It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours to start your day. We’ve got plenty of chatter with the trade deadline just over a month away. The Calgary Flames have already started by trading for Tyler Toffoli from the Montreal Canadiens. We’ve got more NHL rumours on the Flames as well as the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Calgary Flames
Rumour: The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman peeked into what the Flames will have to pay breakout defenceman Oliver Kylington.
Oliver Kylington ran with a top-four opportunity, and now he's breaking out as the defender he was projected to become.
Wrote about his game + what his next contract might cost #Flames https://t.co/ra3Bw3V0oL pic.twitter.com/hwH7RuwwOP
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) February 10, 2022
Analysis: It looks like Flames’ general manager Brad Treliving is going all-in to get the club deep into the post-season. Acquiring Toffoli is huge, but there’s still the question of extending the Swedish defenceman after this season.
Calgary has some tough choices to make when it comes to players they want to keep. Kylington, Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane are all restricted free agents. Johnny Gaudreau is an unrestricted free agent and Trevling likely knows that he can’t keep everyone.
This brings the focus to what Kylington could get in a new contract. Evolving Hockey’s model at the beginning of the season had him at $875.000, but he’s raised his value immensely to $8 million according to Dom Luszczyszyn’s model. Playing with Chris Tanev has made Kylington a much-better player and he’ll get paid for it.
However, the big concern is Calgary’s cap space, but teammates Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin could be used as comparables. They have deals of over $4.5 million and $5 million could be the happy middle-ground for Kylington.
Detroit Red Wings
Rumour: Max Bultman of The Athletic looked at the possible Red Wings on the move.
As we near the final month before the trade deadline, the Red Wings are in a much better position than they were a year ago. But they're still a rebuilder, and that means still a seller at this time of year.
Who could go? Our 2022 Red Wings trade tiers:https://t.co/3bQvI0aNgq
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) February 14, 2022
Analysis: Detroit’s in a much better spot this year as opposed to last year. However, there are still decisions for general manager Steve Yzerman. The Wings do a good job of playing it close to the vest with their intentions.
Bultman speculated that players like Nick Leddy, Vladislav Namestnikov and Thomas Greiss would at least be somewhat in play. The defenceman market may be flooded, but Leddy does have post-season experience. Namestnikov has endeared himself to the Detroit faithful with his energy. However, Yzerman could get something out of him. Namestnikov has been traded twice at the deadline, with the return being a fourth-round choice each time. Jonatan Berggren is really the only prospect knocking for a spot, but there’s no rush to get him into the NHL.
Greiss has been out due to COVID issues but has been solid with the New York Islanders in the past. Detroit could at least take calls on him because Calvin Pickard has been solid in AHL Grand Rapids.
Other names like Filip Zadina, Filip Hronek and Tyler Bertuzzi would be shockers, but one doesn’t think they’ll get traded. Bertuzzi has been a solid player on many nights and his vaccination status could be a headache for a playoff team.
Florida Panthers
Rumour: George Richards of Florida Hockey Now speculated on what the Panthers may go after at the deadline.
The #FlaPanthers are back on the ice Friday afternoon. Until then, here’s a jam-packed FHN Mailbag to tide you over. https://t.co/WghHhvlxG4
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) February 9, 2022
Analysis: Florida knows it needs to make some upgrades on defence and is interested in Jakob Chychrun. However, the Coyotes are asking for a big haul for the sought-after defender. The Panthers may have to set their sights on someone else leading up to the deadline.
Richards added that Montreal blueliner Ben Chiarot could be on Florida’s radar. There will likely be guys like John Klingberg and others that could be had for the right price. One piece that’s off the table is Anton Lundell. He’s proven himself to be one of the top rookies in the league this season, so he’s untouchable.
The recent signing of Mack Guzda could be important because the Panthers already have Spencer Knight in the system. One of those goalies could be a tantalizing trade piece that the Panthers could dangle in front of a team.
