Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours! There has been a lot of exciting things happening and to look forward to. The trio of Hughes Brothers takes the ice together tomorrow night. Goal scoring has picked up for the New York Islanders, and the Boston Bruins are overcoming adversity. However, the rumour mill is buzzing and things are going on behind the scenes. Today we focus on the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes.
NHL Rumours
Tampa Bay Lightning
Rumour: Elliote Friedman discusses the future of Steven Stamkos with the Lightning
When you think of the Tampa Bay Lightning, legendary names come to mind. Those names are Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St Louis, and Steven Stamkos. Stamkos has shaped the core of the Lightning his entire career and has been fortunate to hoist the Stanley Cup as the captain. However, the future surrounding the star centre is a good question.
Stamkos is currently in the final year of his contract and an extension was never signed in the summer. He has expressed his desire to remain in Tampa Bay and finish his career where it all began. Although, with that never happening it began the question of he will get that extension or be traded.
Tampa Bay has treaded water in the absence of Andrei Vasilevskiy but sits at .500 and fifth in the division. Majority of the core group is locked up for the foreseeable future but the captain not extended is alarming. General Manager Julien BriseBois has said they will see how the year plays out before making the final commitment. Friedman says teams will come calling if they fall out of the playoff race.
For any contending team, Stamkos is a worthy add. He is tied for third on the teams in goals (10) and fourth in points (25). Stamkos has a lethal shot and can be deployed on the power play, as he can play in multiple situations. Tampa Bay is an interesting team to keep an eye on. Not just on the Stamkos front but as a whole.
Carolina Hurricanes
Rumour: Elliote Friedman discusses the Carolina Hurricanes being linked to Mario Ferraro
The next set of NHL Rumours stays in the conference. If there is one position that the Carolina Hurricanes love more than any other, it is defencemen. General Manager Don Waddell loves having offence created from the blue line but also having the ability to defend. They have immense depth and if an injury is to occur there is another player to step up. However, having too many cooks in the kitchen can go wrong and there could be another chef coming to town.
Friedman mentions that the Hurricanes were linked to him. Given the amount of depth on the back end it would not make sense right now. However, entering the 2024-25 season, Carolina has three defencemen locked up. Bringing in Ferraro makes sense, as he is locked up for the foreseeable future and has a cap hit of $3.25 million.
With the Sharks in a rebuild, many teams could come calling for his services. He is young and is your typical shut down defencemen. Ferraro logs majority of his zone starts in the defensive zone (20.4%), and is not afraid of blocking shots (77). For a team looking for added value defensively, this is a good place to start and with good flexibility financially.
Main Photo: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
