{"id":51109,"date":"2019-07-09T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T13:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=51109"},"modified":"2020-12-21T15:06:47","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T20:06:47","slug":"nhl-rumours-montreal-canadiens-buffalo-sabres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2019\/07\/09\/nhl-rumours-montreal-canadiens-buffalo-sabres\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Nikita Gusev, Pat Maroon"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s July 9th and we’re just over a week into the free agency period. There are still a good few quality free agents left on the board as well as a lot of high-end restricted free agents who do not have contracts. Today we look at NHL Rumours from the Montreal Canadiens<\/a>, Buffalo Sabres<\/a>, what the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> might do with Nikita Gusev<\/strong> as well as take a look at the Pat Maroon<\/a><\/strong> situation.<\/p>\n

All NHL rumours are taken from the original source and are subject to change.<\/p>\n

NHL Rumours<\/h1>\n

Montreal Canadiens<\/h2>\n

Rumour: Patrik Laine<\/strong><\/a> was interviewed in Finland<\/a> and was asked about the recent NHL rumours indicating that Montreal might be interested in him. Laine responded by saying “Might be rumours, but you never know.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis: <\/em>David Pagnotta of thefourthperiod.com<\/a> recently mentioned that the Canadiens were interested in Laine<\/a>. This makes even more sense now that the Hurricanes have matched the offer sheet signed by Sebastian Aho<\/strong><\/a>. The Canadiens are aggressively trying to upgrade their forward group and power-play unit. Laine would certainly provide that. He is a bonafide 30-goal scorer. Laine has a lethal shot and would provide the Habs with an extra weapon to go along with Shea Weber<\/a><\/strong> on the top power-play unit. Having a scoring threat like Laine would help open up Weber and would certainly lead to more powerplay goals.<\/p>\n

The Canadiens were the second-worst team on the powerplay this past season and ended up just missing the playoffs. Adding Laine would greatly increase their percentage and greatly increase the chances that they are a playoff team next season.<\/p>\n

Buffalo Sabres<\/h2>\n

Rumour: Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News takes a look at potential trade targets for the Sabres now that Marcus Johansson<\/a><\/strong> has signed with the team.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

What will the #Sabres<\/a> do next with Marcus Johansson<\/a> under contract? Here are a few players they could trade for and , of course, their needs depend on where Johansson will play:https:\/\/t.co\/0vlQWQFBcE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) July 7, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Analysis: <\/em>Lysowski lists centre and right-wing as the positions of need for the Sabres while having a surplus at left wing and right defence. He thinks the targets for the Sabres are players such as Kyle Turris<\/a><\/strong>, Nikolaj Ehlers<\/a><\/strong>, Artem Anisimov<\/a><\/strong>, Patric Hornqvist<\/strong> and Nikita Gusev. The Sabres have been very busy so far acquiring Jimmy Vesey<\/a><\/strong>, Colin Miller<\/a><\/strong> and Johansson thus far and are looking to strengthen the team even further to keep up with the rest of the Atlantic Divison.<\/p>\n

Rasmus Ristolainen<\/a><\/strong> has been mentioned as a player who could possibly be on the way out in order to address the team’s needs. However, none of the players outside of Ehlers would be worth giving up Ristolainen for. A player like Anisimov could be had for much less and fill a hole they currently have. It might be the best option for the Sabres at this point.<\/p>\n

Nikita Gusev<\/h2>\n

Rumour: The Hockey News recently published an article<\/a> by Steven Ellis listing the top five trade destinations for Nikita Gusev. <\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis: <\/em>With Vegas being so tight against the cap and Gusev being a restricted free agent, Vegas has some tough decisions to make. They could either move out some other players to create salary cap room or move Gusev, which at this point seems more likely. It is believed Gusev is asking for around $4 million per season. At this point, that\u00a0is much too rich for Vegas. However, the return is underwhelming according to a report by Jesse Granger of The Athletic<\/a> (subscription required), who states that according to league sources preliminary talks are a second-round pick and a later round pick or second-tier prospect. However, with no NHL experience, teams are not going to want to pay a lot for the Russian forward.<\/p>\n

Pat Maroon<\/h2>\n

Rumour: Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic provided an update on the Pat Maroon situation on Monday. Rutherford stated that Maroon has offers on the table but the belief is they’re all for one year. Maroon is currently seeking at least two years and is willing to be patient waiting for the right offer. <\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Update on Maroon: a week into free agency, he remains unsigned. He has offers, but the belief is they\u2019re all for one year. He\u2019s looking for a couple years and the right fit and is willing to be patient. Several sources have said the Blues\u2019 interest remains limited. #stlblues<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 8, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Analysis: <\/em>After going home for a year and winning a Stanley Cup, it looks like Maroon could possibly be moving on. Although it is believed he would like to stay with the Blues, salary cap complications might just force him to sign elsewhere. Rutherford states that the Blues interest in the power forward remains limited. Certainly, this is because of the cap and the number of years he is looking for. Many had hoped he would take a home town discount but seems unlikely at this point. Maroon knows his worth and he will be patient until he gets it.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>