Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Sports. We’re inching closer to crowning a winner of the Stanley Cup and with that rumours are starting to fly. As we near closer to the NHL Entry Draft as well as free agency, teams are already trying to figure out how they’re going to situate themselves next season. Some teams are making internal caps, while bigger market teams are surely still looking at spending to the cap ceiling of $81.5 million. Today, we will look at NHL Rumours from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.
All NHL rumours come from their original sources and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumour: While speaking on Overdrive on TSN 1050, Pierre LeBrun said that other teams around the league have stated that what they hear from the Leafs is that their priority is to upgrade their defence.
.@PierreVLeBrun on @OverDrive1050 just now: “When I talk to other teams around the league…I have had the message from other teams that what they hear from the #Leafs all the time, in the last month, is we need a real upgrade on our blueline. That is priority number one.”
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) September 21, 2020
Analysis: A fan said it best in the thread on Twitter; “is this interview from 2014?” This has literally been the biggest need for the Leafs for years. It seems as though we talk about it every single offseason. Even when they signed John Tavares and the excitement died down, the question would pop up again, what about the defence?
Specifically, the right side is where the Leafs need upgrades as their left side is perfectly fine. And although they did add Tyson Barrie last offseason in exchange for Nazem Kadri, that didn’t really solve any issues. Barrie is a fine offensive defenceman but doesn’t do much for the club defensively. So back to the drawing board for the Leafs as Barrie will surely walk in free agency.
Pietrangelo?
Fortunately for the Leafs, there’s a big fish about to hit the open market. Alex Pietrangelo seems to be set to walk away from the St. Louis Blues after contract talks with sound. Unfortunately for the Leafs, they’re right up against the cap as well. They would have to move out some salary in order to make any deal for Pietrangelo work.
So who would go? It’s highly doubtful that the Leafs would look to move one of their big four forwards. However, maybe Andreas Johnsson and Alexander Kerfoot would be the sacrificial lambs. They have a combined cap hit of $6.9 million. Add that to the $6.1 million they have available and the Leafs sit with $13 million in cap space. While this is more than enough to get Pietrangelo signed, they would be sitting with only seven forwards under contract. So there are a lot more moving pieces than just moving out a couple of player’s salaries. The Leafs can go over the cap by 10 percent during the offseason. So they would have time to get it all figured out, but surely they will be in contact with Pietrangelo if he does, in fact, hit the open market.
How About Dumba?
If the Leafs strike out on Pietrangelo, or if it’s just too costly to make it work, how about Mathew Dumba? Dumba’s name has entered the rumour mill as of late and with the upcoming expansion draft, could be lost for nothing as the Minnesota Wild have three defencemen now with full no-movement clauses. Dumba’s $6 million cap hit would be much easier for the Leafs to work with and could include a player such as Johnsson in the deal to move out some cap in the process.
This may be the easier and cheaper route for the Leafs, however, not of the same magnitude as Pietrangelo is one of the best defencemen in the entire league. Whatever route the Leafs choose, it’s going to be tough due to their cap restraints. However, they do have options and they’ll surely explore them this offseason.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Rumour: According to Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe of The Athletic, the Pittsburgh Penguins are listening to offers on forward Bryan Rust.
Other GMs keep asking Jim Rutherford about Bryan Rust. The Penguins don’t want to trade him, but they aren’t saying no.
Plus contract news on Evgeni Malkin, Tristan Jarry, Patric Hornqvist and more. https://t.co/8sNn9UXw15 | @JoshYohe_PGH | @Real_RobRossi
— The Athletic Pittsburgh (@TheAthleticPGH) September 22, 2020
Analysis: The article states that although Rutherford is not actively shopping Rust, he’s not viewed as untouchable. However, it would have to be a substantial offer which is not surprising. Rust averaged over a point per game this season, scoring 27 goals and 56 points in 55 games. He’s already proven he could provide depth scoring over 10 goals and 30 points every year for the last four years. This year though, he had a steady spot in the top six and proved he can hang with the best. Rust has a very cap-friendly deal at just $3.5 million for the next two seasons as well. Which makes him even more intriguing to other teams. With the COVID-19 pandemic, teams are looking for cheaper, skilled players already under contract rather than spending big in free agency.
Rust being on such a team-friendly contract is exactly the reason why it would be surprising for the Penguins to trade him. The Penguins are not looking to be sellers as they look to compete for at least one more Stanley Cup during the Crosby era. Moving Rust would most likely hurt those chances as the return would be focused on prospects instead of immediate help. Given the Penguins’ goals for the immediate future, trading Rust is essentially a step backwards.
More From Pittsburgh
Rumour: Coming from the same article from The Athletic, the Penguins are also looking to add a right-shot defenceman this offseason. Rutherford is expected to clear cap space in order to try to sign Chris Tanev when free agency opens.
Analysis: The article states that the Penguins would be open to signing Tanev to a five-year deal worth $5 million per season. Chris is the older brother of Brandon Tanev who the Penguins signed last offseason to a six-year deal worth $3.5 million per season. Both deals would conclusion of the 2024-25 season, the same time Sidney Crosby‘s contract ends. As mentioned, the Penguins want to stay competitive while they still have Crosby and signing Tanev certainly helps. He’s not going to put up points, however, he is one of the better defensive defencemen in the game. He’s well respected around the league and by his teammates and is the type of character guy you want in the locker room.
The price may be steep for the 31-year-old, however, the Penguins are focus on now and not the future. With the rumours of Letang potentially being traded and/or not being able to re-sign him after his contract comes to an end at the end of the 2021-22 season, Rutherford wants to add some more depth to the right side in preparation. Tanev certainly does that.
That does it for today’s NHL rumours segment. Be sure to check back tomorrow from more of the hottest rumours from around the league.
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