In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Jake McCabe to a five-year extension. How and when did that deal come together? Meanwhile, Connor Bedard expressed his frustrations at the Chicago Blackhawks results so far this season. Are other teams going to follow the blueprint from the St. Louis Blues? Finally, don’t expect the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames to be trade partners this season.
Maple Leafs Get McCabe Deal Done, Switching Priorities
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced a new extension for Jake McCabe on Monday morning. It’s a five-year deal with deferred salary as part of the extension. The cap hit is $4.51 million, even though the actual salary is around $4.7 million with the deferred money worked in.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period writes, “#LeafsForever GM Brad Treliving and McCabe’s agent hunkered down over the weekend to get the new 5-year deal done. With McCabe locked in, they can shift focus and resume talks with other pending FAs, like Matthew Knies, John Tavares & Mitch Marner.”
Related: The State of Hockey in Arizona Following Coyotes Departure
Sportsnet analyst Nick Kypreos has suggested that if the Maple Leafs opt to bypass a bridge contract and lock Knies into a long-term deal, he might seek an extension similar to the one recently signed by Juraj Slafkovsky and Alexis Lafreniere, who both secured deals around the $7.5 million per season range with the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers.
Bedard Upset With the Blackhawks
Connor Bedard spoke with the media this week and expressed his frustrations with losing and the team’s 2-7 record. Pagnotta of “The Fourth Period” reported that Chicago would love to add a second-line center to their roster but won’t rush a move. Elliotte Friedman also reported in his 32 Thoughts column that the Blackhawks are looking for a deal, “Cut-and-paste with Chicago, when it comes to centers. Centres for everyone!”
On the 32 Thoughts podcast on Monday, Friedman added that last season the Blackhawks took a run at signing Jake Guentzel. There was also chatter that the Blackhawks might have looked at Trevor Zegras out of Anaheim. Friedman said that there isn’t panic in Chicago yet, but Bedard’s frustrations could lead to the team making a move to try to speed up their rebuild timeline.
Friedman shot down any speculation that Bedard might want out or that he’s so frustrated that he would ever request a trade. He’s loyal, but he’s also a competitor.
Teams Watching What the Blues Are Doing
Friedman reported that several teams are watching what the St. Louis Blues do this season. The Blues made some big moves this summer, including offer sheets and because these were unique ways of improving their roster, teams want to see if it works. Some teams might see what the Blues did as a good way to speed up retooling efforts.
With the salary cap going up, it might not create a situation where as many teams are tight to the cap, but if the Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway signings turn out, more teams might look at offer sheets as an option.
Flames and Oilers Unlikely Trade Partners This Season
As per Allan Mitchell of the Athletic, the likelihood of the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames striking a major trade this season is slim—especially for a player like Rasmus Andersson. He noted that Andersson would address Edmonton’s needs but Flames’ GM Craig Conroy can’t and likely won’t do it because of how it would affect his legacy in Calgary.
Mitchell writes:
“For Flames general manager Craig Conroy, trading Andersson to Edmonton could be a career-ending move. The provincial rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton is such that a Stanley Cup in Edmonton with contributions from Andersson could have severe impact on Conroy’s reputation in the southern city.”
source – ‘Tinkering with Oilers pairings: 5 righthanded defencemen who should be trade targets’ – Allan Mitchell – The Athletic – 10/28/2024
Conroy’s reputation could take a substantial hit among Flames fans if he were to make this deal and not get a premium return in the trade.