Another Thursday brings another edition of Last Word on Hockey’s NHL Rumours series. The offseason is quickly approaching. The site is working on overdrive to bring you snapshots of the biggest and brightest trade and free agent rumours out there. Most NHL teams are working off-the-clock too as they focus on prepping their 2020-21 rosters. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, and Arizona Coyotes are some of these squads.
NHL Rumours
Pittsburgh Penguins
Rumour: Via the latest edition of the 31 Thoughts series, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests the Penguins are making Jared McCann available for trade.
Companion reading material: this week’s edition of 31 Thoughts. Enjoy! https://t.co/dU5yT2HJz1
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 30, 2020
Analysis: After a season where McCann tied his career-high in points (35), set a career-high in assists (21), and saw the most ice time per game of his career (15:15), few expected him to be on the trading block at the end of the season. However, after being a healthy scratch for a game against the Montreal Canadiens, it was evident McCann had fallen out of favour with the coaching staff.
Over a full 82-game season, McCann would’ve scored 17 goals and 42 points. The fact that the Penguins would want to shop this kind of cost-effective production (at only 24 years old!) is simply mind-boggling. When he was on the ice, the Penguins were only expecting to give up 27.4 goals all season. An overall positive impact away from the puck mixed with the offensive production he put up on his own. He’s an ideal third-line centre on most teams.
Despite all of this, McCann’s trade value likely isn’t very high internally considering how low the front office is on him. If the Penguins trade him, they could very easily undervalue their assets, leading to the Pens losing massively on a potential deal.
Vancouver Canucks
Rumour: Per Elliotte Friedman via a completely different medium, he mentions that Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom is looking for more than $6 million a year on his next deal on SN650.
Analysis: On his next deal, Markstrom will be worth every penny.
Despite being 30 years old, Markstrom has blossomed into a great starting goalie. While not necessarily elite, Markstrom is truly capable of starting 60 games without seeing his performance suffer. It’s a rare trait in today’s day and age. He’s performed well for Vancouver and is one of the big reasons they’ve reached the Second Round.
However, at that price point and probable term, it doesn’t make sense for the Canucks to retain him. Thatcher Demko is nearly ready to take over a role as NHL starter, and Michael DiPietro is waiting in the wings as the team’s future backup. Re-signing Markstrom would restrict opportunities for their youth. For a team who’s youth is their whole identity, it doesn’t seem like such a smart move.
Arizona Coyotes
Rumour: Per TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Coyotes have made a second contract offer to pending free agent Taylor Hall.
Sources say the Arizona Coyotes are expected to make another pitch today to keep star forward Taylor Hall off the market.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 2, 2020
Analysis: Despite an upset of the Nashville Predators in the Qualifying Round, the Coyotes somehow still found a way to disappoint in the First Round against the Colorado Avalanche. It complemented an already disappointing regular season, as the Coyotes barely squeaked into a 24-team tournament.
After acquiring Phil Kessel and Hall only a few short months into a season, their offence was expected to finally break out. That never happened, and many players on the team had disappointing seasons. While Hall wasn’t the issue, players like Kessel and captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson performed nowhere near to expectations.
With an ageing core that’s already underachieving, it seems odd that the Coyotes would want to sink money into Hall. This organization needs a refresh. Using Hall to sulk in mediocrity for years to come won’t afford them that opportunity. Despite being one of the biggest names in NHL Rumours, Hall should be hitting the open market.
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