It’s time for a holiday weekend edition of NHL rumours. We’re into the month of September and we’ll be playing hockey really soon. It may be pre-season hockey, but it’s still action on ice nonetheless. This means general managers are going into overdrive about roster moves. Someone of these moves be in season, but others could be further down the road. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Edmonton Oilers
Rumour: The NHL Network’s Mike Rupp and Bruce Boudreau speculated on the next Connor McDavid contract.
Auston Matthews got a brand new extension, and that's got us thinking about other potential contracts.
What will Connor McDavid's next contract extension look like? #LetsGoOilers @JamisonCoyle | @Rupper17 | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/VqXLJYMlmj
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 29, 2023
Analysis: McDavid has a cap hit of $12.5 million that runs until the end of the 2025-26 campaign. The former Erie Otters standout will likely want to become the highest-paid player in the game once again. Auston Matthews will take the crown when his extension kicks in next season. Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon is above McDavid at $12.6 million per season.
Both Bourdreau and Rupp think McDavid has a shot of being the first $15 million man in the NHL. McDavid can start talking extension on July 1, 2025 and the cap number will finally go up after being stagnant for the last few seasons. The question for Ken Holland or whoever will be the Oilers general manager is will be how much does McDavid’s contract eat from this unknown cap number.
There are other factors like Leon Draisaitl‘s impending contract that will run out at the end of 2024-25. Evan Bouchard is also due for a new deal after signing a bridge contract. These deals are going to weigh heavily on the impending McDavid that is going to likely be the richest in the history of the NHL.
St. Louis Blues
Rumour: The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford took a look at the possibility of Torey Krug getting traded in the middle of next season.
Analysis: Keep in mind that these are bold predictions from Rutherford. Take them for what you will. There’s a lot of mystery on if the Blues will be on the rebound after missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There have been previous rumblings about general manager Doug Armstrong shipping out one of his defencemen so the team can start a rebuild. However, Krug’s deal would be a tough one for Armstrong to move.
Krug still has four years and an annual cap number of $6.5 million per season. Rutherford admitted that dealing Krug this deep into a contract would be a tough task. However, he did state reasons for the move to happen. One of those is the club wanting to see if Scott Perunovich can sustain more minutes.
Another reason is that the Blues are right up against the $83.5 million salary cap number. Dealing Krug would help out even if the Blues have to retain some part of his salary. Getting even $3 million off the books would help out. Rutherford also stated that if Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen play well, they could be dealt. However, this could be rendered a moot point if the Blues are in contention for a post-season spot if the trade deadline rolls around.
Main photo by: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
