In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Columbus Blue Jackets were working on a trade and trying to land Martin Necas. Necas said no. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs tried to sign Jeff Skinner in free agency and there are updates on Nick Robertson’s trade request. The Edmonton Oilers are over the salary cap and will need to clear space. How will they do it? Finally, the Montreal Canadiens made a play for Jonathan Marchessault but weren’t willing to sign him to a long-term deal.
Necas Nixed a Trade to the Blue Jackets
As cited by Mark Scheig, Frank Seravelli reported that a potential deal between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes involving Martin Necas was in the works at the NHL Draft. He notes, “They had a deal on the table with Columbus, and he wouldn’t sign an extension there. That’s my understanding. The deal died right then and I think it involved the number four pick.”
It’s still not clear what’s happening with Necas in Carolina. It is believed the two sides aren’t going to work things out and that a trade is still being discussed.
Jeff Skinner Said No to Maple Leafs, Latest on Nick Robertson
Both Darren Dreger and Chris Johnston are reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs were actively trying to sign Jeff Skinner, who signed with the Edmonton Oilers. Johnston noted in his most recent podcast, that the Leafs specifically pitched the idea of playing on a line with Auston Matthews and Marner.
Meanwhile, previous reports noting that Nick Robertson is eyeing a move from Toronto this offseason and has requested a trade evoked an interesting response from GM Brad Treliving. He noted, “We look at Nick as an excellent player, and there’s great opportunity for Nick here, and we need him to be a good player for us.” The hint here being that if Robertson wants out, he’s going to have to play his way into a situation where he fetches the Maple Leafs a solid return.
Oilers Need to Make a Cap-Clearing Move
According to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic, the Edmonton Oilers need to shed salary as they are currently $2.5 million over the $88 million salary cap, with restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway still needing to be re-signed. While teams can exceed the cap during the offseason, they must be cap-compliant when the regular season begins.
Related: Maple Leafs’ UFA Pursuits Reveal Marner Trade Plans
Nugent-Bowman writes:
There are still ways to shed money. Evander Kane ($5.125 million AAV, two years remaining), Ceci ($3.25 million AAV, one year), Brett Kulak ($2.75 million AAV, two years) and Ryan McLeod ($2.1 million, one year, RFA expiry with arbitration rights) are the trade candidates to facilitate that. But it’s worth noting that Kane has a full no-movement clause until it becomes a partial no-trade on March 1, so he holds all the cards.
Ryan Rishaug reported that there had been some rumors about the Oilers asking Kane to waive his no-trade clause but the forward has not been asked that by anyone in the organization to date.
Montreal Canadiens Were Interested in Marchessault
As per a report by Arpon Basu, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said they weren’t willing to offer Jonathan Marchessault four or five years on a deal. They did reach out and try to sign the winger but the Nashville Predators outbid them. Hughes spoke after day one of free agency and noted that the Canadiens were interested in getting involved in free agency but not at the expense of their long-term plan to retool the roster with the right mix of players. Their main focus was on their young players, they were only looking for short-term fits.