It’s the weekend and it’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re past the March 21 trade deadline, but we’ve got plenty of things to discuss. Teams are thinking about the future from next season and beyond. General managers are going to have to think long and heard about the future. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.<\/p>\n
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.<\/p>\n
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Auston Matthews<\/a> will likely re-sign with the Leafs when his contract expires. This was in Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts column.<\/em><\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/FriedgeHNIC\/status\/1509525261716447237<\/p>\n Analysis:<\/em> There has always been the temptation for return home to Arizona, but the current situation with the club may make him hesitant to jump ship. Matthews makes around $11.7 million per season and the cap is always an issue for Toronto. However, the escrow situation ending the stunted salary cap’s growth should be ending in a couple of seasons.<\/p>\n This will help big-market teams be able to keep players and give them big deals. The ESPN deal will be a big boost, but the players will likely have ride this out another two or three seasons.<\/p>\n Friedman also added that Matthews would probably stay if he liked the direction of the team. All joking aside, the Maple Leafs have consistently made the playoffs and are in the mix in the Atlantic Division. Matthews likely stay put for this main reason.<\/p>\n The Coyotes arena situation<\/a> and the team languishing at the bottom of the league are big red flags. Coyotes fans may want to temper their expectations about the hometown returning.<\/p>\n Rumour: The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor looked at the planned “aggressive retool” of the Flyers by General Manager Chuck Fletcher.<\/em><\/p>\n Flyers Mailbag time. Breaking down the inherent challenges of the team's planned "aggressive retool," Mike Yeo and next year, Chuck Fletcher, what personnel risks on defense make sense to take, and which organization PHI should try to emulate:https:\/\/t.co\/palbRIzsRe<\/a><\/p>\n — Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) March 26, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nPhiladelphia Flyers<\/h3>\n
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