In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is more news out of Buffalo that Rasmus Ristolainen might be moved for a top-six forward. In Toronto, there is speculation Mitch Marner could miss training camp, but will he miss any of the regular season? In New York, the Rangers signed Pavel Buchnevich but now have a lot of work to do to get under the salary cap. Finally, a report from a former Montreal Canadien suggests the Habs had some strange things going on in their locker room.
Ristolainen Likely to be Dealt
Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News discusses trade speculation surrounding right-handed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. He suggests it’s likely the team trades Ristolainen for a top-six forward.
He mentions a potential trade between the Sabres and the Winnipeg Jets for Nikolaj Ehlers but notes Ehlers plays the left side. Or, Buffalo could look at Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli.
Lysowski writes:
Buffalo Sabres General Manager Jason Botterill has built a surplus of right-shot defensemen this offseason, intensifying the trade speculation surrounding Rasmus Ristolainen.
source – ‘Sabres Mailbag: What are trade options for Rasmus Ristolainen?’ – The Buffalo News – Lance Lysowski – 07/24/2019
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Marner to Miss Training Camp?
Per a report by James (@Account4hockey): Renaud Lavoie on Sportsnet 590 said he expects Mitch Marner will likely miss Toronto Maple Leafs training camp but still believes “Marner will be a Maple Leaf for a long time.”
Lavoie also said that he thinks missing training camp won’t mean he misses any of the actual season. One thing to keep in mind, Cap Friendly notes that if Marner doesn’t sign before the start of the season, the AAV of the first year of his contract will increase thanks to the use of LTIR.
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More on Rangers Shedding Salary
After the New York Rangers re-signed winger Pavel Buchnevich yesterday, there is a lot more talk today about the team needing to shed salary. Both Brett Cyrgalis and Colin Stephenson of the New York Post and NewsDay.com took a look at ways the team could become cap compliant by October.
Cyrgalis thinks the team might trade Chris Kreider while Stephenson suggests Kreider, Vladislav Namestnikov or Ryan Strome might be on the trade block.
The Rangers might have to make more than one move because they are over the cap by over $4.1 million and still have restricted free agents Brendan Lemieux and Anthony DeAngelo to re-sign.
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Anti-Russian Attitude in Montreal?
In a strange story, Igor Eronko is citing comments from former Montreal Canadiens forward Nikita Scherbak. Scherbak said of his time in Montreal, it was mired by unfair rules towards himself and an anti-Russian bias.
He added there is a reason Russians aren’t playing for the Montreal Canadiens any longer. He said:
“We were not allowed to speak Russian in the Habs dressing room while many guys spoke French. Even if Markov and Emelin tried to help me. And there were some strange moments with Bergevin”
There have been plenty of rumors that Andrei Markov has an interest in returning to Montreal and while this claim by Scherbak doesn’t mean the Habs aren’t interested because Markov is Russian, it isn’t the best look for the team and hopefully, this isn’t true of the organization.
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