In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Mattias Ekholm‘s injury could hold him out of the rest of the season and playoffs, leaving the Edmonton Oilers without one of their top defensemen. Elsewhere, a decision between Rick Tocchet and the Vancouver Canucks could come soon, and we could see what the future holds for him. Finally, the Minnesota Wild are expected to sign top defensive prospect Zeev Buium, and he could make his debut very shortly.
Tough News for Oilers About Ekholm Injury
As the Oilers head into the playoffs and get set to play the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1 again, they may have to do so without Ekholm, who is their top defenseman.
Ekholm had a completely innocent collision with San Jose Sharks defenseman Ty Dellandrea, and while it wasn’t much contact at all, it clearly tweaked something for Ekholm. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug posted on X saying that best case scenario, Ekholm is going to miss “quite a bit of time”, and could potentially miss the rest of the season and playoffs.
Elliotte Friedman extended this report on Saturday Headlines, stating that there are rumblings that the injury is not related to his previous injury which kept Ekholm sidelined for most of the month of March. The Oilers are preparing for the worst, and getting ready for a playoff run without him.
Related: NHL Rumours: Skinner, Oilers, Landeskog, Tkachuk, Cousins, Senators
Zach Hyman also left the game with an injury, but there have been no details released on his status.
Tocchet & Canucks Expected to Come To A Decision Soon
There has been a lot of talk surrounding the future of Tocchet and the Canucks. With some rumours swirling that he may look to join the Philadelphia Flyers next season, or could return to the Canucks to finish the job he started, there is a chance he doesn’t have a choice.
While Tocchet’s contract is expiring, there is a one-year team option that could extend his coaching days in Vancouver for one more season. He had a successful run with the club and won the Jack Adams Award last season as the top coach in the league. This season, with all of the drama and injuries surrounding the team, he can be given a mulligan. It is hard for a coach to get a handle on what happened with J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and others, plus having Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Thatcher Demko either unavailable or not playing to their potential.
It could make sense for Tocchet to want to leave a rough season in the past and move on to another adventure, but he also the kind of coach to not quit on the group and look to redeem himself and the team.
Later in his report on Saturday Headlines, Friedman stated that now that the Canucks are eliminated from playoff contention, it seems that the Canucks and Tocchet are going to come to a decision shortly after the end of the season so that everybody knows where they are going. Neither side wants it to drag out so they can get on with the rest of their plans in the summer.
Friedman finished his segment on the Canucks by stating that Brock Boeser’s lack of faith in a return to the Canucks stems from the term. There is a bridge to cap between the team and the player, and that is the hold-up.
Wild Prepared to Bring Buium In
After two dominant NCAA seasons, totaling 98 points, Buium and the University of Denver went on a strong run in the NCAA playoffs and Frozen Four, but lost to the eventual champions, the University of Western Michigan. Buium’s 98 points is the most from any under-20 defenseman in the last 45 years in the NCAA, and the Wild are eager to bring him in.
Friedman reported that Buium is expected to sign as soon as Apr. 13, and could make his NHL debut on Apr. 15 against the Anaheim Ducks. The Wild lost defenseman Declan Chisholm for a short period of time, but he did return to the game, which could change the plan for Buium’s debut, but he will likely still get a chance to play.
Buium is a very trusted defenseman. Of course, his offensive game is outstanding, but he played big minutes for Denver, including in the national semifinal, playing over 51 minutes in a double-overtime thriller. The future is very bright for Buium, as well as the Wild who already have great young defensemen on their blue line such as Brock Faber and Chisholm.
