In today’s NHL rumors rundown, there are handful of quick hits as the NHL Expansion Draft is creeping up on Wednesday. There are news and rumor nuggets surrounding the Colorado Avalanche and Gabriel Landeskog, the Seattle Kraken and who they might take or avoid taking, speculation about possible Kraken signings and trades, and an update on a couple teams still in the Jack Eichel trade sweepstakes. Finally, have the Kraken already made their selection when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Avalanche Taking One More Run at Landeskog
Elliotte Friedman said during Tuesday’s 31 Thoughts podcast that he thinks the Avalanche are going to take one more shot at trying to re-sign Landeskog. There’s a lot of chatter the two sides are miles apart and if Landeskog is $60 million on his next contract, Friedman doubts it is Colorado who offers that.
Both sides want to work things out, but they’ll need to get creative if they are somehow going to bridge the gap and get close to what other teams will likely offer.
Kraken Not Taking Domi
According to Steve Dangle, who admitted he doesn’t break stories or quote sources very often, there is no chance Max Domi is going to the Kraken in the expansion draft. He does write “Seattle could still take Domi and flip him but I don’t think he’s in their plans to play. We’ll see.”
Kraken Don’t Have Deal in Place for Danault
According to Eric Engels of Sportsnet, “Speaking with sources, there’s absolutely no truth to there being a deal between Phillip Danault and the Kraken. He writes, “Not even negotiations. However, at this juncture, it’s highly unlikely Danault will be back with the Canadiens.”
The Canadiens are letting Danault test free agency after he turned down a contract extension offer last offseason. Reports were their hope was that he’d test the market, not find the kind of offer he was looking for and circle back to the Habs with more reasonable numbers.
Klingberg’s Name Out There On Trade Block
Friedman also says he’s heard John Klingberg’s name out there in the rumor mill. With Miro Heiskanen signed to a long-term contract, Klingberg is one year from becoming a UFA and Dallas doesn’t think they can sign him to an extension.
Back in May, Klingberg said about staying with the Stars for the rest of his career, “Ever since I came in the league, I’ve been a Dallas Star. That’s what I want to be as well. It also has to be the right fit for me and my family and for the organization. Take it day by day and see where we’re at.”
Related: Likeliest Canadiens to Be Picked by Kraken at Expansion Draft
Flyers Kicked Tires on Tarasenko, Draft and Trade Possible?
The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the teams that requested Tarasenko’s medical records from the St. Louis Blues. Friedman says that fit would make sense but someone else shot down the possibility of it happening.
There is a lot of talk that the Kraken have been talking to teams about a draft and trade. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, a handful of NHL teams have reached out to the Seattle and asked what would be required for the Kraken to select the forward, retain some salary and send him away in a trade.
The wrinkle here is that the Kraken were like more interested in selecting defenseman Vince Dunn or pending UFA Jaden Schwartz from the Blues. They like both players a lot and it might take a lot to get them to go against their original plans.
Video Surfaces of Kraken Drafting Kerfoot?
There’s a video making the rounds on social media that features Kevin Weekes making the announcement that the Kraken have selected Alex Kerfoot from the Maple Leafs. It’s not clear how real the video is in terms of something that is being pre-shot for the draft footage, but that Weekes is in it and there’s been talk of celebrities making the selection announcements, it seems like something that could be plausible.
The video takes place in a Seattle fish market as the name comes delivered on a flying fish. This could be test footage and it could be the actual video Seattle plans on presenting. Considering there’s still time for the pick to be revealed and a lot can happen between now and then, this might not amount to much.
What’s more likely is that this is test footage for whatever network Weekes is covering the expansion draft with. There might be a dozen names they shot this footage with to practice this. It’s unlikely this is anything official from the Kraken organization.
Teams Dropping Out of Eichel Trade Sweepstakes
Friedman says it sounds like Anaheim is out, Los Angeles is out and Calgary is out of the Jack Eichel trade conversations. He notes that things could change in a hurry, but it’s the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild who are still in it. There’s some concern about how the Wild would fit the Eichel contract in with all the dead cap space they’ll have coming up, but the on-ice factor he might play could overrule any concern about the money.
Friedman says Eichel just wants a fresh start and he won’t be a problem as a player.
Pagnotta writes, “The Sabres continue to navigate the Jack Eichel trade waters. Told the price hasn’t changed: 2 NHL players, 2 top prospects and/or a 1st round pick(s) – minimum 4 assets.”
