In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is speculation out of Philadelphia as to who might be a buyout candidate and where things are at with Kevin Hayes. There is also news out of Edmonton concerning a Milan Lucic trade. Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs are actively working the phones trying to sell assets.
Flyers to Buy Out MacDonald and Trade No. 11 Pick?
Sam Carchidi is reporting that while Philadelphia Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher is busy making moves like trying to add to his roster and sign players like Kevin Hayes, he is also contemplating buyout options.
Fletcher says they haven’t made any decisions about potential buyout yet but Carchidi thinks that Andrew MacDonald is a strong candidate.
In respect to the Hayes negotiations, Hayes is scheduled to visit Philadelphia and Dave Isaac says that contract talks with Hayes have generally been positive but they are not close to a deal. If Hayes doesn’t sign by the draft, the Flyers may move him.
Carchidi also reports that Fletcher said regarding the Flyers No. 11 pick in this year’s draft:
“We’re going to get a really good player. .. But it is a pretty good chip, and in certain scenarios, I would not hesitate to move it if it could really help our team.”
source – ‘Flyers still dangling their first-round pick before strong draft is held’ – The Philadelphia Inquirer – Sam Carchidi – 06/10/2019
He also said that he’s called teams letting them know his No. 11 selection might be on the table in trade but there hasn’t been a big push from other teams yet to try and acquire it.
Related: NHL Rumors: Flames, Flyers, Ducks, More
Oilers Moving Lucic to Canucks?
The rumors about Milan Lucic heading to the Vancouver Canucks don’t seem to be going away. The latest buzz came this past weekend when TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Vancouver Canucks continue to have interest in the power forward.
General manager Jim Benning tried to sign Lucic in the summer of 2016. “The Vancouver Canucks do see value in Milan Lucic,” Dreger said on Saturday. He noted that Benning sees Lucic’s size as an asset.
Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Sun writes:
It’s not a big surprise that Lucic would be on the chopping block. New Oilers GM Ken Holland may be old-school, but he was also brought with the purpose of re-making the wayward Oilers.
Surely he’s looked at the Lucic contract and said “this has got to go.”
source – ‘Report: Canucks remain on the trail of Milan Lucic’ The Vancouver Sun – Patrick Johnston – 06/08/2019
We’ve reported it before, but it’s still the case that if a trade does happen, it might be Loui Eriksson coming back to Edmonton. There is some debate about whether or not Edmonton would need to add a “sweetener” to make the deal happen.
Related: NHL Rumors: Perry, Duchene, Sabres, Oilers & Jets
Maple Leafs Selling Like Crazy
According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, “Word around from a bevy of hockey sources is that the Leafs have been extraordinarily active talking trade.”
He writes:
They’ve talked, for certain, with other teams about Kasperi Kapanen, Patrick Marleau and possibly Connor Brown, who I get conflicting reports on…
Needless to say Kyle Dubas’s plate is full. He is working as many angles as he can. This is clearly the greatest test of his young career as general manager of the Leafs …
source – ‘SIMMONS: Little-known Nurse becomes big name in NBA Finals’ – The Toronto Sun – Steve Simmons – 06/08/2019
There’s a number of teams that will be interested in Connor Brown if he’s on the block. Only 25, he’s not proven his ability to take the next step in his development as a top-six player but many think he has the potential to do so.
With only one year left on his deal, he could be a sleeper pick up for a team.