In today’s NHL rumors rundown, is there any truth to rumors of a Brady Tkachuk trade out of Ottawa? Meanwhile, does Eric Tulsky have the authority to trade Martin Necas if the Carolina Hurricanes can find a trade for Martin Necas? What did the coffee shop meeting between Craig Berube and Mitch Marner mean? Finally, Sheldon Keefe was introduced to the New Jersey Devils’ fan base on Tuesday. He offered some insights into his new role and his departure from Toronto.
Senators Shoot Down Brady Tkachuk Trade Rumors… Again
When asked for comment on rumors that Brady Tkachuk might be a trade option out of Ottawa, Senators’ General Manager and President of Hockey Operations, Steve Staios responded, “Complete B.S”. Tkachuk’s surfaced on social media as a trade target over the weekend, which is the second time in a matter of months. The speculation took on a life of its own even though Staios had already denied any trade talks.
Pierre LeBrun cited Staios in a recent article for The Athletic:
“Ah yeah, that could not be further from the truth…We are building this team around Brady. His leadership and unique skill set are rare. There is absolutely no validity to it.’’
source: ‘No truth to Brady Tkachuk trade rumors, but does Martin Necas want out of Carolina?’ – Pierre LeBrun – The Athletic – 05/27/2024
Hurricanes Looking at Necas Trade
The Carolina Hurricanes have a lot of business to take care of and with the NHL Draft around the corner, one of the moves that might be made is a Martin Necas trade. Elliotte Friedman was on NHL Network and noted that the Necas and the Hurricanes are at a bit of a crossroads salary-wise. The two sides disagree as to what his worth is.
Friedman was asked if new interim GM Eric Tulsky had the authority to make big trades like this and the answer was yes. Tulsky was a part of some big trades prior to Don Waddell leaving and the Hurricanes have a lot of business to look after. The Hurricanes wouldn’t have Tulsky there if they didn’t think he could handle it.
Related: 2 Trade Destinations for Hurricanes’ Martin Necas
Friedman also noted again that the Vancouver Canucks are one of the team keenly interested in Necas.
Marner and Berube Meet for Coffee
A photo of Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner and new head coach Craig Berube having a corner chat in an Etobicoke coffee shop has caught a lot of attention this week. The image, captured by fan, has sparked speculation about what the meeting means and if it’s anything more than just a coach and player getting to know each other better.
Even though there is absolutely no context to the photo, the meeting has some worried that the meeting suggests Marner won’t be traded. Everyone is aware that Marner holds all the cards when it comes to his no-move clause, but Toronto may be thinking about running it back with the same team.
Some are wondering why the meeting happened in a public setting. The organization had to know that the meeting would get out and conspiracy theorists are thinking that this was intentional.
Keefe Knew He Was Getting Fired
New head coach for the New Jersey Devils Sheldon Keefe said he was fairly aware that he was going to lose his job in Toronto. He said he had a restless sleep the night before the team fired him and that’s when he came up with the idea for his goodbye video. It was shot in his “happy place” near home. “I had a pretty good sense that that day I was going to wake up and be called in for a meeting.”
Keefe has already reached out to every player on the Devils roster and says he will have more in-depth conversations with them during the summer.
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