In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Mark Scheifele left everyone who listened to his media avail at the end of the season thinking he’s unsure about his own future in Winnipeg. Meanwhile, GM Don Sweeney says the Boston Bruins are doing everything they can to entice Patrice Bergeron to stay another season.
Patrick Kane talked about working with the young guys in Chicago and Ryan Ellis debunks rumors he isn’t happy in Philadelphia.
Scheiefle Questioning His Future With Jets
Ken Weibe of Sportsnet wrote that Scheifele spoke to reporters for the first time since suffering an injury in early April and was not prepared to commit to sticking with the Jets after this season. He said, “I’d love to be in Winnipeg, but I also have to see where this is all going and what direction this team is going in and I guess we’ll see this summer.”
Noting he was in the prime of his career, he likes where his game is at and said he’ll only improve. He added:
“I just have to know where this team is going and what the direction is and what the changes are going to be, if any. I have to think about my career and what’s going to be best for me. Those are going to be…talks with my agents and everyone in my family and stuff like that and figure out what I really want. So, it will be a tough talk tomorrow.”
There are also reports that a number of Jets let it be known to management that they were looking for a trade around the trade deadline. Elliotte Friedman noted during his recent 32 Thoughts Podcast, “I was chasing reports that there were several Jets players were looking to be traded. The reaction I got was let’s see where we are at the end of the season and we’re possibly at 1.” Meanwhile, Frank Seravalli is reporting that he’s hearing the team is planning a complete overhaul of their coaching staff. He writes that interim coach Dave Lowry, assistants Jamie Kompon and Charlie Huddy are all not returning. Wade Flaherty will remain on staff.
Interestingly, Weibe also reports that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was offered and has agreed to a three-year extension as the team’s general manager.
Bruins Trying to Build Team Bergeron Wants to Be Part Of
According to Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now, Bruins GM Don Sweeney believes that Patrice Bergeron will be back but is waiting for the veteran forward to make that clear. All Sweeney can do while they wait is “put together the best possible team.
Sweeney was quoted as saying:
“My job is to put together the most competitive group that we can so I can extend his shelf life of wanting to play. His impact is not questioned, in terms of what he can do on and off the ice. It’s just a matter of if he wants to continue doing it and we’re hopeful that he does. I believe in my heart that he does, but that’s ultimately Patrice’s decision. I’ve been very respectful of that from Day One and will continue to be until he says ‘let’s get it done.’
Kane Speaks With Blackhawks About Future
As per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, Blackhawks star Patrick Kane said he’d had multiple conversations with general manager Kyle Davidson and expects to be kept in the loop about the franchise’s offseason plans. Kane acknowledged that his leadership role could play a big part in speeding up the success of a rebuild.
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Kane explained that he likes being around the younger guys and he’s built some chemistry with Alex DeBrincat. He also noted:
“You can win and still be in a rebuild. I think there are teams that have accelerated that, too, right? You look at LA, they had some young guys that probably came in and maybe exceeded some of maybe their front-office expectations and all of a sudden they’re in a spot where they can sign guys like [Phillip] Danault and trade for [Viktor] Arvidsson and they’re a better team.”
source: ‘Hawks’ Kane: ‘You can win and still be in a rebuild’ – Charlie Roumeliotis – Chicago Sports – 04/26/2022
Ellis’ Future With the Flyers
Apparently, there were rumors going around that defenseman Ryan Ellis did not want to stay with the Philadelphia Flyers and this is why the nature of his injury hadn’t been released. He seems to have shot down those rumors.
New reports suggest the severity of his injury were legitimate and Ellis told reporters, including Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer he made several visits to specialists and underwent a wide range of testing before finally pinpointing the cause of the injury – a multi-layered one in his pelvic region.
Ellis said he and management are on the same page and his goal is to be healthy and ready for training camp. He added, “My family loves it here, my kids love it here, we’ve found a great school. If I was playing, this would be Heaven for me. The only reason it’s not is because I’m not playing.”
