{"id":68845,"date":"2020-02-17T08:37:21","date_gmt":"2020-02-17T13:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=68845"},"modified":"2020-02-17T08:37:21","modified_gmt":"2020-02-17T13:37:21","slug":"nhl-rumours-vegas-golden-knights-philadelphia-flyers-florida-panthers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2020\/02\/17\/nhl-rumours-vegas-golden-knights-philadelphia-flyers-florida-panthers\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: Vegas Golden Knights, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Monday is back with another dose of NHL Rumours. The trade deadline is only a week away so expect a flurry of activity from the league&#8217;s top contenders. Last Word on Hockey will bring the best news and analysis each day. Today&#8217;s rumours feature the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/knights\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vegas Golden Knights<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/flyers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Philadelphia Flyers<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/panthers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Florida Panthers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>NHL Rumours<\/h2>\n<h3>Vegas Golden Knights<\/h3>\n<p><em>Rumour: Chris Johnston of Sportsnet revealed in Saturday&#8217;s Rumour Roundup segment that the Golden Knights are scouting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/kings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Los Angeles Kings<\/a> for a possible trade.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It&#39;s rumour season in the NHL!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RoryBoylen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@roryboylen<\/a> gets you all set for the deadline, which is now just single digit days away. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OYJLsC5Brg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/OYJLsC5Brg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sportsnet\/status\/1228786124568584192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 15, 2020<\/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 Golden Knights currently sit in third with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/oilers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edmonton Oilers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/canucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vancouver Canucks<\/a> ahead of them just barely in the Pacific Division. They have the most complete team but could use a veteran boost to their blueline. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/martial01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alec Martinez<\/a><\/strong> is not as effective as he was when the Kings were dominating the league but would benefit from playing with better teammates in Vegas.<\/p>\n<p>The 32-year-old Martinez has just one goal and eight points in 40 games. His shot rate is consistent with his career average but Martinez is converting those shots at an all-time low. His career shooting percentage is seven percent but he is scoring on just 1.8 percent of shots in 2019-20. The Kings also have one of the worst offences in the league so moving Martinez next to scorers like <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/pacioma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Pacioretty<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/a\/audymjo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Marchessault<\/a><\/strong> would let him accumulate points via assists much more easily.<\/p>\n<p>Acquiring Martinez would also let Vegas demote 23-year-old <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/whiteza01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach Whitecloud<\/a><\/strong>. Whitecloud could be a decent bottom-pairing defender eventually but the Golden Knights would rather have a more experienced blueliner for the playoffs. The team has several other offensively-challenged defenders but Martinez represents one of the better options on the trade market.<\/p>\n<h3>Philadelphia Flyers<\/h3>\n<p><em>Rumour: Charlie O&#8217;Connor of The Athletic recently <a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/1604306\/2020\/02\/13\/flyers-trade-deadline-primer-teams-likely-approach-the-cap-situation-creative-scenarios-and-more\/?fbclid=IwAR1QSBSFVdO1ktemyqmp7moKFYUf-6GRtr3FSnbUXWLuPwMgvxl7Q25NMNY\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dove deep<\/a> on what the Flyers could do as the deadline approaches.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Analysis:\u00a0<\/em>The Flyers are still within striking distance of the playoffs despite having one of the most challenging seasons of any NHL team. They are just one point back of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/islanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Islanders<\/a> for a guaranteed spot representing the Metropolitan Division. They&#8217;ve been hit with some tragic absences but are still in a good position to return to the playoffs after missing them in 2018-19.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is Philadelphia does not have much cap space to improve. They would have to ship someone away if they wanted to add a significant piece for a playoff run. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/gostish01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shayne Gostisbehere<\/a><\/strong> has been a frequent target of rumours but is still on the team with a big contract. It is unlikely he goes anywhere before the season is done. It is more likely the search for a player under contract past next season that also doesn&#8217;t cost much money.<\/p>\n<p>The ideal Flyers target could be <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kaseon01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ondrej Kase<\/a><\/strong> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/ducks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anaheim Ducks<\/a>. Kase has a cap hit of only $2.6 million so Philadelphia could squeeze him onto its payroll without giving up too much. He would also give the team an inexpensive top-nine scoring punch despite multiple injuries in recent seasons. The Flyers have several high-end forwards on injured reserve or in the minors. Adding Kase would reinforce the current squad until the others are healthy and ready.<\/p>\n<h3>Florida Panthers<\/h3>\n<p><em>Rumour: The last of today&#8217;s NHL rumours features last week&#8217;s 31 thoughts. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportsnet.ca\/hockey\/nhl\/31-thoughts-nhl-players-beijing-2022-winter-olympics\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">revealed<\/a> that the Panthers are shopping defenceman <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mathemi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Mike Matheson<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Analysis:<\/em> The 25-year-old Matheson is having another respectable season for the Panthers. The former first-round pick has seven goals and 19 points in 50 games. He is on target for another 25-30 point campaign and will count only $4.87 million against the salary cap through 2025-26. Matheson will be 32 when the deal finally expires.<\/p>\n<p>That sort of cost-controlled player is attractive to teams. His contract is much longer than teams like to give for players but it&#8217;s not large enough to financially cripple a front office. Florida also has a fairly deep blue line that gives them the ability to shop an expendable asset for more offence. The Panthers are locked in a tight Atlantic Division battle with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/maple-leafs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>. Moving defence for offence makes sense if the front office feels it can make a strong playoff run.<\/p>\n<p>One team willing to accept a large contract might be the Los Angeles Kings. The two organizations could do one-for-one involving <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/toffoty01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Toffoli<\/a><\/strong>. The cap hits are almost the same. Matheson would also give the Kings a young, effective defender as they execute their rebuild. The Kings will want more than just a defender for their best trade chip but Matheson would be a good starting point in negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Main hoto:<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"BwXarQSsRIFnOAVWTwkNmw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1204943907\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'BwXarQSsRIFnOAVWTwkNmw',sig:'JaVHo9retRgVoX7YrfGsMddeLKsNmQli3X9pt9jnTWY=',w:'594px',h:'427px',items:'1204943907',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Monday is back with another dose of NHL Rumours. The trade deadline is only a week away so expect a flurry of activity from the league&#8217;s top contenders. Last Word on Hockey will bring the best news and analysis each day. Today&#8217;s rumours feature the Vegas Golden Knights, Philadelphia Flyers, and Florida Panthers. NHL Rumours [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3127,"featured_media":68890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_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":[807,2,6,16],"tags":[792,106,1354,3877,2631,126,961],"class_list":["post-68845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vegas-golden-knights","category-featured","category-panthers","category-flyers","tag-alec-martinez","tag-florida-panthers","tag-michael-matheson","tag-nhl-rumours","tag-ondrej-kase","tag-philadelphia-flyers","tag-vegas-golden-knights"],"modified_by":"William Grigsby","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68845","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\/3127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}