In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news that the New Jersey Devils might try to offload a player or two. In St. Louis, is there a way Alex Pietrangelo will accept a bridge deal with the Blues? And, is there an update on Max Domi’s situation in Montreal? Finally, are the Toronto Maple Leafs willing to move Frederik Andersen to land Matt Murray out of Pittsburgh?
Devils to Dump a Contract or Two
In his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that the New Jersey Devils would like a number of their prospects to take on bigger roles with the team, thus they may look to unload a player or two during the offseason.
Masisak names players in the system like Jesper Boqvist, Janne Kuokkanen, Joey Anderson, Nicholas Merkley, Nolan Foote and the potential of a 2020 lottery pick being ready for the NHL. That means trade candidates could be players like Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. He also writes:
It will depend on a few factors. One is what happens with Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev. If either or both sign new contracts for beyond next season, then spots in the top nine are going to be pretty limited.
source – ‘Devils mailbag: Expectations for Jack Hughes, best lines and arena music’ – Corey Masisak – The Athletic – 05/17-2020
Update on Max Domi and Canadiens
We reported the other day that the Montreal Canadiens and Max Domi haven’t talked an extension and that perhaps his desire to play center could create a situation where the Canadiens wonder about the long-term fit with the Habs.
Sportsnet’s Eric Engels acknowledged recent trade rumors but feels there are plenty of reasons why the Montreal Canadiens will retain Domi. Furthermore, Engels said he never heard from anyone that the Canadiens were considering trading him. It sounds like both sides want to get a deal done so it will a matter of waiting until salaries are more certain.
Related: Canadiens’ Retired Jerseys – the Story of a Famed Franchise
Pietrangelo Open to a Bridge Deal?
Alex Pietrangelo will be an expensive re-signing for the St. Louis Blues. With that in mind, some of the buzz around the rumor mill involve ways the Blues might clear up space to make any deal with their captain work.
Assuming Pietrangelo accepts a “hometown discount” of between $7.5 million to $8 million, Jim Thomas of St. Louis Today was asked about the possibility of Pietrangelo accepting a one-year bridge deal. He didn’t think it was likely, based mostly upon the fact that salaries might not rebound in a year’s time and the Blues would be right back to the same problem next summer.
But, Thomas did say there was one scenario where a bridge deal could be possible:
Even with a flat cap, there are still several teams that are in good enough cap shape for next season to make a run at Petro. Last time I checked CapFriendly, there were 18 teams with less than $70 million committed to the cap next season.
So maybe the agent checks the market, and if the waters are lukewarm at best, then maybe he thinks about a bridge deal.
source – ‘Quick Hits: JT on the Blues’ – Jim Thomas – St. Louis Post-Dispatch – 05/13/2020
Most believe the only way the Blues get out of this without much issue is if the NHL implements compliance buyouts. The belief is that this won’t happen.
Related: Every Stanley Cup Winner Since 1960
Matt Murray for Frederick Andersen Swap?
Luke Fox of Sportsnet suggests not to look too deep into any rumors that include the Maple Leafs trading Frederik Andersen and trying to pick up Matt Murray from Pittsburgh.
While Fox thinks the Penguins could trade Murray, the scribe ins’t convinced Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas sees Murray as a better goaltender and wonders what his future contract will look like. He believes it’s better for the Maple Leafs to push Andersen contract talks past this season and see what happens next summer.
As more news and rumors hit the NHL wire, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
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