Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours on Last Word on Hockey. The off-season is getting close to full swing. That means we have an abundance of moves and NHL rumours to discuss. Today we will be discussing the Dallas Stars and John Klingberg, the Nashville Predators and Filip Forsberg, and the Edmonton Oilers and Jesse Puljujarvi. All NHL rumours are from the original source and are subject to change.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Dallas Stars
Rumour: Pierre LeBrun on insider trading states that John Klingberg has not had any talks with the Dallas Stars recently. He goes on to state that he will go on to test the market and there is interest from the Detriot Red Wings.
John Klingberg is the first @DallasStars D to have 50+ assists in a season since Sergei Zubov in 2005-06 https://t.co/O6xUGvXT7u pic.twitter.com/0hpQfwUpBC
— Hockey Reference (@hockey_ref) March 15, 2018
Analysis: Klingberg is a 29-year-old right-handed defenceman. He is known for his offensive abilities and his elite ability to walk the blue line. However, under the recent reign of Dallas Stars previous head coach, Rick Bowness, he was not able to use his biggest assets. Coupled with the frustrations of not getting a new contract during this season, it is no secret he did not play to his potential. However, he averages around 50 points per season. He is also known to be clutch in big situations, scoring 25 game-winning goals throughout his career. Under the right coach, he could possibly return to his old ways and be pivotal for the team that acquires him.
The Dallas Stars recently announced the hiring of Pete DeBoer. DeBoer is known for keeping the puck when his team has possession and creating chances. With Klingberg’s ability to skate the blue line until something opens up, this may be an ideal scenario for his style of play. And with the coaching decision settled, GM Jim Nill can now focus on players’ contracts.
Nashville Predators
Rumour: Chris Johnston on Insider Trading states Nashville wants to bring back Filip Forsberg but there haven’t been many talks since March.
Chris Johnston on Insider Trading says the Preds would like to bring back Filip Forsberg but there hasn't been much progression in extension talks since March at this point in time.
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) June 17, 2022
Analysis: Forsberg is coming off a six-year, $6 million contract. He had a career year, scoring 42 goals and recording 84 points. Forsberg has been one of the Predators top-producing forwards. His puck-handling skills allow him to move through the defence to create plays. Not only is he great offensively, but he is also defensively sound. It is expected for Forsberg to make the same, if not more, in his new contract. At 27 years old he still has a lot of hockey in him.
The issue is, Nashville has roughly $21 million to sign Forsberg with. They also have some other free agents to sign. A couple of those names are Nick Cousins, Luke Kunin, and Yakov Trenin. And that is not including anyone on the market they are considering adding. Ideally, Nashville has the money to make it work if they want.
Edmonton Oilers
Rumour: Adam Vinigan of the Athletic suggests the Nashville Predators could trade for Jesse Puljujarvi as a “reclamation project” if they can’t come to terms with Forsberg.
Analysis: Jesse Puljujarvi is a 24-year-old restricted free agent. This past season he scored 14 goals and recorded 36 points in 65 games played. He is a solid bottom-six forward that would be a good building block for any team that needs to score goals on a budget. Puljujarvi is coming off a two-year, $1.175 million dollar contract. The Oilers have roughly $7 million in cap space to work with going forward. However, they have about 10 free agents they could potentially sign. Some of those are big players for Edmonton like Evander Kane and Kailer Yamamoto. They are going to have to shed some serious cap space or package some cap space if they are serious about obtaining Forsberg.
