Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word On Hockey. Although the NHL season is on pause, rumours are still swirling. Today we will focus on NHL rumours from the Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia Flyers.
All NHL rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Montreal Canadiens
Rumour: Andrew Zadarnowski of Habseyesontheprize.com and a popular guest on TSN 690, states that defenceman Alexey Marchenko has confirmed he will not be re-signing with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. He says that the Habs are rumoured to be interested in his services.
28-year old Alexei Marchenko confirmed that he will not be re-signing with CSKA and will become a free agent.
He has 121 games of NHL experience with Detroit and Toronto. This past season he scored a personal best 21 points and +29.#Habs were rumoured to be interested in the RD.— Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) April 23, 2020
Analysis: It seems that the Habs are dipping their feet into the Russian waters lately. They recently brought in Russian goaltender Vasili Demchenko and are now looking at Marchenko. Coincidence? We think not. This can all be tied to trying to do everything they can to make top defence prospect Alexander Romanov comfortable with the transition to North America. And what better way to do that, then to bring over current teammate Marchenko. Marchenko is a former NHL player who played 121 games between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.
So where would Marchenko fit into the Habs lineup? That’s a tough question. Marchenko is a right-shot defenceman which is the Habs strongest position. Shea Weber and Jeff Petry currently occupy the top two spots. Then its a fight between Noah Juulsen, Cale Fleury and Josh Brook for the final spot. Marchenko could enter that dogfight for the final position and be a guy who comes in and out of the lineup with someone like Fleury who went through this same type of scenario this past season. Friendly competition is never a bad thing, nor is having depth at either position. That’s what Marchenko would bring to the Habs.
Minnesota Wild
Rumour: Michael Russo recently reported in an article for The Athletic that Bill Guerin would consider re-signing forward Alex Galchenyuk.
#mnwild notebook
🏒 On Dean Evason's future, and his thoughts on keeping the team ready to play
🏒 Could Minnesota host several NHL teams if hockey returns?
🏒 Carson Soucy contract talks
🏒 Galchenyuk, Kaprizov updates https://t.co/v69zgVuzKd— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 23, 2020
Analysis: Guerin says he liked Galchenyuk’s game and work ethic during his time with the Wild. The latter is a bit surprising, as Galchenyuk’s work ethic is something that has always been criticized. However, maybe third times a charmed in regards to a change of scenery?
Galchenyuk, who was drafted third overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, is now on his fourth team since 2018. After being traded by Montreal to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Max Domi, Galchenyuk was then moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Phil Kessel trade. After not being able to find his stride with the Penguins, he was then dealt again to the Wild in the Jason Zucker trade.
While Galchenyuk’s production has certainly fallen off since leaving Montreal, it looks like he found some comfort in Minnesota. Galchenyuk scored three goals and seven points in 14 games to close out the season with the Wild. Not jaw-dropping numbers, however, much better than he fair in Pittsburgh.
Put in the right position, Galchenyuk can be a prolific goal scorer. He has excellent puck handling skills and a lethal shot. If he can continue with the work ethic that Guerin mentioned, Galchenyuk can get back to being productive on the score sheet. Much like he was in Montreal where he managed to put up a 30 goal season in just his third NHL season.
Philadelphia Flyers
Rumour: According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, Swedish forward Linus Sandin intends to sign with the Flyers once the NHL finalizes its new international transfer agreement.
Swedish forward Linus Sandin intends to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers — although he can’t officially do so until the NHL finalizes new international transfer agreements.
Sandin was one of the SHL’s top scorers with 19 goals for HV71 last season and had multiple NHL offers.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 23, 2020
Analysis: The Flyers are a team that has been looking to add depth at the forward position so this is not a surprising move. Sandin lead his team in scoring last season with 19 goals in 51 games and finished fifth in the entire league. With the Flyers not having a ton of cap space available heading into next season, picking up a cheaper scoring option is a solid move by the Flyers.
The soon to be 24-year-old is the older brother of Leafs rookie Rasmus Sandin. The elder Sandin has spent the last three seasons playing in the Swedish Elite League and was never drafted to the NHL. Sandin possesses decent size at 6’1”, 209 lbs. He should slot into the clubs bottom six and be an everyday player for the Flyers next season.
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