In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets were working on a huge trade late into Tuesday evening. Unfortunately, one of the players involved in the deal is reportedly extremely unhappy about it. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers made a big move to land a key defenseman for their blue line.
Are they done making moves? Could they be looking at the Detroit Red Wings? The Toronto Maple Leafs remained one of the more active teams but GM Kyle Dubas might not be done. Finally, what is the latest on Jakob Chychrun, who still hasn’t been moved yet?
Quick Unhappy About Being Traded by Kings?
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Los Angeles Kings and the Columbus Blue Jackets were finalizing the details of a trade that would see Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov dealt to the Kings for a first-round pick and veteran netminder Jonathan Quick. The deal wasn’t officially announced on Tuesday evening, but multiple outlets/insiders were reporting the two sides had agreed to terms. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted around 2 AM Eastern time on Wednesday, “Not expecting the #CBJ – #LAKings trade to be made official tonight.”
Unfortunately, reports are that Quick was extremely unhappy about the news. Frank Seravalli reports, “To say Jonathan Quick is unhappy with the trade, I’m told, is “an understatement.” The entire #LAKings team was a bit down after the game, a win, and you could understandably see it in Anze Kopitar’s face after a 4-goal night. Tough deal, Kings trading a franchise legend.”
Oilers Not Done Making Moves?
After adding Mattias Ekholm via trade on Tuesday, many members of the Edmonton-based media think the Oilers aren’t finished making deals. Having to trade Tyson Barrie to shore up the defensive woes in the Oilers’ game means the team has left a bit of a hole on the right side. The plan might be to find a depth right-shot defenseman, along with a right-winger, in the event one needs to be moved to get what they need after trading Jesse Puljujarvi.
Jonathan Willis of The Athletic writes, “[Kailer] Yamamoto is one obvious place to upgrade, and they can scratch out more money if needed with [Mattias] Janmark/[Devin] Shore. Willis suggested that if the Oilers really want to upgrade their right side, they could try to move Cody Ceci for a better fit, but he made those comments when it appeared Nick Jensen of the Washington Capitals might be available. Jensen signed a three-year extension with the Caps on Tuesday night.
When it comes to forwards, Darren Dreger says the Oilers are looking at Nick Bjugstad and Tyler Bertuzzi. Dreger says that once the Red Wings become official sellers, they’ll be looking to move Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, and Filip Zadina.
Maple Leafs Still Have One More Move Coming?
Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas was extremely busy on Tuesday. To date, he’s added six new players over the last 11 days. On Tuesday, he brought in Luke Schenn while sending out Pierre Engvall and Rasmus Sandin. Many believe he’s not done, especially since he picked up a first-rounder in the Sandin trade.
Chris Johnston said during TSN Insider Trading, the Leafs have made the moves they have to make: there is room to bring in Matthew Knies and slot Matt Murray back onto the roster. That said, Dubas has armed himself with the tools to improve. “I don’t think they’re done,” said Johnston.
What Becomes of Jakob Chychrun?
Pierre LeBrun reported that the deal between the Oilers and Arizona fell apart for Chychrun and the Capitals had talked about the defenseman and the Kings were in this before shifting to Gavrikov. There are some teams still keeping tabs on the defenseman, but one GM told LeBrun that if the Coyotes don’t change their price, Chychrun might not move and GM Bill Armstrong is comfortable with that.
Dreger writes, “Bill Armstrong is back to the drawing board working on landing spots for Chychrun.”
Trade Talk for Parayko Has Cooled
Darren Dreger reports that trade talk for Colton Parayko has cooled now that the Oilers acquired Ekholm from the Predators. Rumors were that the Oilers had kicked tires on the defenseman but with them out of the market on him now, it is believed that Parayko will stay in St. Louis.
Parayko could be a tough sell considering he’s got seven seasons remaining on a contract that pays $6.5 million per season.
