In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the Ottawa Senators might be bringing over some potential help on defense, there are tons of updates on the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets might be good trading partners.
Sens to Sign Nick Ebert
Nick Ebert has spent the past two seasons overseas but he’ll be heading back to North America. Orebro His former SHL team, Orebro, announced that the defenseman coming to the NHL and a couple of NHL insiders believe it will be to the Ottawa Senators.
Murray Pam of the Sporting News and Alexander Appleyard of The Athletic report (Twitter links) that the Senators are expected to sign Ebert.
The Senators could use some depth on their back end and while Ebert is still very much a question mark, he should get a healthy look at training camp in September. The Senators may have offered the best chance to crack an NHL roster.
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Tons of News on the Canucks
There is plenty of buzz surrounding the Vancouver Canucks these days. Here are a few of the notable items:
Benning on Zaitsev Rumors
Rick Dhaliwal posts that Jim Benning would not comment specifically on Zaitsev but did say there were lots of talks with different teams taking place. “Lots of conversations going on right now, we will consider all of our options. I am not going to comment on any specifics but we are looking at all of our options.”
Bringing Back Tryamkin
Benning would like to bring back Nikita Tryamkin and make him part of their blue line. He said, “We would love to have him back, look at the size and strength of the Blues blueline. He can be a big part of our group. We will keep talking to his agent.”
Edler Talks Continue
Rick Dhaliwal writes that Benning and the team will keep talking to Alex Edler’s camp even if things aren’t going terribly smoothly at the moment. “Sometimes the different sides have different things they are trying to accomplish. We have not found common ground yet. We want Alex back and will try and figure it out.”
It also sounds like the Canucks have no intention of trying to move up in the NHL Entry Draft. Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province notes Benning’s comments:
“If we have to (in addition to the 10th pick) give up a second-round pick, that’s too much because we feel the draft is deep enough,” added Benning. “And you just don’t know how the draft is going to fall. We could have a player rated in the top six falling to us at 10.”
source – ‘Ben Kuzma: Benning buoyed by combine interviews, won’t move up in draft’ – Vancouver Province – Ben Kuzma – 06/04/2019
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Blackhawks Interested in Ryan Murray
The Chicago Blackhawks are seeking help on the blue line and one place they seem to be looking is Columbus, specifically at Ryan Murray. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports the Blackhawks recently spoke about Murray but that a deal doesn’t appear like it’s going to happen.
Thinking the Blue Jackets need to restock their draft pick pool, the Blackhawks could offer up a solution. Powers writes:
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline thought the Blue Jackets would be willing to trade Murray and would probably want draft picks in exchange. The Blue Jackets only have third-round and seventh-round picks in the upcoming draft. The Blackhawks aren’t going to part with their No. 3 overall pick, but you would think they’d give up anything else if they were really interested in Murray. The Blackhawks have a second-round pick and two fourth-rounders — maybe a couple draft picks and a couple prospects get the job done, but we’ll see.
source – ‘Powers: What I’m hearing about the Blackhawks this offseason’ – Scott Powers – The Athletic – 06/07/2019
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Jim Parsons is a senior THW freelance writer, part-time journalist and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps and breathes NHL news and rumors, while also writing features on the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted source for five-plus years at The Hockey Writers, but more than that, he’s on a mission to keep readers up to date with the latest NHL rumors and trade talk. Jim is a daily must for readers who want to be “in the know.”
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