In today’s NHL rumors rundown, there is news out of Philadelphia as Wayne Simmonds has signed a one-day deal to officially retire and Ryan Johansen’s injury means the team can’t assign him to the AHL. How active did the Los Angeles Kings try to be at the trade deadline? Will they try for Jusse Saros out of Nashville and will they have competition from the New Jersey Devils in an attempt to acquire the netminder?
Confusion Over Johansen Injury for Flyers; Simmonds to Retire
This past week, the NHL reversed Philadelphia’s decision to assign center Ryan Johansen to AHL Lehigh Valley. He was acquired in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche as part of a deal to make the money work, but he was never going to play for the Flyers. Johansen was waived and demoted immediately following the deal. Unfortunately, due to a hip issue, the Flyers face potential financial ramifications as they cannot clear any portion of Johansen’s remaining $4 million contract off their books if the injury persists.
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The Flyers claim they didn’t know Johansen was injured when they acquired him, thus Philly cannot send down an injured player. “Yes, that’s fair to say,” Daniel Briere said when asked if the Flyers were caught off guard.
It is also believed there is a problematic dynamic between head coach John Tortorella and Johansen. It is believed there is a reluctance on his part to play for the Tortorella. The injury is creating a situation where they can’t easily move on from him and perhaps they wouldn’t have made the deal had they known.
Meanwhile, former NHL forward Wayne Simmonds has officially announced his NHL retirement and will sign a one-day contract with the Flyers, per a team release. He’ll be honored by the team on April 13, the second-to-last home game of Philadelphia’s season and against the New Jersey Devils.
Canadiens Send David Reinbacher Down to the AHL
The Montreal Canadiens reassigned 2023 fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher to the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Monday. If Reinbacher doesn’t get a recall to the Canadiens before the end of the season, he’ll remain under 10 NHL games played on the season. His (entry-level-contract) ELC will not go into effect this year and will slide to 2024-25. That would make him an RFA in 2027.
He’s played 35 games for Kloten HC in the Swiss League this season.
Kings Tried to Make Several Deadline Moves
While the Los Angeles Kings were unable to do much at this season’s deadline, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. GM Rob Blake swung and missed on several potential trades and the expectation is that he is already eyeing offseason maneuvers. The team was supposedly linked to conversations about forwards Tyler Toffoli and Reilly Smith, along with discussions regarding goaltender Linus Ullmark.
Reports vary as to how far things got in respect to the Ullmark talks. Some say there was a serious offer on the table and Ullmark chose to use his no-trade clause to decline the move. Others say it never got that far. One report suggests the Kings may take another run at Ullmark in the off-season, but that they may also shift gears and see if Juuse Saros would be open to joining Los Angeles. With Nashville open to offers this summer, the Kings might prefer him as an option, especially if they intend to move on from Cam Talbot.
Devils Also Expected to Push for Saros
In recent news from Nashville Hockey Now, Michael Gallagher highlighted a report by colleague Pierre LeBrun, indicating continued interest from the Devils in goaltender Saros. The Devils were also trying to acquire Jacob Markstrom and while the status of that situation remains unclear, Predators GM Barry Trotz is said to be open to offseason goaltending trade conversations.
Gallagher suggests it would require a significant package to tempt Trotz into parting ways with Saros. He won’t settle for inadequate or unproven assets and any potential offer from the Devils would need to include high-value assets like Dawson Mercer, Seamus Casey, and a first-round draft pick to capture Trotz’s attention.
