{"id":100575,"date":"2021-02-10T08:30:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T13:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=100575"},"modified":"2021-02-10T08:04:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T13:04:12","slug":"nhl-rumours-toronto-maple-leafs-montreal-canadiens-and-more-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2021\/02\/10\/nhl-rumours-toronto-maple-leafs-montreal-canadiens-and-more-2\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. The league has been dealing with a lot of postponed games recently due to COVID protocols. All the postponements so far have come south of the border as teams deal with multiple players being placed on the COVID protocol list. Most recently we saw the cancellation of the Washington Capitals<\/a> vs Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> game that was scheduled for Tuesday night. However, that doesn’t have any impact on this edition of NHL Rumours as we will be focusing on the North Division in this segment. Today’s rumours surround the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>, Montreal Canadiens<\/a> and Vancouver Canucks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All NHL Rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

NHL Rumours<\/h2>\n

Toronto Maple Leafs<\/h3>\n

Rumour: In a recent article for Sportnet<\/a>, Luke Fox looks at the possibility of the Leafs acquiring Sam Bennett<\/a> from the Calgary Flames<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Analysis: As Fox mentions, a deal for Bennett would be extremely complicated given the Leafs’ cap situation. However, Bennett is exactly the type of player the Leafs need in their lineup. Especially with the recent injury<\/a> to Wayne Simmonds<\/a>. The 24-year-old is in desperate need of a change of scenery. Bennett hasn’t been able to live up to his fourth overall selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. His career-high in scoring came in his rookie season where he scored 18 goals and 36 points. However, he hasn’t managed to reach the 30 point mark since.<\/p>\n

Bennett has spent the majority of his time in Calgary in the bottom six, which could factor into his lower point totals. However, he has recently been moved onto the top line next to Sean Monahan<\/a> and Johnny Gaudreau<\/a>. It will be interesting to see how this affects him over the course of the next few games.<\/p>\n

For the Leafs, Bennett would be a solid addition to the lineup. As mentioned, Simmonds could miss up to six weeks due to a broken wrist. So bringing in a player who players with an edge much like Simmonds would be excellent for a Leafs lineup that doesn’t have a ton of sandpaper type players. However, his upside is much greater than Simmonds.<\/p>\n

Bennett is just 24-years-old. He still has room to improve and given the right opportunity, he could flourish. He provides more upside than a player like Zach Hyman<\/a> as well, who also plays that gritty style of game. Throwing Bennett into the Leafs’ top six would be a huge addition to a club that is already sitting at the top of their division. Fox mentions that Dubas has shown interest, so if he can figure out the cap, which he has done beautifully over his tenure, we could see a move within the division real soon.<\/p>\n

[pickup_prop id=”4130″]<\/p>\n

Montreal Canadiens<\/h3>\n

Rumour: Speaking of Sam Bennett, in a tweet from Sportsnet’s Nick Alberga, he states that as of right now, the Canadiens do not have interest in Sam Bennett.<\/p>\n

\n

For what it’s worth, I’m told Montreal has zero interest in Sam Bennett.. at least right now.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) February 4, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n