Welcome to the Thursday Edition of NHL Rumours! Things are sure heating up around the league especially with the news surrounding Tom Wilson. Not to mention, the playoff races that are coming to an end. As the action heats up on the ice, so does the action off the ice. General managers are positioning themselves for the expansion draft coming up next month. Keep it tuned in to the Last Word on Hockey for the latest news and analysis. Today’s NHL Rumours feature the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, and Washington Capitals.
NHL Rumours
Vancouver Canucks
Rumour: Patrick Johnston of The Province writes there is a potential that Elias Pettersson could get offer sheeted especially if a team comes in with the right price.
Analysis: Once the season is over, the Vancouver Canucks have two priorities. One, signing is Elias Pettersson, the other is signing Quinn Hughes. However, as Johnston points out there is a chance a team comes to offer sheet one of those two young stars considering the cap constraints the Cancuks are under heading into next season. One of the obvious choices to do that is the Seattle Kraken. What better way to get the rivalry started with the Canucks than take away one of their best players? That would be a way to make a statement to enter the league. In addition to the Canucks, the Montreal Canadiens could do the same thing as well. Marc Bergevin did offer sheet Sebastian Aho, but the Carolina Hurricanes matched it.
Now, the Canucks will never let it get it to that point. Pettersson is one of their cornerstone pieces on offence. And while he is having a down year, Pettersson will be looking for something in the $5-6 million range over the long-term. Heck with the salary cap being at $81.5 million, the Canucks could just sign both players to bridge deals and extend them later on when the cap goes up. This is a situation worth watching.
Detroit Red Wings
Rumour: Max Bultman of The Athletic writes the Detroit Red Wings will look to re-sign RFA Jakub Vrana in the offseason.
Analysis: Ever since arriving in Detroit in the trade involving Anthony Mantha, Vrana has looked good in a Red Wings’ uniform. He has fit into Jeff Blashill’s system really well. A new environment has suited Vrana well. While he was a good player in Washington, he just could not find his role with the team. In nine games with the Red Wings, Vrana has scored six goals and has been one of the most exciting on a consistent basis. And, considering the Red Wings will be in need of some offence going into next season, it would be smart for general manager Steve Yzerman to re-sign him.
Vrana is a restricted free agent that will have arbitration rights once the offseason starts. So if it gets to that point, the team will have to match whatever the arbitrator decides. However, if the Red Wings are going to re-sign him, Yzerman will not let it get that far. Vrana will be looking for term and money. And the Red Wings have cap space to play with to keep this young forward around as the rebuild continues in Detroit. Then again, the Red Wings could decide to move in a different direction altogether with Vrana. However, it would be in the best interest of the Red Wings to re-sign him.
Washington Capitals
Rumour: In the latest edition of Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts, he writes the Washington Capitals patience is starting to wear thin with forward Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Analysis: Now before things get out of hand, Friedman does not think a trade is coming as the team is trying to work things out with the forward. Kuznetsov is a vital part of the Capitals’ offence, especially if the Capitals want to win another Stanley Cup. Currently, Kuznetsov is on the NHL’s COVID-19 list so he is not be playing for the Capitals right now. He was on the list earlier in the year as well. And he missed Monday’s game against the New York Rangers because he was late to a meeting. He also has missed several games this season because of injuries. There appears to be a rift between the head coach and the player and things normally do not end up well for the coach.
However, in this instance, things are not ending up well for the player. Now, is the team at the point of trading him? Most people do not think so. But there it is going to come a point where enough is enough. And the tipping point is coming for Peter Laviolette with Kuznetsov. Now the team is hoping they do not have to trade the player away. However, if they did trade him, they have a solid replacement in Anthony Mantha and maybe that is what that trade was all about. This is a situation that is worth watching considering the superstar involved.
That does it for this edition of NHL Rumours, stay tuned for another edition on Friday.
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