It’s time to start the work week with another edition of NHL Rumours. Teams may have to move some players since we live in the flat salary cap era. Clubs don’t want to lose their respective players for nothing, so deals are to be had. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Dallas Stars
Rumour: Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek said on 32 Thoughts that the Stars have stepped up their efforts in dealing John Klingberg.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1482543112979456001
Analysis: It looks like general manager Jim Nill will try to get something for the solid defenceman. Klingberg has been dropped to the third pairing and that won’t help his bargaining position. The Swede was looking for a deal of around $8 million per season, but Dallas doesn’t seem like it will have the room to make a deal happen.
Klingberg indicated that he wanted to stay with the Stars in previous editions of NHL rumours. However, he felt like he wasn’t being appreciated by the team. Nill looks like he doesn’t want to leave the defender hanging and part ways. Klingberg will likely fetch a decent return to a team looking for more cover at the back end.
He could become a rental to a team like the New York Rangers that have a lot of young blueliners and plenty of left wing prospects. There will also be other teams looking to secure Klingberg’s services for a shot at the Stanley Cup.
Montreal Canadiens
Rumour: Both Ben Chiarot and Brett Kulak appeared on The Fourth Period’s top 25 trade board.
ICYMI, we updated our Trade Watch List yesterday to 25 names https://t.co/JWiqgTZcXt
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 13, 2022
Analysis: The Canadiens are still in the market for a general manager and they’ll likely offload some assets to start anew. Dealing Chiarot and Kulak would likely gain some coveted prospects, draft picks, players or a combination of the three.
Chiarot is in the final year of his contract and proved himself during the Habs’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. He could be an interesting rental for anyone looking to bolster their blueline. Pagnotta speculates that a first-rounder is the start of the asking price. One wonders who will be willing to cough up a pick to land the lefty defenceman.
Kulak may not be as flashy as Chiarot but could be a useful piece. He would be an option for a team that runs into any injury problems in their top six. Kulak will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He’s played in 23 Stanley Cup playoff games in the past two seasons and that could come in handy.
San Jose Sharks
Rumour: Both Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now and The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun speculated on the future of Tomas Hertl.
The Sharks reportedly are set to make Tomas Hertl a contract offer (via @Sheng_Peng)https://t.co/XtRgbIUf8Y pic.twitter.com/sH8KUoJ2ZQ
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) January 15, 2022
Analysis: Peng reported that the Sharks brass are prepared to over the Czech forward a contract via LeBrun on TSN’s Insider Trading. The 28-year-old is in the final year of a $5.625 million contract. General manager Doug Wilson has raved about the scorer, but there has to be a deal that works for both sides according to him.
San Jose is still in reset mode, but they want to make Hertl one of the centrepieces of the club going forward. However, he’s prioritized winning more than anything. If the Sharks are going to rebuild, Hertl may not want to stay around for it.
LeBrun went on to say that the forward could become one of the bigger names on the trade bait board if there’s no deal. San Jose doesn’t want to lose their assistant captain for nothing and that could open up a whole list of suitors. Wilson likely gets a good return if he has to deal Hertl in March.
