Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours! Thanksgiving is done and gone and it’s onto the next stretch before the next holiday break. There is a lot of buzz generating around the league and what moves could come next for certain teams. Today’s rumours focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders.
NHL Rumours
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumour: Elliote Friedman on 32 Thoughts discusses the John Klingberg situation
The verdict is in and it is that John Klingberg will be placed on long-term injured reserve. This designation means that he will not be in the lineup until December 12. However, there is much to discuss in regard to the player and the situation.
Friedman discusses what this means for the Leafs going forward. The team has already utilized LTIR with Jake Muzzin and Matt Murray. There is a key element that Friedman lays out. He mentions that the team took a series of steps in order to determine the state of the injury. When it came to Murray, they determined the severity of the injuries showed that he could not play. It is unfortunate for Murray who has been bogged down with injury but came as a relief for the salary cap. All eyes are on the Maple Leafs.
It is no secret that the Maple Leafs are struggling defensively and Klingberg has been poor in that regard as well. However, Friedman wonders if this type of move will give the Maple Leafs the help they need. After all, the Calgary Flames have three defencemen available that would be instant upgrades to the lineup. There has been no declaration that he will have surgery but is going to rehab. It will remain to be seen what happens with Klingberg, but all eyes are on Toronto.
In years past, utilizing LTIR to circumvent the salary cap is a controversial topic. Not saying that is what’s happening in Toronto but teams have managed to figure it out at this point. However, if he truly is shutdown it is a major blow for Klingberg and the already banged up Maple Leafs blueline.
New York Islanders
Rumour: Elliote Friedman discusses Patrick Kane and the Islanders
The next NHL Rumours takes us to the New York Islanders. For years, Lou Lamoriello has been wanting to add a scorer. He tried to lure Artemi Panarin and Johnny Gaudreau to Long Island but both opted to sign elsewhere. As it stands, the Islanders are struggling to score. They rank 30th in goals for (46) and average 2.56 goals per game. New York has one player with ten goals (Brock Nelson), and the next closest has five. It is not ideal, especially in a tightly contested Metropolitan Division.
Friedman wonders if a move to Long Island makes sense for Kane. There is no telling what Kane is after or what he wants in his next contract. Does he want to win? Long term security? If it is the second, look no further than New York.
When it comes to long term deals, Lamoriello is not shy to doing so. This summer he extended Bo Horvat, Ilya Sorokin, Pierre Engvall, and Scott Mayfield to long term deals. Kane is going to be 35 and coming off offseason hip surgery but still has good hockey left in the tank. Playing alongside Mathew Barzal or Horvat could be great for the club in terms of producing. He would be able to help solve the goal scoring problem and give a boost of offence. It remains to be seen where he wants to end up but Lamoriello will be in the mix if he wants to add more scoring to the lineup.
Main Photo: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
