BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Adam Larsson (EDM), Phil Kessel (ARI), Jack Eichel (BUF), and more!

This is not the kind of news Edmonton Oilers fans will like.

What’s the plan for Edmonton’s defense after this season? Check that out here!

Are the Edmonton Oilers poised to make a tough trade before next year? Maybe…

*NEW* Three Teams want to get tougher and are targeting Zack Kassian. Read about that here!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): Sees Phil Kessel as a legitimate target to be traded from the Arizona Coyotes. The ‘Arizona Coyotes are admittedly trying to get younger and the 33-year-old sniper, entering the final season of his contract is a prime candidate to be moved.

BLH’s Thoughts: Admittedly, I haven’t watch Phil the Thrill since his Penguins days, but there’s a part of me that wouldn’t mind seeing Phil Kessel on the Oilers. I mean, bringing a player like him in would be such a Ken Holland move.

Now, I can’t say how realistic it would be but if he was willing to waive his M-NTC, would there be an appetite from the Oilers to trade him for a guy like James Neal or Zack Kassian?

See, if the Oilers waited until Arizona paid out his bonus ($5M), they’d only be on the hook for $1M of real money for the final year of his contract. 

Lance Lysowski (Buffalo News): Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel said there has been a “disconnect” with regards to the herniated disk in his neck. He wanted to have surgery and the Sabres wanted him to rehab it. He’s been frustrated.

• “For sure, I would say I’ve been a bit upset about the way things have been handled since I’ve been hurt. I would be lying to say that things have moved smoothly since my injury,” said Eichel. “So yeah, I think there’s been a bit of a disconnect I think from the organization and myself. It’s been tough at times.”

Colton Pankiew (NHL Trade Talk): Has listed out his top-5 trade potential trade destinations for Jack Eichel,

• Detroit Red Wings – “The Red Wings have plenty of talented prospects who would certainly garner interest from the Sabres and GM Kevyn Adams in players like Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Jonathan Berggren. What makes Detroit especially interesting is that as of now they will have over $48 million in cap space heading into the 2021-22 season.”
• Calgary Flames – “They have some intriguing prospects in players like Jakob Pelletier and Connor Zary. With the core of the Flames not having much success over the years, Treliving would also likely have no problem parting ways with a big named player on his roster such as Johnny Gaudreau or even perhaps Matthew Tkachuk, both of whom the Sabres would certainly be interested in. As of now, they are projected to have just $14 million in cap space for the 2021-22 season, but Tkachuk has a cap hit of $7 million per year, and Gaudreau just less, meaning if one of them were to be included they would have no problem bringing Eichel in.”
• Columbus Blue Jackets – “The Blue Jackets don’t have as many intriguing prospects as some of the other teams on this list, they do have guys like Kirill Marchenko, Liam Foudy, and Yegor Chinakhov who all appear to have bright futures ahead of them. What is also interesting from a Sabres perspective is that the Blue Jackets have three first round picks at the upcoming draft, as well as a first round pick in both the 2022 and 2023 draft.”
• LA Kings – “The L.A. Kings have what many consider the best prospect pool in the entire league, which would allow them to be very much in the running for Eichel if they choose to do so. With prospects like Alex Turcotte and Quinton Byfield, as well as young players on their current roster in Gabriel Vilardi and Tobias Bjornfot, they have more pieces than almost any other team in the league to offer the Sabres.”
• New York Rangers – “While they failed to qualify for the 2021 playoffs, they have tons of talent in players like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin. On top of that, they have a great prospect pool, led by Nils Lundkvist, and have several young intriguing players who have the potential to be stars in the making in Alexis Lafreniere, K’Andre Miller, and Kaapo Kakko. Simply put, they have many options in terms of what they could offer the Sabres.”

Craig Morgan (AZ Coyotes Insider): Potential coach Coyotes coaching candidates include Mike Van Ryn, Rocky Thompson, Lane Lambert and Brad Larsen. Don’t believe they will consider veterans like John Tortorella, Claude Julien, Bruce Boudreau or Gerard Gallant.

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on Edmonton Oilers pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Adam Larsson.

• “Adam Larsson, before the trade deadline the Oilers and Adam Larsson began contract negotiations. While they are not done, they’ve made good progress. The word is both sides are hopeful. There won’t be any conversation now until the Oilers finish the season but there is a lot of optimism Larsson will be extended around four years.“

Sources: nhlrumorscom, nhltraderumors.me, Twitter, nhltradetalk.com

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