{"id":57098,"date":"2019-09-23T08:30:16","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T12:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=57098"},"modified":"2020-12-21T15:03:06","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T20:03:06","slug":"nhl-rumours-boston-bruins-edmonton-oilers-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2019\/09\/23\/nhl-rumours-boston-bruins-edmonton-oilers-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NHL preseason is in full swing and teams are attempting to evaluate young prospects. They are also working on trimming down their rosters to a workable size. That just causes more NHL rumours to pop up and we have them all covered here at Last Word on Hockey. Today we will cover NHL rumours<\/a> concerning the Boston Bruins<\/a>, Edmonton Oilers<\/a>, and the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NHL Rumours<\/h2>\n

Boston Bruins<\/h3>\n

Rumour: Joe MacDonald of theathletic.com<\/a> reports that the Boston Bruins<\/a> forward David Backes<\/a><\/strong> is fighting for his job on the third-line right-wing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/em> Backes only appeared in 15 of the Bruins 24 post-season games last season. After a career-low 20 points in 70 regular-season games, he had clearly lost his spot in the lineup by the time the playoffs rolled around.<\/p>\n

Backes was aware of this, noting that he needs to fight his way back to a nightly spot. He told Macdonald, “I need to continue to get better and assert myself to be in the lineup every night and that’s been my focus all summer.”<\/p>\n

Despite not having a guaranteed roster spot, Backes’ contract still counts towards $6 million of the Bruins salary cap. The options for the Bruins to move Backes are limited. They would only save $1 million if they bought him out<\/a>. A more logical choice would be to go the trade route, yet there won’t be too many teams willing to make a deal for an aging, expensive forward like Backes.<\/p>\n

Backes has played in one of the Bruins pre-season games thus far. He was on the ice for 14:48 and 1:53 on the power play in said game. He didn’t gather any points and is probably wondering what the team’s plans are for him going forward.<\/p>\n

It’s no secret that the Bruins want to extend <\/a>or trade Torey Krug<\/a><\/strong> before his contract expires next summer. They only have $1.15 million of cap space to get that done. Does that mean they will consider trading or buying out David Backes?<\/p>\n

It could.<\/p>\n

Edmonton Oilers<\/h2>\n

Rumour: Kurt Leavins from the Edmonton Journal<\/a> reports that the Edmonton Oilers are still looking for a suitable third-line centre.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0<\/em>It was spotted that the Oilers had a scout at the Ottawa Senators<\/a> versus Montreal Canadiens<\/a> pre-season game on Saturday. Many have assumed that the scout may have been looking for a potential player who could play on their third line.<\/p>\n

The Senators have Chris Tierney<\/a><\/strong>, who becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. He has a very modest $2.9 million cap hit. They also have Jean-Gabriel Pageau<\/a><\/strong>, who has a $3.1 million contract and could be on his way out of Ottawa<\/a>. While the former of the two boast a tremendous, and ideal, skillset, the latter would be much more affordable for the Oilers.<\/p>\n

With Marcus Granlund<\/strong><\/a> pegged to be the third-line centre in Edmonton, it seems that the Oilers are looking for an upgrade. Granlund is only averaging 0.32 points per game just signed a one-year deal<\/a> in Edmonton. If he doesn’t work out, the Oilers could take a look at Tierney or Pageau. A potential deal may be made easier by the rebuild Ottawa is currently undergoing.<\/p>\n

Columbus Blue Jackets<\/h2>\n

Rumour: Aaron Portzline of theathletic.com<\/a> noted that Martin St. Louis<\/a><\/strong> won’t return to his special consulting role with the Blue Jackets next season.<\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/em> After spending half of last season in an advisory role with the Blue Jackets, St. Louis said Saturday he won\u2019t be back with Columbus in 2019-20. He told Portzline, “I really enjoyed working with the team last year… I would have loved to do it again, my priority continues to be my family.”<\/p>\n

The retired St. Louis began serving with the Blue Jackets last season, often helping quite a bit with the team’s power play. This assistance was very highly received by head coach John Tortorella, who noted<\/a>, “He’s doing a lot of work with (assistant coach Brad Larsen) on the power play.” Tortorella went on to mention that St. Louis helps elsewhere, particularly with struggling players.<\/p>\n

St. Louis’ large responsibilities, despite being in a modest role, seemingly caught up to him. He has not been with Columbus during their pre-season camps, officially announcing that he is prioritizing time with family over his consulting role on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Head coach John Tortorella mentioned, “It\u2019s very difficult for [St. Louis] to be involved when he’s coming in every two or three weeks.”<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>