Hello and welcome to the regular Monday edition of NHL rumours! The draft is only two days away and the start of free agency begins not long after that. The news is coming fast about offseason plans which means Last Word on Hockey is covering everything as quickly as possible. Continue to check with us each day for the latest news and analysis. Today’s NHL rumours feature the Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.
NHL Rumours
Washington Capitals
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman has recently reported that the Caps are interested in goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
Analysis: Washington would be smart to look at goaltending reinforcements. The Braden Holtby era is over but the team doesn’t want to shove 23-year-old Ilya Samsonov into full-time duty right away. That would be very risky and unnecessary for a team that still has plenty of talent for a Stanley Cup run. They do have Pheonix Copley as an option as a third goaltender but he is far from a solution for an NHL duo.
Lundqvist would be one very interesting option. The former New York Rangers backstop didn’t’ have a particularly good year but still posted a .905 save percentage and 3.16 goals-against-average. Those are below-average numbers for most goaltenders but there’s nothing preventing the future Hall of Famer from acting as Samsonov’s mentor and backup. He is the most experienced goalie on the market and will probably be one of the cheapest as well. The Capitals could do far worse finding support for the young Samsonov.
However, Washington has relatively few needs for 2020–21 and just over $8.9 million in cap space. They could re-sign their pending free agent defenders to cheap deals and then spend on goaltending help. Several options are already off the market but there are still plenty of goalies still on the market. Thomas Greiss just turned in a very good season for the New York Islanders but should be available. There could also be an opportunity to trade for someone like Matt Murray. The biggest advantage Lundqvist has over these options is money but it’s also risky considering his age. It’s unclear that Lundqvist can be anything more than a third goalie and there are far more players available as more regular backups.
Los Angeles Kings
Rumour: Friedman’s 31 Thoughts podcast explains that the Kings have as much flexibility in its offseason plans as anyone with potential trades.
Analysis: The Kings’ farm system is absolutely loaded right now. It contains such studs as Alex Turcotte, Arthur Kaliyev, and Tyler Madden with more coming via the 2020 Draft. LA is likely selecting either Quinton Byfield or Tim Stutzle second overall which gives them even more impact talent for the future. They can easily part with two or three for NHL reinforcements. The front office also has $13.6 million to spend in free agency barring a trade or further signings.
That means Los Angeles can trade for just about anyone if they really want to. Wingers Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine are hot commodities who would help immediately. The Kings’ strength is down the middle so adding a star wing would be perfect. One of those two would also help avoid the situation where the Kings are playing too many young players together at one time with little veteran leadership. Yes, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty will be around for years but more experience on top of them would be smart.
LA could also hoard prospects for one more year and just spend money if they choose to. Trading for Gaudreau or Laine’s cap hit of $6.75 million might not happen in an off-season where the cap stays flat at $81.5 million. It also isn’t a slam dunk that trading for a stud gets the Kings into the playoffs. The Pacific Division still has several very good teams and the Central is hockey’s strongest division. Waiting a season and striking for 2021–22 could be the more intelligent course of action.
Anaheim Ducks
Rumour: The final topic for today’s NHL rumours is also from the 31 Thoughts podcast. It indicates that the Ducks will consider not making any major moves and instead rely on internal improvement.
Analysis: Anaheim is in a similar place to Los Angeles. Their farm system isn’t quite as good but they have a couple of very nice prospects. The Ducks also have fewer bad contracts compared to LA. The team could easily hang onto what they already have and hope for bounceback campaigns. They are not likely going to make any serious moves in free agency with only $470 thousand in current cap space.
Doing nothing relies on a few things to go right. John Gibson needs to return to form after a poor 2019–20. He is one of the league’s most talented goalies with a career .918 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against-average. His success will go a long way toward making the Ducks a playoff contender again. Rickard Rakell also needs to reclaim some of his past glory after falling to 15 goals and 42 points in 65 games. Those are solid numbers but this is a guy that scored 34 and 69 in 77 as recent as 2017–18. Rakell is perhaps Anaheim’s most potent offensive asset but needs to play like it once more.
The most interesting question is if the Ducks will keep the sixth overall pick in the 2020 Draft. That pick could net a major defensive prospect for a blueline that desperately needs improvement. It could also be used to acquire a notable prospect and a pick later in the draft. There are certainly teams who would pay handsomely for a selection that high and the Ducks would still be able to get a quality asset in the draft.
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