It’s another edition of our NHL rumours, where we look at what moves may happen this off-season. All three teams in our Sunday edition had their playoff bubble burst and are now dealing with the aftermath. Today’s edition has plenty of Western Conference bias as we look at the Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes, and Nashville Predators.
All NHL rumours are taken from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Calgary Flames
Rumour: Sportsnet’s Eric Francis said that Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau has likely played his last game for the team.
Offseason changes in Calgary should start with Johnny Gaudreau. For a team that needs to continue focusing on elevating its game when it matters most, it is best if their perennial playoff passenger is packaged up before it’s too late. Here’s why: https://t.co/BWH3FZWSTw
— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) August 21, 2020
Analysis: “Johnny Hockey” has put up great regular season numbers, but disappears during the post-season. The Boston College graduate finished fourth in last season’s Hart Trophy voting and has put up over 80 points twice. However, his playoff numbers have taken a big nose dive. He didn’t record a singe 5-on-5 point in the six-game exit to the Dallas Stars. Six of his seven points between the qualifying round against the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas were on the power play.
The Salem, N.J. native is 5-foot-7, 165 pounds and can’t seem to get space in the playoffs. He relies on open ice to create scoring chances, but that open area dwindles in the post-season. He only had one assist in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs and two assists in 2016-17.
Gaudreau has a team-friendly cap hit of $6.75 million for the final two years of his deal. However, general manager Brad Treliving may have a hard time finding a suitor. The winger is 27-years-old and can still contribute on offence and the power play. However, his post-season struggles and the flat cap era could make him hard to move with someone like Sean Monahan being thrown in as a sweetener.
Arizona Coyotes
Rumour: NHL.com reporter Nick Cotsonika said that free agent Taylor Hall will prioritize winning over money when he hits the market.
Taylor Hall on free agency: "I’d say it’s pretty much all winning. I don’t think the money’s going to be what it was maybe before COVID or before the season, but that’s fine. I think we get paid a lot of money to play a game, and we’ll see what happens."
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) August 21, 2020
Analysis: The announcement opens the door for a few teams that may have been priced out of Hall’s initial range. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston added that the former top pick of the 2010 NHL Draft “wants a stable, winning situation on Saturday’s Headlines segment. Johnston added that the 2018 Hart Trophy winner has only made the playoffs twice in 10 seasons.
Hall has suffered through some bad seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils before landing in the desert. He netted two goals and four assists in nine games in the bubble. The Calgary native helped Arizona eliminate Nashville before falling to the Colorado Avalanche in five games.
Hall will still fetch a decent payday when he does a sign a new deal. However, a contender could make a huge splash by bringing him in. He likely won’t do what Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya did when they signed one-year deals with the Avalanche in the summer of 2003.
Nashville Predators
Rumour: Multiple source said that Kyle Turris has played his last game with the club. Nashville already has a replacement in mind with Oshawa General centre Philip Tomasino. The report came from the On the Forecheck SB Nation website.
Multiple sources have reported that the #Preds are looking to replace Kyle Turris with prospect Philip Tomasino. @projpatsummitt has the story for you. https://t.co/GYj5fTW1iz
— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) August 20, 2020
Analysis: Turris has struggled in his time in the Music City and lost his second centre role to Matt Duchene. He tried playing some wing to keep in the top-six, but his ice time was greatly reduced. Former head coach Peter Laviolette even healthy scratched Turris several times. John Hynes did give him increased minutes, but he was anchoring the fourth line with rookie Colin Blackwell and Yakov Trenin.
Turris will likely be bought out and the Predators will save the team $4 million for the next four seasons. He’ll be on the books at $2 million a year through 2028. This is barring someone trading for him, but teams likely want a prospect like Eeli Tolvanen in return.
Tomasino is coming off a 100-point season for the Niagara Ice Dogs and Oshawa Generals of the OHL. The Mississauga, Ontario native went 24th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft and scored 40 goals last season. Nashville’s coaching staff is said to be a fan of Tomasino and bringing him in would change the team’s free agent focus.
