The Pittsburgh Penguins Need to Make a Move
Courtesy of Prohockeyrumors.com,
Dumoulin Out Eight Weeks: The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered yet another injury blow on Saturday as defenseman Brian Dumoulin sustained an ankle injury that required surgery and will leave him sidelined for eight weeks. The Penguins lead the NHL in man-games lost this year and the loss of Dumoulin is a major blow. The underrated defenseman is one of the premier shutdown defenders in the league and allows for pair mate Kris Letang to truly play his game. With Justin Schultz already out, not to mention Sidney Crosby and Nick Bjugstad, and Erik Gudbranson recently traded, Pittsburgh will be shorthanded on the blue line for a while.
BLH’s Thoughts: It really doesn’t seem to be Pittsburgh’s year, does it? Maybe a year out of the playoffs could do the team wonders. You never know what’s going to happen at the draft lottery and with this year’s draft looking very top-heavy, why wouldn’t Pens GM Jim Rutherford consider moving some big tickets like Bryan Rust or Alex Galchenyuk at the deadline for futures and then reassess his roster over the summer? The Oilers had interest in Bryan Rust last summer.
Could Carey Price Get Traded?
Courtesy of Spector’s Hockey,
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Pat Hickey observes a growing chorus among Canadiens fans who feel the struggling club should cut their losses and trade Carey Price. He feels that option disappeared when the goaltender signed his eight-year, $84-million contract. It would be tough shopping Price when he’s playing well, but no one’s interested in a struggling goalie with six years left on his contract and a $10.5-million annual average value.
Hickey suggests general manager Marc Bergevin could help by bringing in a top-flight defenseman. The Habs carry over $8 million in salary-cap space, but that would mean parting with some of the prospects Bergevin has been reluctant to move.
BLH’s Thoughts: Having vets like Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron out of the lineup for the foreseeable future hurts, bad, but I feel like the Habs have a pretty decent forward group and it’s their defense that needs an upgrade. Specifically on the left side where they have been icing the likes of Brett Kulak, Ben Chiarot, and Mike Reilly. Talented youngster Victor Mete has been in and out of the lineup as well. I have wondered in the past how a player like Darnell Nurse would impact their team?
This summer, Nurse is going to be angling for a Jacob Trouba-like contract and Edmonton can’t afford to give him that much, especially if he’s only going to top out as a 40pt defender. It would handcuff them in the short-term and give them a massive headache down the road when they need to open up space. So could there be a fit between the Oilers and Canadiens? Probably not the kind of deal that would be made until the summertime though, so a bit wasteful talking about it now.
Latest on Taylor Hall
It seems like yesterday was Taylor Hall and Jesse Puljujarvi day on hockey Twitter eh? Here are some of the more prominent quotes regarding Hall that took place,
Hearing that the Devils have started to listen from teams on Taylor Hall. Doesn't mean they will for sure trade him but given their place in the standings and the magnitude of a potential deal, GM Ray Shero is now in listening mode…
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) November 30, 2019
Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet),
“I do think that the Oilers are one of several teams with the likes of Montreal, Colorado and St. Louis who will be in this,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added. “But like Chris said, I think a lot of it depends on price for the Oilers and anyone else who may bite.”
The 2017-18 NHL MVP, Hall could fetch a big price on the market, even as a rental for a team for the remainder of the season. A package centered around a high draft pick and a top prospect would likely be the starting point for a trade, and like LeBrun mentioned, any deal would likely have a conditional draft pick attached that would kick in if Hall signed a long-term extension with the new team before free agency.
David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period),
TFP Editor-in-Chief David Pagnotta first reported on June 3 that Hall’s future “might not be in New Jersey.” At the time, Pagnotta reported Hall was not “interested in signing an extension with the Devils.” The two sides have continued an open dialogue, but it seems clear Shero will try to maximize a return on Hall.
Kurt Leavins (The Cult of Hockey),
2. Most teams would have interest. But the ones at the top of the hit parade include the Oilers. Colorado would also be an attractive landing spot. Calgary would like Hall although that franchise might not be the most attractive place to be right now. Montreal has been inconsistent but in that market needs to be seen by the fans as a buyer. Boston? Maybe. Meanwhile, too many dismiss the possibility of Hall to Edmonton based on the salary cap. New Jersey has $4-5m in space. The Devils are positioned to retain salary for a team offering the best talent. Jersey may even be able to take back a contract that another club is looking to unload. Think a Brandon Manning. So, if you think that the cap is the reason why Edmonton couldn’t acquire Hall…think again. And coming off an injury I could even see Taylor considering a short-term contract.
BLH’s Thoughts: I posted a blog about this back in February of 2019 in addition to this on Twitter,
Re: Hall going back to the #Oilers
"It's doable. Hall loves Edm. He knows the fans love him. Hall and Chiarelli never seen eye to eye at all. Hall and Mclellan never got along."
— 𝑩𝑳𝑯⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (@BeerLeagueHeroe) February 20, 2019
Combine those with the fact that the men responsible for the trading of Taylor Hall out of Edmonton are now working elsewhere (Peter Chiarelli, Todd McLellan, Craig MacTavish, and Kelly Buchberger), and it seems like the wheels have been in motion for quite some time for Hall’s potential return to the City of Champions.
So we’re going to see just how badly Hall wants to come back to Edmonton at some point here. There are hockey men like Brian Burke and Jim Matheson who don’t think that Hall would be a fit for the Oilers right now and there are those like Leavins who think he would be. How about you?
Colorado has to be the most attractive destination for Hall and also the most attractive team to deal with for Ray Shero, no? Shane Bowers, Martin Kaut, and Alex Newhook in combination with a defender like Connor Timmins and a conditional pick certainly is a tasty proposition. Is there another team that could beat that? You’d have to think that Shero would be asking for college sniper Cole Caufield and/or highly-touted Russian defender Alexander Romanov from Montreal. Would Marc Bergevin be willing to part with those assets for a rental? The Blues and Bruins would be near unstoppable if they could bring Hall in but I really don’t feel they’ve got the assets to do it.
As for wildcard options in the Hall sweepstakes, I wouldn’t put it past the Islanders, Hurricanes, or either of the Florida teams if they found a way to acquire him. Carolina Especially.
I’ve written before that I think if Holland is going to use some of his assets to upgrade the team that he shouldn’t throw all of his eggs into one basket. Hall has a history of injuries that has to concern some GMs out there and I simply would prefer Ken Holland to either stand pat or go after the likes of JG Pageau, Tyler Toffoli, or Andreas Athanasiou.
Let's forget Taylor Hall returning to the Oilers. Colorado has the most assets to get him in trade and he certainly would think long and hard about signing there July 1. The Oilers need assets to trade. First-rounder for rental? Maybe. But they aren't dealing Bouchard
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) December 1, 2019
