Welcome back to the Tuesday edition of NHL Rumours! The action is finally back on the ice as the rumour mill continues to heat up off the ice. With the trade deadline just months away, general managers are starting to look at their rosters to see who they can add to make a deep run in the playoffs. In today’s edition of NHL Rumours, we look at the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers.
NHL Rumours
Edmonton Oilers
Rumour: Darren Dreger on TSN 1260 in Edmonton said the Edmonton Oilers have made calls about bringing in Evander Kane.
Analysis: In Last Word on Hockey’s NHL rumours piece on Monday, we wrote that teams were interested in San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane. At the time, there were no teams that were tied to Kane. There is a little more clarity on that end now. One of the teams we know are interested in bringing in Evander Kane is the Edmonton Oilers. According to Dreger, he knows for a fact general manager Ken Holland has made calls about bringing in the forward. How serious are they, that’s a different story. Considering this is still early in the process, the Oilers could use the troubled forward. We all know the Oilers’ struggles offensively, Kane is a nice fit with the assets they have upfront.
With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl getting all the attention, having Kane on the left side, gives the Oilers another option. Again it is early in the process. And we still do not know what his contract will be like and the situation involving it as the Sharks try to terminate. If the Oilers or any other team tries to sign him, it will not be a multi-year deal. It will be a one-year, low-risk high reward type deal. Given all the Oilers’ needs especially on defence and at the goaltending position, adding Kane is more of a luxury than a necessity. If Kane wants a place to win, the Oilers have to be considered in his top-five places to go. This is a situation to keep an eye on.
St. Louis Blues
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet in his 32 Thoughts column wrote about the St. Louis Blues could add defenceman Ben Chiarot at the trade deadline.
Analysis: The Blues are playing some good hockey right now. Especially defensively as that was on display at the Winter Classic and beyond. However, with the way the Blues are playing they could win the Stanley Cup as they did in 2019. And as most contenders do, they are looking to add at the trade deadline especially on defence. Over the past two trade deadlines, defencemen have been coveted by teams as they look to add depth come the playoffs. One player that will be highly sought after will Montreal Canadiens defenceman Ben Chiarot. We noted last week, that the Florida Panthers were interested in him, but so too are the Blues.
The Blues could use a player like Chiarot to shore up the left side of their defence. Currently, Niko Mikkola, Torey Krug, and Marco Scandella occupy the left side on the Blue defence. However, adding someone like Chiarot could drop Scandella out of the top six. Plus who would not want to add another minutes-chewing, dependable defenceman. Plus he is a good locker room guy. Chiarot could put the Blues over the top defensively. Chiarot was so vital to the Canadiens run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. Though Chiarot has a 10-team no-trade list, the Blues are known to trade for players and sign them to extensions.
Philadelphia Flyers
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show, said he would not be surprised if Claude Giroux is traded by the Philadelphia Flyers
Analysis: Claude Giroux has been linked for some time in trade rumours. Most recently, it seems his name is coming up more and more. That is because Giroux is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. It feels like the Flyers’ captain’s time with the team is coming to an end as the organization will be looking to go in another direction. Giroux has been criticized over the last couple of seasons. Some of the criticism was justified, some of it was not. However, Giroux’s time with the Flyers is coming to an end. How the Flyers get there is another story.
Friedman can see a scenario where the Flyers go to him and say we know you want to go win a Stanley Cup, what team do you want to go to and we will figure out the rest. There will definitely be interest in Giroux considering how he has played over recent weeks. And it makes sense too with the Flyers out of playoff contention, let him go someplace where he has a chance to win. Even if Giroux was going to stay for the season, it is not like the Flyers were going to re-sign him next season.
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