Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. We’re gearing up for the start of the 2020-21 season which is set to get underway on January 13th. With that, rumours are coming in hot and heavy from around the NHL with teams trying to finalize their rosters before the start of the season. Today, we will look at rumours surrounding the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings.
All NHL Rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Montreal Canadiens
Rumour: On the most recent 31 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman states that he is hearing that Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin might not be finished making moves.
Analysis: This is a rather surprising rumour considering all the work Marc Bergevin has already put into improving his roster this offseason. He has already upgraded all three positions bringing in backup goaltender Jake Allen, defenceman Joel Edmundson as well as prospect Alexander Romanov as well Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli upfront. However, no roster is ever perfect. There is always room to improve. But with such little cap space, any move Bergevin makes will need to be very creative.
If we were to guess where Bergevin would be looking to improve it would be on the defensive end. In particular, a puck-moving, left-shot defenceman. It’s something that has been a need for a while. It’s something I myself have also spoken of many times in rumours articles as well as a piece specifically on the Habs targetting Vince Dunn (which is still a possibility).
Despite the addition of Joel Edmundson, the left side is still the weakest position on the Canadiens roster. They don’t have that true, top-pairing puck-mover that is so desperately needed in today’s game. Romanov certainly has the tools to develop into that in the future, however, it’s a large ask for him to jump into that role right away.
Two intriguing names would be Vince Dunn and Noah Hanifin. Dunn is a restricted free agent at the moment and the St. Louis Blues are currently tight against the cap. Even with Alex Steen retiring the Blues still have cap restraints. Dunn is certainly someone the Habs could look at.
As for Hanifin, his name has come up in rumours lately. He’s currently locked up for another four years at $4.95 million per season and fits exactly what the Habs are looking for. It would be a very complex trade with a lot of moving parts for the Habs to be cap compliant. However, it’s definitely something that they could look into.
Calgary Flames
Rumour: On The Big Show on Sportsnet 960, the crew spoke about the chances of the Flames trading Noah Hanifin.
Noah Hanifin’s name has surfaced in trade talk in recent days. Should the #Flames consider going down that run? We discussed on our Daily Roundtable. https://t.co/13tZGl41zC
— Sportsnet 960 (@Sportsnet960) December 23, 2020
Analysis: As mention, there have been articles from The Athletic and NBC Sports about the possibility of moving Hanifin. Specifically to the Boston Bruins. Pat Steinberg spoke with Elliotte Friedman on this and as Friedman states, his name is out there but they’re not looking to give him away. If Calgary moves Hanifin, it’s something that makes Calgary better.
Well of course. Anyone who makes a trade, especially a team who is looking to be a Stanley Cup contender right now, would obviously look to get better.
However, Hanifin is a big piece of the Flames lineup. He’s only 23-years-old and already has 389 career games under his belt. Hanifin is a very intriguing piece and is locked up for another four seasons at just under $5 million per season. With the number of teams looking for a puck-moving left-handed defenceman, it makes sense that Hanifin’s name is “out” there.
While he may not have shown to be a top-pairing defenceman just yet. We have to remember, he is just 23-years-old. He still has some development in him. Even if he doesn’t get there, he’s an everyday top-four defender in NHL. His cap hit is solid for what he does and could potentially bring. So you would have to expect any deal for Hanifin to bring a significant return.
For the Flames, it just doesn’t seem like the right time. As the crew mentions, there are still a lot of uncertainties in the Flames lineup where you don’t want to just move Hanifin without taking a peek. How will Juuso Valimaki play after missing the entire 2019-20 season? He is currently looking phenomenal in the SM-Liiiga with 19 points in 19 games. However, that doesn’t mean that will translate to the NHL. Oliver Kylington looks like he’s an everyday NHL player this season, however, at what capacity?
Then you have Connor Mackey who could work his way into a roster position this season. All this, added to a 37-year-old Mark Giordano is just too much uncertainty on the blue line to move a player like Hanifin, in my opinion. If he is moved, this seems like a trade deadline move rather than a move that gets done before the season starts on January 13th.
Detroit Red Wings
Rumour: Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported via Twitter that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman plans to name a captain for the upcoming season. It is expected that Dylan Larkin will get the honour of becoming the team’s 37th team captain.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman says plan is to name captain this season. Team hasn’t had one since Henrik Zetterberg retired in September 2018. Dylan Larkin expected next captain.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) December 22, 2020
Analysis: There really could not be a better choice than Larkin. He is entering his sixth season with the Red Wings after the club drafted him in the first round, 15th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He broke into the league at just 19-years-old and hit the ground running scoring 23 goals and 45 points in his rookie season. Since entering the league, he has played the most games of any Red Wings player. He also leads the team in goals, assists and points during that span.
Given the fact that he is just 24, it allows Larkin to take over the club at a young age. He’s actually an experienced player with five years under his belt and almost 400 games. Placing the ‘C’ on Larkin’s jersey now will allow the Red Wings to keep the same leader on their team for years to come. As they certainly have no intentions of moving on from the skilled forward. It’s an honour to be able to captain one of the original six teams in the NHL. And it’s an honour that is well deserved for young Dylan Larkin.
That does it for this edition of NHL Rumours. Tune in later today for another afternoon edition.
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