Welcome back to the Tuesday Edition of NHL Rumours. Free Agent Frenzy is off to a wild start. The goalie carousel has come and gone while the big names heading into free agency are finally finding new homes. Not to mention all the wheeling and dealing that is going on between the general managers. Even with all the signings, there are still a ton of rumours out there and Last Word on Hockey will continue to bring the best in-depth analysis around. Today’s NHL Rumours feature the Vegas Golden Knights, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Avalanche.
NHL Rumours
Vegas Golden Knights
Rumour: During a press conference on Monday, October 12th, Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said the team is not going to trade Marc-Andre Fleury. Vegas will ride with the tandem of Fleury and Robin Lehner.
McCrimmon says LV is not trading Marc-Andre Fleury. It will be a Fleury/Lehner tandem
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 13, 2020
Analysis: There was a lot of talk during the off-season about Fleury moving on from Vegas. However, with his $7 million salary-cap hit, there were just no takers. Vegas was hoping they could entice teams to take Fleury, but teams were asking more than Vegas was willing to part with. Now that the Golden Knights added Alex Pietrangelo by trading Nate Schmidt away, there was no point in trading Fleury. Especially when you consider the news of Lehner undergoing shoulder surgery. He may not be available to start the season, so having Fleury to hold the fort is the best option.
The Golden Knights still have work to do to get under the cap, but the team wants to ride it out for another season. While spending $12 million on the position might seem a little nuts, the Montreal Canadiens have $14 million locked up in their goaltending duo. So it is not as far fetched as it seems.
Fleury is the face of the franchise. There is no doubt about that. And his work in the community is some of the best. The Golden Knights have changed their dynamic enough in that locker room. To lose a guy like Fleury, might throw things out of balance even more than they are. Not to mention a guy like Fleury can be exposed next year during the expansion draft when Seattle comes into the league. So McCrimmon has a lot of options when it comes to his goaltender. Keeping Lehner and Fleury together gives the Golden Knights one of the best duos in the league.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumour: Chris Johnston of Sportsnet joined the Steve Dangle Podcast and talked about how Joe Thornton and the Toronto Maple Leafs have mutual interest and he is open to the idea of playing there.
Chris Johnston on SDP: “I think that they remain very interested in Joe Thornton, and I think that he’s open to the idea… I think that there’s some mutual interest there”.
— Kevin Papetti (@KPapetti) October 13, 2020
Analysis: The Maple Leafs are going in a different direction with their hockey team. General manager Kyle Dubas knows his team needs to be tougher to play against. Dubas has already brought in Wayne Simmonds, kept Jason Spezza, signed Zach Bogosian and traded Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen. So adding a guy like Joe Thornton to the mix would not be out of the question. Thornton would be brought in to play a bottom-six type role with a chance to win a Stanley Cup. This young Maple Leafs team needs to be held accountable. A guy like Thornton along with Simmonds would do that. Far too many times the Maple Leafs have quit in games. The mentality of fight another day would go out the window with Thornton there. He brings a lot to a young team like the Maple Leafs.
While the production level might not be there. Thornton can still give the Maple Leafs 10-15 goals next season. Not to mention he is a voice in the locker room. As well as be a player everyone can learn from. Especially guys like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Thornton would fill that role Patrick Marleau had with the Maple Leafs. And on a one-year deal worth about a $1 million why not bring him on board. Plus he plays a physical game like Simmonds. And being tougher to play against is a key for the Maple Leafs this season. It is a win-win for both sides.
Colorado Avalanche
Rumour: Mike Chambers of the Denver Post has stated that talks between the Colorado Avalanche and Gabriel Landeskog on a new extension have begun.
Sakic also said extension talks with Gabe Landeskog has begun. #Avs
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) October 12, 2020
Analysis: The 27 years-old, Avalanche captain is entering his tenth season in the NHL and is in the final year of his deal which carries a salary-cap hit of $5,571 million. While these talks are still in their early stages, both sides hope the process can move quickly. Landeskog has been a consistent goal scorer in the league, but his numbers have taken off over the last two seasons. During that time period, Landeskog has been paired with Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. This line has been the best line in hockey over the past couple of years in the regular season. Landeskog is a perfect fit for those two. Not to mention he is well respected as the leader of the team in the locker room.
The next question is now that Landeskog wants to remain a member of the Avalanche, what will be the cost to keep him. Of course, Landeskog will want a raise. But will he want it at the cost of winning? That is something he will have to work out with general manager Joe Sakic. Sakic has plenty of room under the salary cap to sign Landeskog. However, with the current climate and landscape of the league, nobody really knows what finances will be like a year from now. And while there are some injury concerns surrounding Landeskog, all signs point to the two sides working out a long term deal. The only thing that will get in the way is what each side determines to be fair-market value.
Stay tuned for another edition of NHL Rumours on Wednesday.
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