BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Jack Eichel (BUF), Sam Bennett (CGY), Mike Babcock (Univ. Sask), Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK), and more!
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NHL Rumors and Speculation
TSN: The Calgary Flames are struggling, and even though there has been a bit of trade speculation regarding Sam Bennett, Pierre LeBrun doesn’t believe anything is imminent.
- “Of course, we know about the Sam Bennett situation, but certainly from talking to people around the league it seems actually pretty quiet on the Flames’ front. Which is not to say Treliving isn’t talking to a lot of teams. He’s actually notorious among his peers for checking in on every single team in the league every 10 days or so, where is I think where some of this noise comes from.”
Sportsnet: In an interview with Sportsnet, former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock recently admitted to tanking in 2015-16 in order for the team to draft American superstar Auston Matthews.
- “We went from making sure we finished last to get Auston Matthews, we built a program that was competitive, we set the record for regular season points.”
Cam and Strick Pod: Golden Knights owner Bill Foley recently said denied that his club was ever close to trading their franchise netminder, Marc-Andre Fleury even though there were reports that multiple teams, including Fleury’s old team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, were reported to have inquired.
- “He [Fleury] never came close to be part of a deal,” In fact, it was noted that if the team or its general manager Kelly McCrimmon had come to him and asked about moving Fleury: “I would’ve had a big problem with it if that had been presented to me.”
Bleacher Report: Lyle Richardson (Spector’s Hockey) recently listed out five teams who he believes would be right in the mix should Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel ask for a trade.
- 1. Los Angeles Kings – the Kings have a ton of young assets including recent #2 overall pick Quinton Byfield and former first-rounder Gabriel Vilardi who could both help propel a rebuild in Buffalo. The Kings also have the upcoming cap space to facilitate the deal which will certainly be a factor considering how Eichel makes $10 million a season. 2. New York Rangers – the Rangers have a projected $26 million in cap space next season and certainly have some young pieces that Buffalo would be interested in. If the Rangers were to pull this deal off expect to see one of their goaltenders, and likely forward Kaapo Kakko included. The price for 24-year-old Eichel will be tremendous and these two teams connected last offseason on the parameters of a trade and could certainly pick up talks again if things turn sour for the Sabres.3. Detroit Red Wings – Steve Yzerman is dying to make his first ‘bold move’ for the Wings and turn this rebuild into a re-tool. Eichel would give them a legit superstar to build around and watching Eichel and Dylan Larkin together would be a treat. The Wings have the prospects to pull this off so consider them a dark horse in this race.
4. New Jersey Devils – Richardson included the Devils in his article which is a bit of a surprise. The team does have the financials to make it work and adding Eichel would be a huge boost for their franchise. The Sabres would likely ask for Jack Hughes in any trade for Eichel.
5. Ottawa Senators – Certainly a long shot but the Senators were also named. They have the upcoming cap space to fit in a $10 million player and they’re loaded with young talent. It will all come down to how much you want to pay and considering they are normally in the same division as the Sabres, the price would be absolutely massive.
The Athletic: In a recent mailbag, Bruins beat writer Fluto Shinzawa was asked about the future of winger Jake DeBrusk as there’s a growing sense of frustration amongst the Boston fanbase regarding his inconsistency.
- “I can understand the frustration with Jake. Management and the coaching staff feel similarly. But there is too much there for the Bruins to toss aside. They would be selling low at this point. If they move him and he hits his sweet spot, that would be a really tough asset to lose, especially given Brad Marchand’s age and the eventual departures of Bergeron and Krejci. Jake is worth working with to express the entirety of his skill set.”
Update: the guy Stauffer was referring to was Ian Herbers, the U of A's head coach. https://t.co/rsRnVfsDTG
— B.L.H. (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast) (@BeerLeagueHeroe) February 25, 2021
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