In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on what the Boston Bruins will do now that they’ve been ousted from the Stanley Cup Finals, the Carolina Hurricanes may choose to move on from defenseman Dougie Hamilton, the Edmonton Oilers may have interest in an Anaheim veteran and there are some potential landing spots for Jake Gardiner. Finally, is Jim Rutherford bluffing in Pittsburgh when it comes to Phil Kessel?
What’s Next for Bruins?
Greg Wyshynski, Emily Kaplan, and Chris Peters of ESPN.com looked at the next steps for the Boston Bruins after their Game 7 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday and suggested defenseman Torey Krug might be shopped for a second-line winger.
Krug’s name has been mentioned in media trade chatter for some time. But, with Krug only a year away from UFA status, the team could get younger and faster and avoid an expensive re-signing if they choose to move him.
The Bruins will be contenders again next season but a crushing loss is always motivation to make changes. Krug might be a piece that finally moves instead of being just discussed as an option.
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Hurricanes to Move on From Hamilton?
@Prospects_Watch: Pierre McGuire said that he believes the Carolina Hurricanes will try to trade defenseman Dougie Hamilton. McGuire added that the Hurricanes won’t be trading defenseman Brett Pesce.
The Hurricanes had a bit of a Cinderella season after being discussed in a number of trade rumors this past summer and into the start of the 2018-19 campaign. They have a number of good d-men but the view has always been they could improve their forward depth.
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Oilers Interested in Corey Perry?
@Prospects_Watch: Darren Dreger was on TSN 690 and said that if Corey Perry were to get bought out by the Anaheim Ducks, there would be a free agent market for him.
Dreger said the Edmonton Oilers could be a fit. They wouldn’t be interested in a trade at his current salary but if they were to get him on a short-term, discounted rate, why wouldn’t they be in on it? Perry would help Connor McDavid on the leadership side of things.
Still with the Oilers, new GM Ken Holland spoke to reporters at the scouting combine in Buffalo and possibly revealed which way the club might be leaning at this year’s NHL Entry Draft with their No. 8 selection.
“There’s some good defensemen there, but there’s some really good forwards,” he said of the crop at the combine. He’s been public about how much he likes his upcoming blueliners and the only defenseman consistently ranked above the eighth spot is Bowen Byram.
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Gardiner to Blackhawks or Wild
@Prospects_Watch: Pierre McGuire said that he would be shocked if pending free agent defenseman Jake Gardiner didn’t sign with either the Chicago Blackhawks or the Minnesota Wild.
Rutherford Bluffing on Kessel?
According to a story on triblive.com, despite Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford saying he’ll probably end up keeping Phil Kessel, this could be posturing and bluffing on the part of the Penguins.
Kevin Gorman believes Rutherford is basically saying to Kessel that he can either help the team facilitate a trade or if he stays with the Penguins, he has to play by coach Mike Sullivan’s rules. If Kessel is really set on getting away from the coach, he might have to take a destination he’s a bit less comfortable with.
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Jim Parsons is a freelance writer who covers the Edmonton Oilers and news and rumors posts here at The Hockey Writers.
You can also catch him writing at NHLtradetalk.com, The Sportster and hosting weekly video casts, THW News and Rumors Rundown, plus Oilers Overtime.
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