{"id":116820,"date":"2021-08-11T08:32:54","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T12:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=116820"},"modified":"2021-08-11T08:32:54","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T12:32:54","slug":"nhl-rumours-canadiens-oilers-rangers-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2021\/08\/11\/nhl-rumours-canadiens-oilers-rangers-2\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours<\/a>. The rat race to get free agents under contract has died down and news has been slim to none in recent days however, rumours are still swirling around the league. In today NHL Rumours segment, we will focus on rumours involving the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers.<\/p>\n

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

NHL Rumours<\/h2>\n

Montreal Canadiens<\/h3>\n

Rumour: In a recent article<\/a> by Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, he mentions that the Montreal Canadiens have shown interest in bringing back forward Alex Galchenyuk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Analysis: If true, this would be rather surprising for a number of reasons. One, the Canadiens dealt Galchenyuk to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Max Domi<\/a> prior to the 2018-19 season. While of course just because you trade a player, it doesn’t mean they can’t make a return. Galchenyuk has been a member of six organizations since that time, so it seems his best days are certainly behind him. Two, the Canadiens have a ton of depth on the wing. If the Canadiens are looking at bringing in another forward, it would certainly be at the centre position. Galchenyuk was drafted as a centre, however, has not been able to be trusted as a centre at the NHL level. So the fit is just not there.<\/p>\n

If we want to feed into the rumour, one thing we can say is that Galchenyuk played his best hockey in Montreal. He scored 30 goals for the club in 2015-16 as well as produced two 50 point seasons with the Habs. He hasn’t come close to do that since in time donning the bleu, blanc et rouge. If the Canadiens do have interest in Galchenyuk, they’ll surely be looking to make a trade involving another winger, which as mentioned, there is already a surplus of. While we don’t feel the fit is there for the Canadiens, the possibility is still there of Galchenyuk coming back to the team that drafted him.<\/p>\n

Edmonton Oilers<\/h3>\n

Rumour: Kurt Levins of the Edmonton Journal<\/a> expects the Oilers to add one more veteran defenceman before the start of the season.<\/p>\n

Analysis: In the article, Levins mentions Slater Koekkoek<\/a> and Jordie Benn<\/a> as two names to keep an eye on. Koekkoek played 18 games for the Oilers last season, scoring just one goal. While Benn split last season between Vancouver<\/a> and Winnipeg<\/a> scoring one goal and nine assists for 10 points in 39 games. Neither are game-changers, however, provide depth options for the Oilers. After an off-season that has seen the additions of Cody Ceci<\/a> and Duncan Keith<\/a> while losing Adam Larsson<\/a>, Ethan Bear<\/a> and Caleb Jones<\/a>, the Oilers defence has essentially been overhauled from last season. Given their cap constraints, Benn and Koekkoek are solid cheaper options for the Oilers.<\/p>\n

New York Rangers<\/h3>\n

Rumour: Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic tweeted that we should not be surprised if Mika Zibanejad<\/a> is part of the deal that ultimately brings Jack Eichel<\/a> to the Rangers.<\/p>\n

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Just tossing this out there as I head for some vacation time … DO NOT be surprised if Mika Zibanejad<\/a> is in the deal that ultimately brings Jack Eichel<\/a> to #NYR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rick Carpiniello (@RickCarpiniello) August 9, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n