Welcome back to the Tuesday edition of NHL Rumours! We are a week away from the NHL Trade Deadline and boy are the rumours heating up. It has been a quiet couple of weeks, however, action is starting to pick up once again. While it still may be a quiet day, there are definitely moves that can be made especially for those contending teams out there. Keep your eyes locked on the Last Word on Hockey for the latest rumours and analysis. In today’s edition of NHL Rumours, we look at the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, and Buffalo Sabres.
NHL Rumours
New Jersey Devils
Rumour: The New Jersey Devils held Kyle Palmieri out of their game on Sunday as all signs point to him being traded. According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet on the 31 Thoughts Podcast, the Toronto Maple Leafs have an interest in Palmieri.
Chris Johnston on 31 Thoughts says the Leafs have some interest in Kyle Palmieri and he would be a good fit. #LeafsForever
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) April 5, 2021
Analysis: It is no surprise Palmieri’s name continues to be brought up in trade talks. With a week to go before the deadline, the Devils held out the forward for precautionary reasons against Washington. Even though Palmieri has only 17 points on the season, he is second on the team in scoring with eight goals. There have been several teams linked to Palmieri including the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders. Both teams desperately need scoring. However, a new team is being linked to Palmieri. And that team is the Maple Leafs.
We all know general manager Kyle Dubas wants to add another forward. He feels having more depth will help the Maple Leafs come playoff time. He is not wrong to look at Palmieri, who has a track record of being a goal scorer. The only issue will be Palmieri waiving his no-trade clause to go to Toronto. Currently, Palmieri has a modified no-trade clause which includes eight teams. According to reports, all seven Canadian teams are on that list. And the Devils have yet to ask him to waive that modified no-trade clause. But adding Palmieri would be ideal.
Palmieri could fit in on the second or third line with the Maple Leafs. However, they would have to make the $4.65 million fit on the cap. This means a player that could play now and has money would have to come back in return. Do the Maple Leafs want to part with an asset considering how well they are playing right now. Not to mention, if the Maple Leafs are going to trade for Palmieri they have to do it soon with the seven-day quarantine still in effect.
Buffalo Sabres
Rumour: According to Darren Dreger of TSN, trade talks are starting to escalate for Buffalo Sabres forward Taylor Hall.
Will be interesting to see if Taylor Hall is in the Sabres lineup tomorrow. Kevyn Adams continues to have trade discussions. There’s a sense talks have escalated. Nothing imminent, but a precautionary pull this week could be telling.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 5, 2021
Analysis: Another player looking to be moved at the deadline is Taylor Hall. It appears all signs point to him being held out of the lineup this week when the Sabres visit New Jersey. And this is no surprise really. The Sabres are at the bottom of the East Division standings. And while Hall’s numbers are not where they should be, Buffalo is a bad hockey team. However, Hall can still produce in the right situation. As previously mentioned the Bruins and Islanders are looking for scoring. Again if the Bruins miss out on Palmieri, they could go after Hall. He would be a great fit there too. Playing alongside David Krejci, he does not have to go into those dirty areas. Hall could be flying around the ice.
Similar to the Islanders, even though they need the scoring, Hall is not a fit for that room. The Bruins could control Hall especially with that leadership in the room. We know Hall isn’t the same player that he was in 2017-18 when he won the Hart Trophy. However, he is not this bad either. He can still be an effective player in this league. Especially on the right team. Whether that be the Bruins, Islanders, or a mystery team. The question will be what the Sabres get for Hall.
Calgary Flames
Rumour: Eric Francis of Sportsnet writes that with the Calgary Flames pretty much sellers at the deadline a player that can be moved is Sam Bennett.
Analysis: Sam Bennett’s name has been out there in trade talks for a couple of months now. Don’t forget Bennett has requested a trade out of Calgary earlier in the year. Under Darryl Sutter Bennett’s role has increased and he is producing going up against the other team’s top players. Bennett has been very effective in that role despite the Flames still continuing to lose under Sutter. Bennett has shown his ability to be effective in the faceoff dot, on the power play and as a penalty killer. Those who spoke to Francis believe a deal for Bennett is very attainable.
It will be interesting to see if the Flames want to part with a player that has been so good under the new coaching staff. Remember the reason, Bennett wanted out was because his role was diminished. Now he is playing more, but for a team that needs to be shaken up, trading a player like Bennett could give them a lot of value long term. Bennett is similar to a Blake Coleman type. Bennett could be a piece a contending team needs to put them over the top and win a Stanley Cup. Because as we have seen those players are the type of players you need in the playoffs. And Bennett has a good history in the playoffs.
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