{"id":436321,"date":"2024-01-15T08:30:57","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T13:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=436321"},"modified":"2024-01-14T18:18:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T23:18:49","slug":"nhl-rumours-flames-and-blue-jackets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/01\/15\/nhl-rumours-flames-and-blue-jackets\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s time for another round of NHL rumours. We&#8217;re nearing the trade deadline of the 2023-24 season on March 8. Teams and general managers have to decide whether or not they&#8217;re going to push all their chips into the table. Does a GM go all in to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Or does a team cut bait and try to pile up assets for the future? Goalies are a hot commodity with a couple of names that could be on the market in the next couple of months. Today&#8217;s NHL rumours focus on the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/01\/09\/nhl-rumours-calgary-flames-and-anaheim-ducks\/\" target=\"_self\">Calgary Flames<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2023\/12\/28\/zach-werenski-likely-out-week-to-week\/\" target=\"_self\">Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.<\/p>\n<h2>NHL Rumours<\/h2>\n<h3>Calgary Flames<\/h3>\n<p><em>Rumour: Elliotte Friedman on Saturday&#8217;s Hockey Night in Canada&#8217;s Headlines segment talked about the future of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/marksja02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacob Markstrom<\/a> with the club.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Saturday Headlines\/32: Eichel, Markstrom, Guentzel, Senators, All-Star captains and a Cody Hodgson comeback?<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Oy10u9ATXb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/Oy10u9ATXb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FriedgeHNIC\/status\/1746356385250468193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Analysis:<\/em> Friedman mentioned that a deal shipping the Swedish goalie is not imminent at all. Markstrom has a full no-trade clause and can dictate where he wants to go. The veteran goalie has the right to say that he does want to get traded. Friedman mentioned that colleague <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hrudeke01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kelly Hrudey<\/a> said that no one should come to Markstrom to waive that clause.<\/p>\n<p>The Sportsnet insider mentioned that general manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/conrocr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Craig Conroy<\/a> won&#8217;t come to Markstrom with a trade request unless it&#8217;s a blockbuster. Markstrom carries a cap hit of $6 million until the end of the 2025-26 season. It would be a big ask for someone to take on that kind of a deal for the next few seasons.<\/p>\n<p>Markstrom isn&#8217;t the first Flames goalie to be in <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2023\/12\/21\/nhl-rumours-calgary-flames-and-montreal-canadiens\/\" target=\"_self\">our NHL rumours<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/v\/vladada01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniel Vladar<\/a>&#8216;s name has been bandied about as someone getting dealt. The road for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/wolfdu01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dustin Wolf<\/a> is blocked and trading either Calgary netminder would clear the path for the much-celebrated Wolf.<\/p>\n<p>Conroy also has to make a decision on if the Flames are a contender or not. Players like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hanifno01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Noah Hanifin<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/l\/lindhel01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elias Lindholm<\/a> are free agents. However, does Conroy re-sign them or deal them to a contender? The Flames are in that logjam of teams fighting for a post-season spot. However, a winning run could complicate things.<\/p>\n<h3>Columbus Blue Jackets<\/h3>\n<p><em>Rumour: The Athletic&#8217;s Aaron Portzline speculated on the future of Blue Jackets goalie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/merzlel01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elvis Merzlikins<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CBJ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#CBJ<\/a> Elvis Merzlikins said he has not requested a trade, but that he and the Blue Jackets have agreed to find a \u201cnew scenario\u201d for him.<br \/>\u201cI love Columbus. I love these guys. I grew up here.\u201d<br \/>Also: \u201cI\u2019m not a backup goaltender.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Aportzline\/status\/1745859908875047038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Analysis:<\/em> The Latvian goalie will get his first start in over two weeks on Monday against the Vancouver Canucks. Merzlikins has been waiting for a chance to start after the club gave multiple looks to the returning <span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=tarasda02,tarasda01&amp;search=Daniil+Tarasov&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniil Tarasov<\/a><\/span>. The Blue Jackets also have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/martisp01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spencer Martin<\/a> on the roster.<\/p>\n<p>The veteran goalie said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportsnet.ca\/nhl\/article\/blue-jackets-to-start-goaltender-elvis-merzlikins-vs-canucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he&#8217;s worked out a &#8220;new scenario&#8221;<\/a> with the team. Merzlikins said he loves Columbus and he grew up there. However, he&#8217;s also stated that he&#8217;s not a backup goalie. Despite this, the Latvian netminder has not yet requested a trade.<\/p>\n<p>One wonders what the new situation is for Merzlikins as head coach Pascal Vincent said it&#8217;s &#8220;above my pay grade.&#8221; So who knows what the current arrangement between the veteran goalie and the franchise is.<\/p>\n<p>In 173 appearances that have all been with the Blue Jackets, Merzlikins is 62-70 with a .906 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average. He was Columbus&#8217; third-round (76th overall) pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>Columbus traded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/korpijo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-14_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joonas Korpisalo<\/a> last trade deadline to the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/01\/09\/nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-three-keys-to-victory-vs-los-angeles-kings\/\" target=\"_self\"> Los Angeles Kings.<\/a> This seemed like Merzlikins would be the long-term solution in goal. However, that&#8217;s not been the case. Does this scenario mean that Merzlikins will also be on the way out of Ohio?<\/p>\n<p>There are a number of teams that could use Merzlikins as cover or give him a chance to start. Things have fallen apart once again for the Jackets and general manager Jarmo <span class=\"ILfuVd UiGGAb\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hgKElc\">Kekalainen<\/span><\/span> might try to spin the netminder into more draft capital.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s time for another round of NHL rumours. We&#8217;re nearing the trade deadline of the 2023-24 season on March 8. Teams and general managers have to decide whether or not they&#8217;re going to push all their chips into the table. Does a GM go all in to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Or does a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":136787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4321,22,11,4547,4548],"tags":[5814,5982,5481,1434,157],"class_list":["post-436321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rumours","category-flames","category-bluejackets","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-calgary-flames-rumours","tag-columbus-blue-jackets-rumours","tag-craig-conroy","tag-elvis-merzlikins","tag-jacob-markstrom"],"modified_by":"Alec Roberson","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}