With the NHL off-season in its dog days of what usually would be summer, things are starting to slow down. The NHL rumours, however, are still going strong. Even with nothing happening, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things moving in the background. Today we will look at the Tampa Bay Lightning, the St. Louis Blues and the upcoming 2020-21 NHL season.
NHL Rumours
Tampa Bay Lightning
Rumour: According to Rory Boylen of Sportsnet, the Tampa Bay Lightning will likely have to trade out two players to clear cap to fit Anthony Cirelli on his next deal.
Analysis: It seems clear as day that the Lightning will have to trade players to fit Cirelli under the cap. Boylen suggests that Cirelli will likely be looking at a deal in the $3-4 million range. For them to be looking to unload cap hits will definitely result in the Lightning making losing trades. Majority of the league is near the upper end of the flat salary cap. This puts cap space at a premium. Having traded two of their past three first round picks, they may feel strongly about keeping their pick, but adding a first could be inevitable.
It will be a difficult situation to maneuver, to manage to lose the deal as little as possible with all the no movement clauses on the roster. Cirelli is a key piece though, so it is key to do whatever it takes to keep him on the team. His combination of defensive ability, offensive skills, and the key position he plays all add up to an extremely valuable player for the Tampa Bay Lightning
St. Louis Blues
Rumour: According to Doug Armstrong on the Cam and Strick Podcast, he is looking to keep Jay Bouwmeester around the organization as a scout.
🎙️Episode #95 Doug Armstrong
👉iTunes: https://t.co/W8fSM8C4EY
👉Spotify:https://t.co/t16KDcRDQV
👉Google Podcasts:https://t.co/UVZOhrh4Iw
👉YouTube:https://t.co/5AeWuSOM7Vhttps://t.co/qGGrVs0nbShttps://t.co/JWAUtpt9URhttps://t.co/n1yr4Uw5jIhttps://t.co/zUPlAyQ8PV pic.twitter.com/fQr7oAEaiY
— The Cam & Strick Podcast (@CamandStrick) December 1, 2020
Analysis: The organization seems very fond of Jay Bouwmeester. Lots of people have spoken about his quality of character, including Doug Armstrong. These are the types of people you want to include in an organization to foster a strong culture. While his collapse has left his future as a question, Armstrong seems to want to keep him with the Blues in any capacity possible. He has been with the Blues team since the 2012-13 season, and is familiar with the organization.
Armstrong spoke to his keen “hockey mind”, indicating this as one of the factors that he would make a good scout. He has lots of experience, playing since 2002, and could look to set out on a new endeavor within the hockey world moving forward. He has had experience winning the cup with St. Louis in 2019, and could continue to provide value to the Blues off the ice.
2020-21 NHL Season
Rumour: According to Elliotte Friedman, four teams are considering outdoor home games for the upcoming season.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1334555404215463943?s=19&fbclid=IwAR0fdmo92DsoDZk0YeAy1Q1jludST5rHBBmjvxmolxPL8FXh89LHE_9gKDU
Analysis: Anaheim, LA, Pittsburgh, and Boston are teams that are considering playing home games outdoors for the 2020-21 season amidst the ongoing pandemic. That list is growing in size with Carolina, Dallas, and Nashville also looking into outdoor games. While nothing is for sure, and it would be difficult to implement, the team’s thought process is that they would be able to have more fans in attendance if the games were outside rather than in the arena. If this is true, the teams could look to recoup some of the lost revenue through these outdoor games from ticket sales.
The Bruins are allegedly discussing Fenway Park, but these are just initial discussions. The owner of the Kings also owns Dignity Health Sports Park. This is being considered as a location to play. While we are all hoping for some sort of normalcy as soon as possible, no word has been given if this would be allowed. This is all based on the very fluid pandemic. The teams should be following what the safety officials are saying and be following any and all guidelines.
This concludes the NHL Rumours today!
Main photo:
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