on their fourth-strong goalie prospect, who has stepped up to the plate.
Ullmark was reported to have tightness in his back, which is typically a hard injury to place a timeline on. Head coach Travis Green used the term week-to-week, but he was hesitant to put a label on it and used that just to give the media an answer. Just under a month later, Ullmark is set to join the Senators on a crucial three-game road trip. Considering how short it is, Ullmark joining the team is good news, and there is a good chance he will play. In the post-game availability on Jan. 18, Green broke the news that Ullmark would be traveling, and they are taking it day by day.
The Senators have games against the New Jersey Devils, Rangers, and Boston Bruins over the next five days, so if Ullmark is able to return to help, the Senators could gain some ground in the Eastern Conference playoff push.
