Training camp is officially underway across the NHL. Teams are now facing the realization of the looming 2019-20 season. For some, this means rushing out to put the final touches on the climactic 2019 off-season. For others, they’re already looking ahead towards the 2020 summer. This collective busyness has brought out a host of NHL rumours. As the season nears, the Last Word on Hockey team is looking to keep fans updated with the latest news. Today, we’ll cover NHL rumours surrounding the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and St. Louis Blues.
NHL Rumours
Dallas Stars
Rumour: The walls have fallen down surrounding Stars defenceman Julius Honka. While it’s been believed that Honka has been on the trade block for a while, Honka left nothing to the mind on Friday. He reportedly officially requested a trade from the team.
Julius Honka has requested a trade.
— Bruce LeVine (@BruceLeVinePuck) September 13, 2019
Analysis: The Stars drafted Honka 14th overall during the 2014 NHL Draft after only one season in the WHL. He immediately joined the AHL for the 2014-15 season. During his first year in the minors, he recorded 31 points in 68 games. This ranked 30th among AHL defencemen and first among any defencemen under the age of 20. For a rookie season, it was very promising. He continued this strong production over the course of the next two seasons, ultimately scoring a total of 106 points in 191 AHL games between 2014 and 2017.
This strong production earned Honka an NHL debut during the 2016-17 season. That year, he recorded a total of five points in 16 NHL games. He became an NHL-regular the following year, where his cracks began to show. In 42 NHL games during the 2017-18 season, Honka managed a mere four points. This was incredibly disappointing after such a strong tenure in the AHL. A first-round pick that seemed poised for a great rookie season in the NHL was instead falling apart.
Honka’s 2018-19 tenure wasn’t any better. He appeared in 29 games with Dallas, again only netting four points. This brought his NHL totals to 13 points in 87 games and dispelled him from the Stars lineup. His entry-level-contract expired at the end of last season, leaving him as a restricted free agent this summer. The lack of a contract and poor play left Honka as the odd-man-out. He’s apparently seen this and has requested a fresh start. After a summer of Honka trade rumours, it’s hard to think the Stars will be able to deal the defenceman anytime soon, though.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Rumour: Many are saying that Brayden Point‘s heavily anticipated contract extension is still a long way out. With Mitch Marner finally signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, the pressure surrounding Point’s extension has increased exponentially.
Very little progress on the Brayden Point contract front. And my sense is it might be even more stalled than people think. I'm sure it will get done but right now not remotely close as far as I can tell.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 13, 2019
Analysis: It’s safe to assume that contract talks between Point and Tampa Bay will increase significantly following Marner’s extension. With that said, LeBrun claims that talks aren’t close. LeBrun even noted that the last contract offer extended to Point was a three-year deal with a cap hit of $5.7 million per season. For a player that led this year’s RFA class in scoring, this is an embarrassing offer.
If this offer is to be believed, it’s obvious why contract talks are so far off. Yet, there’s no reason for Tampa to be offering such pitiful cap-hits to Point, one of the most important players on their roster. The Bolts currently have $8.48 million in cap space, clearly enough to offer a modestly respectful offer to Point. While, yes, it’s ideal to keep around $1 million in cap space open throughout the year, to help cover injury-related issues, bringing Point back is much more important.
LeBrun notes that he believes a deal will get done. This belief resonates throughout the league. To say Point loves playing in Tampa is an understatement. He’s continuously talked highly about the city and the team, along with his hopes to stay there for years to come. While the Bolts are starting training camp without Point on the ice, the odds of them going into the regular season without him are very, very slim. With Marner now, finally, signed, Point’s negotiations should skyrocket.
St. Louis Blues
Rumour: When asked about soon-to-be free agents Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden Schenn, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong stated he hopes to sign both to extensions before the end of the season.
Armstrong on desire to keep Pietrangelo and Schenn here beyond this season: " I talked to both the players personally about our desire. We'd love to have them here. … To get a deal done, both sides have to comfortably be uncomfortable." #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) September 13, 2019
Analysis: The Blues training camp opened up on Friday, allowing the media access to the reigning Stanley Cup champions. With contract years ahead of them, Schenn and Pietrangelo were the clear hot-topic. Both players deserve notable raises from their current deal, serving as two of the most influential names in the team’s recent Cup win.
Yet, the road ahead seems scary for the Blues. Next summer sees Pietrangelo, Schenn, Joel Edmundson, and Jay Bouwmeester all becoming UFAs. Other important names, like Vince Dunn and Sammy Blais, also become RFAs. As of right now, the Blues will have $22 million to bring back all of these players, among others.
Things will be tight. Dunn’s future contract depends largely on his performance this season but recent signings, like Zach Werenski‘s new deal, are likely to be strong comparisons. Pietrangelo will also garner a respectable boost on the $6.5 million salary he currently makes. This could mean that roughly half of the Blues cap space next summer will go to only two players. With Schenn’s recent play warranting a $6 to $7 million deal of his own, he could very easily become the odd-man-out. In fact, many fans have all but wished him goodbye.
Despite this, Armstrong remains optimistic. While part of this is wishful thinking, there may be some merit behind his high hopes. It’s as thinly-veiled as things can be but if players like Pietrangelo and Schenn take modest salary cuts, and Dunn can remain humble in his contract negotiations, there could be just enough room to keep everyone in St. Louis. As Armstrong said, “both sides have to comfortably be uncomfortable.”
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