NHL Rumors: Hurricanes, Canucks, Bruins, Canadiens, More

In today’s NHL rumor rundown there is news the Carolina Hurricanes might look to trade a defenseman after signing one on Friday, Vancouver’s starting goaltender is being patient, the Boston Bruins aren’t ready to dump a quality player to make salary cap room and the Montreal Canadiens will not be considering a return for a former defenseman.

Faulk On the Trade Block?

Luke DeCock of the News Observer is reporting that GM of the Carolina Hurricanes, Don Waddell, is saying that the signing of Jake Gardiner on Friday now gives his team some flexibility on the blue line. This is leading to further speculation Justin Faulk might be traded out of Carolina.

DeCock writes:

The “flexibility” Waddell mentioned is critical because Faulk is entering the final year of his contract, and with five defensemen capable of playing on the top two pairings, the Hurricanes now have the security to trade Faulk at will if they can’t re-sign him.

source – ‘Hurricanes sign defenseman Jake Gardiner to a four-year contract- Luke DeCock – The News Observer – 09/06/2019

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman added to the speculation when he tweeted, “With CAR’s signing of Jake Gardiner, there is uncertainty about the future of Justin Faulk. Let’s see where this goes.” 

Gardiner is not the only reason Faulk is being mentioned in trade rumors. He’s been in the rumor mill for some time. Gardiner’s signing only intensifies the likelihood something might happen.

Bruins Not Prepared to Trade Krejci

The Bruins have been in a number of rumor rundown reports because they are actively trying to make room to sign both Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. The most recent report was that a possible injury to David Backes might help with the cap issues.

If Backes does not miss significant time, the Bruins need to figure out something else.

NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty posts that one thing they are not prepared to do yet is part with center David Krejci. Moving Krejci would solve a ton of cap issues for the team as he carries a team-high $7.25 million annual average salary.

Boston has strong prospects at center but none of them are ready to step in and play regular NHL shifts. Moving Krejci would be problematic.

Sticking with the Bruins, Matt Porter of the Boston Globe notes that there are rumors Zdeno Chara might not be ready to start the season. Porter writes:

Chara, well-known for his strict training and dietary regimen, said he couldn’t eat normally again until nearly four weeks after the jaw surgery. His typical summer work was postponed by “six, seven weeks, with all the surgeries I had and all the rehab I had to go through,” he said. “I’m still recovering, still working at being full strength.”

source – ‘Zdeno Chara says he may not be ready for Bruins opener’ – Boston Globe – Matt Porter – 09/06/2019

If for some reason the Bruins can’t get Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy signed and Chara isn’t ready, the Bruins blue line will struggle out of the gate.

Markov Will Not Return to Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has officially declared that Andrei Markov will not be coming back to the organization. Bergevin told RDS’ Marc Denis that team is going to give their prospects a shot over a 40-year-old.

This is not terribly surprising but it will make the task of finding NHL employment a bit more challenging for Markov. He recently hired Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey to take care of contract talks but was still holding out hope Montreal would be the team he landed with.