Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours! Kyle Connor made his return to the team and did not skip a beat. Drew Doughty became the second Los Angeles Kings defenceman to score 150 goals, which is a remarkable feat. However, as great as those are the rumour mill is churning. Today we focus on the latest surrounding the Calgary Flames and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
NHL Rumours
Calgary Flames
Rumour: David Pagnotta from the Fourth Period has reported a link to Colton Parayko
Craig Conroy is going to be a busy man this trade deadline. With Dustin Wolf being called up from the AHL, the time to transition to him is not far away. Furthermore, there are numerous pending free agents that are likely to be on the move. Defencemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev are going to be heavily coveted this deadline. In the event that they are unlikely to sign extensions, capitalizing on a return makes sense. Conversely, their departures create a hole and that hole needs to be filled. The Flames still have top four defencemen locked up with Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar. Although, adding another player to round out the back end is a need. Pagnotta has linked the Calgary Flames to defenceman Colton Parayko.
The St. Louis Blues are not shy to making big trades and have tried to relieve themselves financially. General Manager Doug Armstrong has floated Parayko’s name out there before and made an attempt to trade Torey Krug to the Flyers this summer.
Parayko had a no movement clause in his deal but is also under contract for six more years. That would give the Flames a steady presence on the back end for the long haul and soften the blow of losing Hanifin and Tanev. It will take his approval and likely a big deal overall but the Blues will be exploring their options for Parayko. Parayko has seven goals and 13 points for the Blues and is second among Blues defenceman in hits (44).
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumour: David Pagnotta from the Fourth Period has a name linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defence help
The next set of NHL Rumours takes us to the Eastern Conference. One team that has been one to monitor is the Toronto Maple Leafs. They will always garner the attention and the spotlight and deservedly so. They recently made a historic contract extension to William Nylander and Auston Matthews is running away with the Rocket Richard trophy. In contrast, there are holes on this roster that can be filled this trade deadline.
As poor as the goaltending has been, the defence needs extra bodies. The loss of John Klingberg stings and the team needs reinforcements on the back end. Toronto is electric offensively but needs to add a shutdown presence on the blue line. One name reportedly linked to the Maple Leafs is Flyers defenceman Sean Walker.
Walker has been a steady presence on the Flyers blueline this season. However, with the acquisition of Jamie Drysdale it has created a logjam on the right side. Despite the Flyers being in a playoff spot, they could take a flyer on the pending free agent. There is more sandpaper to his game than flashiness, which is what Toronto needs more of. He has 15 points this season but is getting it done defensively. Walker has the second most takeaways among Flyers defenceman (19), is unafraid to be physical and is willing to block shots. Even though he is a rental piece, he is young and could sign an extension to remain on a contending team such as the Maple Leafs.
Main Photo: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
