Welcome to the Tuesday night’s edition of NHL Rumours! We’re rapidly approaching the deadline, and teams are starting to fall into place in the standings. As we approach April 12th, teams will be shipping players left and right. Make sure to keep your eyes on Last Word on Hockey to get all the news and updates.
NHL Rumours
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumour: Frank Servaalli mentioned on TSN 1260 that the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking at third party teams to help even out the cap in any potential trades.
The Leafs are extremely cap-strapped right now with just under $200,000 in space, nine UFA contracts, and two RFA contracts expiring next season. Some big names are on that list, including Frederik Andersen, Joe Thornton, and Wayne Simmonds. If the Leafs were to make a trade to boost their team, they would need some cap relief. It makes sense they’re looking at a three-team trade in order to stay under the $82 million cap.
The team has been brought up in a host of rumours recently. From Mattias Ekholm to Rickard Rakell, there’s plenty of speculation floating around what Dubas could pull off come the April Trade Deadline. This is especially given their goaltending situation, which is a little dire given Andersen’s recent struggles. For a cap-strapped club with holes to fill, a three-team trade could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Philadelphia Flyers
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman said in his most recent edition of 31 Thoughts that the Philadelphia Flyers may pursue defenceman Marc Staal if they can’t get another defenceman like Ryan Ellis.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1374403520837820425?s=20
The Flyers need some serious help on defence. 14 of their 30 games they have given up four or more goals. While Carter Hart is having a season to forget, the Flyers are not doing him any favors on their blue line. They have a -25 difference between expected goals allowed and actual goals allowed. Only two defencemen have above a 1.0 relative Corsi – Erik Gustafsson and Justin Braun. Current Detroit Red Wings player Marc Staal could be a decent addition to the back end. Staal is more of a shutdown defender, something the Flyers do not have enough of. If the Flyers do make a move near the deadline, it will likely be for a defeceman, so keep an eye on Staal.
Conor Garland
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman also mentioned in 31 Thoughts that he could envision Conor Garland popping up as an interesting trade piece.
Garland is a solid forward who would be a good addition to just about any team. The young right winger is having a fantastic season on the struggling Arizona Coyotes, with 25 points in 31 games. He has a 53.2% Corsi with a staggering relative Corsi of 8.3. Garland is certainly one of the best players in the desert right now. If the Coyotes are looking to do a rebuild, Garland may be on the block. It’s also possible a team could offer first and second round picks plus a A tier prospect in exchange for Garland.
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