Welcome to the Thursday edition of NHL Rumours! The excitement of the holiday weekend has carried over into the week. The rumours are heating up off the ice as the holiday freeze approaches. Teams are looking to see what they can do to get into a position to compete for a playoff spot. In today’s edition of NHL Rumours, we look at the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and San Jose Sharks.
NHL Rumours
Montreal Canadiens
Rumour: Darren Dreger on TSN 690 believes there will be teams interested in Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher this season.
Dreger on TSN690 asked if there would be takers for Brendan Gallagher’s contract this year: “I do because of the character of the individual, it’s not an easy move to make though, if you’re a contending team chances are you’re a cap team, so what are the Canadiens taking back?”
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) December 1, 2021
Analysis: The Montreal Canadiens are a mess right now. From the top of the organization to the players on the ice. A new culture has to be instilled into this roster so they can get back to winning. We all know what the Canadiens did last season and the year before, but let’s face facts the Canadiens were not a playoff team either of those two seasons. It is showing right now and some tough decisions have to be made. One of which concerns Brendan Gallagher. Gallagher’s name was in trade talks prior to the start of last season and he signed a new six-year contract extension to stay with the Canadiens. However, if the Canadiens are going into a rebuild some personnel has to change.
Gallagher has been the heart and soul of the Canadiens on the ice ever since he put that sweater on. So it will not be an easy trade as Dreger states. Change can be hard that is why a team has to give up something in order to improve later on. And if the Canadiens do trade Gallagher what is coming the other way. Most likely a similar contract that has less term on it. But like with Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary, if the Canadiens do go down this road, it will be awfully hard to replace a character guy like Gallagher on and off the ice. And with the effects of not having Carey Price and Shea Weber there, you can only imagine what the morale will be if Gallagher is not there.
Boston Bruins
Rumour: Staying with Darren Dreger, he mentioned on Insider Trading, there are at least 12 teams interested in Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk.
Dreger on Insider Trading talking DeBrusk: “There is a lot of interest out there, it’s 12 teams and counting right now”. Dreger mentions how the #STLBlues were interested in him when he was rumoured to be available last year. #NHLBruins
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) December 1, 2021
Analysis: As we here reported on Tuesday, Jake DeBrusk has requested a trade out of Boston and is looking for a fresh start. However, right now the Bruins need him in the lineup with Brad Marchand suspended and their AHL affiliate locked down because of COVID. But his name is gaining interest out there on the market. Several teams have garnered interest in the player including the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and the list goes on. Funny enough the Rangers are in need of a middle-six forward with the loss of Sammy Blais for the season. So the fit is real. And with the way the Rangers are playing it would be a good fit for both parties.
But back to the Blue for a minute, the Bruins showed interest in DeBrusk when the Bruins has him available last year. It will be interesting to see what the package was like last year. However, the fact the Blues remain interested in the player, shows they feel he would be a great fit for their team. Of course, Calgary is an interesting fit considering he is from Edmonton, it is down the highway. But another contending team that is looking to add depth to their team. For the Blues, Rangers, and Flames it will be interesting to see what they give up for a player that has not produced much over the last two seasons.
San Jose Sharks
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his 32 Thoughts article what it will take for the San Jose Sharks to move on from Evander Kane, who wants to get back to the NHL level.
Analysis: It will be interesting to see if there are teams out there who want to trade for Kane. Especially with his baggage. However, we have seen in the NHL guys can get multiple opportunities before they have worn out their welcome. But Kane has a lot of fixing of his character to do before a trade can be facilitated. He will have to go pay his dues in the AHL for a while. However, you know teams will be interested in a player that can score goals. We forget Kane did lead the Sharks in goal-scoring last year.
However, San Jose to rid themselves of this player will have to eat at least half of his salary in any deal to make teams interested. No team will be willing to take on his $7 million per year salary. Shouldn’t say any team. Arizona might and then flip him for something as they could use the money to get the salary cap floor. Another factor in this is Kane’s three-team no-trade list. We know one team Kane is not going to and that is the Winnipeg Jets. You have to wonder if a team like Arizona is on that list. But he wants a crack at the NHL level, Kane may have to accept a trade to a team on his no-trade list.
That does it for this edition of NHL Rumours, stay tuned for another edition tomorrow.
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