Tag Archives: St.Louis Blues

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(3/22/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: “Elliotte Friedman said that the Ottawa Senators will be listening to teams inquiries about…”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Erik Gudbranson (OTT), Darcy Kuemper (ARI), Ryan Getzlaf (ANA), Mikael Granlund (NSH), and more!

Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.

A new name in the rumor mill for Oilers fans! Check out who it is here.

Could Tyson Barrie be trade bait for the Oilers? Read about that here.

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

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NHL Rumors and Speculation

Satiar Shah: The best-case scenario if the Vancouver Canucks were to trade Tanner Pearson would now be to get a conditional draft pick for him if he’s healthy enough to move before the trade deadline.

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman said that the Ottawa Senators will be listening to teams inquiries about their pending unrestricted free agents including Artem Anisimov, Ryan Dzingel and Erik Gudbranson.

Sportsnet: The Montreal Canadiens have a deep prospect pool and plenty of draft picks. GM Marc Bergevin did a lot this past offseason and he’s said he may not do much. Friedman says that Bergevin is never afraid to make a deal.

“The thing about Bergevin is he’s unafraid and he’s shown that this is an enormous year for the Canadiens with all of his actions so far… So what he’s selling, not everybody is buying. He’s got a lot of picks, he’s got a lot of good players. He said he won’t use things like that to alleviate his cap burden, but if he wants to do something big, there’s probably nobody in Canada that’s more capable of doing it than Bergevin is.”

The Athletic took a look at some potential trade candidates for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both James Mirtle and Jason Siegel listed their top five trade targets, focusing exclusively on forwards.

Siegel’s List Mirtle’s List
Alex Iafallo Mikael Granlund
Taylor Hall Kyle Palmieri
Filip Forsberg Tanner Pearson
Rickard Rakell Bobby Ryan
Matt Nieto Eric Staal

Honourable mentions include Nick Foligno, Adam Henrique, Darcy Kuemper, Mattias Ekholm, Jamie Oleksiak, and Dmitry Kulikov.

Shug McSween (nhltraderumors.me) believes the Los Angeles Kings have two forwards who are very likely to be traded, Alex Iafallo and Dustin Brown.

On Iafallo: The 27-year-old versatile forward is a pending unrestricted free-agent and drawing the most interest of Blake’s hockey team. So far this season he’s recorded seven goals and 19 points in 27 games and can easily jump into a top-six or top-nine forward group on a contender. Last season he finished with 43 points and has shown he’s capable of producing on a nightly basis. Iafallo is making $2.45 million this season and team’s interested include the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.

On Brown: Brown is battle tested, a proven winner and has outstanding leadership qualities, most playoff bound teams would love to have him. The 36-year-old veteran has one season left on his contract for 2021-22, making $5.6 million on the cap. A steep number for sure, however with the resurgence of 13 goals in 27 games this season, some team’s may be willing to pay it. If the Kings retain salary, their return gets even bigger, it’s likely this is the case if a trade transpires. Teams interested include the Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins.

The Fourth Period is reporting that the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs have been talking about goaltender Jonathan Quick as of late,

According to multiple sources, the Los Angeles Kings have spoken with the Maple Leafs about Quick. At this point, a move does not sound imminent, but the option appears to be available if Toronto decides to pursue it in the next three weeks.

There’s a belief out there that if Andersen isn’t severely injured, he (and his $5 million cap hit) would be sent to the Los Angeles, upon which Kings GM Rob Blake can hold on to him for their own playoff run until he hits the open market as a UFA in the summer or flip him to another team before the deadline – the Carolina Hurricanes had interest in him in the off-season.

Assuming this actually plays out and the Kings take back a portion of Quick’s deal, acquiring him takes care of Toronto’s starter’s role for the next two seasons at a lower cap figure… It also creates slightly more space for another add up front, which Dubas is trying to do ahead of the April 12 trade deadline.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Ben Pope reports Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman is “actively having conversations” regarding trade possibilities with other clubs as deadline day approaches. Bowman suggested he could be a buyer and seller. He’s seeking players who can be a part of the club’s future but won’t ship out players he feels can be part of their long-term plans.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: David Schoen reports the Vegas Golden Knights are unlikely to make moves before the trade deadline. They’ve made big splashes during the last two deadlines by acquiring Mark Stone and Robin Lehner but GM Kelly McCrimmon believes his club is in a different position now. He also pointed out his club has limited salary-cap space.

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox listed Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf, Buffalo’s Taylor Hall and Eric Staal, Columbus’ Nick Foligno, New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri, Minnesota’s Mikael Granlund and Los Angeles’ Alex Iafallo as his top-seven pure rental targets for the Leafs.

TSN: Frank Seravalli considers the following clubs as “soft” buyers: Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Oilers need either a scoring left-winger or a second-pairing left-shot defenseman but they aren’t interested in rentals or moving draft picks.

Sources: Spector’s Hockey, NHLTradeRumors.me, The Athletic, NHLRumor.com, NHLTradeTalk.com, The Fourth Period,

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(3/20/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors: Erik Gudbranson Being Linked to the Oilers?

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Erik Gudbranson (OTT), Barrett Hayton (ARI), Jonathan Quick (LA), and more!

Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.

A new name in the rumor mill for Oilers fans! Check out who it is here.

Could Tyson Barrie be trade bait for the Oilers? Read about that here.

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

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • Chris Johnston (Sportsnet) says that the Toronto Maple Leafs may be a front-rummer for Nashville Predators d-man Mattias Ekholm.
  • Kevin Weekes (NHL.com) reports that interest is heating up in veteran goaltenders Jonathan Quick (LA), Jonathan Berner (DET), and Devan Dubnyk (SJ).
  • The Fourth Period believes the Colorado Avalanche have been linked to Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno.
    • They’re also saying that the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, and Pittsburgh Penguins are being linked to Detroit Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan.
    • TFP reckons the Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets, and Montreal Canadiens have been linked to Columbus Blue Jackets defender David Savard.
    • The Buffalo Sabres are apparently interested in Jake Virtanen (VAN) and the Maple Leafs are looking at Luke Glendening (DET) according to the rumor site.
    • Erik Gudbranson (OTT) is garnering some interest from the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.
    • The New York Islanders could be looking at Anaheim Ducks winger Rickard Rackell.
  • Shawn Simpson (Sportsnet) says there isn’t much of a trade market for Ottawa Senators forward Ryan Dzingel and suggests that “maybe” the Sens could get a 4th or a 5th round pick for him.
  • Bruce Garrioch (Post Media) has been by Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion that it should be a “very quiet” trade deadline this season.
  • Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic) thinks that the idea of Taylor Hall signing an extension in Buffalo is “out the window”.
    • The Islanders and Maple Leafs are two teams to watch in the Nick Foligno sweepstakes.
  • Mike Johnston (Sportsnet) believes the Leafs, Avalanche, Panthers, Bruins, and Islanders could be potential destinations for Taylor Hall.
  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet) says some Maple Leafs targets are unavailable until teams figure out if they can sign them to an extension (Kyle Palmieri (NJ), Alex Iafallo (LA))
    • He’s not convinced the Flyers will be “big players” for Predators d-man Mattias Ekholm.
  • The Athletic have added Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljgren and Arizona Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton to their trade bait board.
  • Joe Smith (The Athletic): Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien Brisbois says it’s “realistically unlikely” the Lightning will add a player by this season’s trade deadline. “We literally have zero cap space.”
  • JD Burke (Elite Prospects) is reporting that as many as six teams were prepared to offer Matt Kiersted (UND) and ELC last season. He says nothing is imminent but at least 20 teams are offering a contract this season.
    • The Edmonton Oilers are looking at UND netminder Adam Scheel.
  • Frank Seravalli (TSN) is reporting that the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks are not willing to retain salary in any trades involving defender Mattias Ekholm and forward Rickard Rakell respectively.
  • Bob McKenzie (NBC) is of the belief that Jason Karmanos is the leading contender for the AGM job in Buffalo. “Somebody is going to be hired as AGM before they get to hiring a new head coach.”
    • He also said that the New York Rangers will continue to build towards the future and if there’s a hockey deal out there, GM Jeff Gorton can make one. McKenzie also added that prospect Nils Lundqvist is probably due to join the NYR in the fall.
  • Eric Engels (Sportsnet) has sources telling him that the decision for defensive prospect Jordan Harris to sign with the Montreal Canadiens is in the player’s hands and an announcement could come as soon as this weekend.
  • Darren Dreger (TSN) says early next week it’s expected that Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland will engage in preliminary discussions with UFAs Adam Larsson and Tyson Barrie, as well as, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(3/11/21) BLH’s NHL Trade Rumors PM Edition

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Rickard Rakell (ANA), Jake DeBrusk (BOS), Clayton Keller (ARI), and more!

Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.

A new name in the rumor mill for Oilers fans! Check out who it is here.

Could Tyson Barrie be trade bait for the Oilers? Read about that here.

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

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

Rory Boylen (Sportsnet) has a number of players listed for the upcoming NHL trade deadline categorized in group entitled, “Headturners”. Presumably it means that the only way these guys are getting dealt is if the trade is a blockbuster. There are definitely some notable names in the group.

  • Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators: The best defenceman believed to be available, Ekholm makes just $3.75 million against the cap this season and next, making him affordable to any team.
  • Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes: As the Coyotes look to cut costs and rebuild their prospect and pick base, the 22-year-old Keller would be the player who could give them the best return on a single trade. He has been on a tear lately, though, and might prove too valuable to move in the end.
  • Sam Reinhart, Buffalo Sabres: On one hand, he could bring the Sabres a nice return to move on with, but on the other trading away players who are actually performing is a risky proposition for a team stuck in the mud.
  • Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres: Shot attempts are actually in Buffalo’s favour when he’s on the ice at 5-on-5 and he has a solid eight points in 17 games. He’s a $5.4 million blueliner and signed through another season. The Sabres may be motivated to move him before that deal expires and he’s free to explore signing elsewhere.
  • Travis Dermott, Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs need defensive depth, so giving up Dermott would present its own risk that could be offset by a specific, possibly high end, target.
  • Vince Dunn, St. Louis Blues: He’s a young (24) puck-mover with an affordable contract and controllable beyond this season. Most teams would be happy to have him within their top four.
  • Anthony Mantha, Detroit Red Wings: The Wings are one of those teams considering all of its options and while we’d assume it’d be extremely hard, if not impossible, to pry Dylan Larkin out of there, Mantha could be a different story.
  • Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers: An up and down NHL career has brought us to this point where at 27, Gostisbehere is a bit of a project with tantalizing upside for a team looking to bolster its blue line.

The Cult of Hockey’s Bruce McCurdy recently suggested that the Edmonton Oilers explore bringing Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk home to Alberta in return for tough guy Zack Kassian and had this to say on the topic,

  • “The Edmonton native has slumped badly in Boston, where he has just 1 goal in 17 games this season after scoring just once in his final 14 games of 2019-20. He has a year and a half remaining on the two-year deal he signed last fall at an AAV of $3.675 million. That puts him in the range of Kassian’s $3.2 million cap hit, albeit for two fewer years. From the perspective of contract for contract in the salary cap era, “the money works”.

NHL Trade Talk’s Jim Parsons commented on the DeBrusk/Kassian proposal over at his own site thusly,

  • “Would Edmonton be willing to part with a budding blue line prospect like Caleb Jones or a later-round draft pick along with Kassian to make it work? DeBrusk is a player that could go on a tear if he’s paired with the right center. That said, this theoretical move isn’t without its risks.”

According to Shug McSween over at nhltraderumors.me, the Calgary Flames recently tried to lowball the Anaheim Ducks in a trade that allegedly had Sam Bennett being offered for Rickard Rackell. McSween says that Anaheim was also looking for a 2nd round pick in the package.

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(2/4/2021) – BLH’s NHL Rumors AM Edition: “Calgary is said to be in the market for a…”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Vince Dunn (STL), Travis Dermott (TOR), Keith Yandle (FLA), Sam Bennett (CGY), and more!

Craig Button absolutely tore the Oilers a new a$$hole on TSN 1260 recently. Click this link and read what he said!

TSN1260’s Jason Gregor is pissed! Check out this rant on the Oilers here!

BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!

NEW: Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp think the Calgary Flames have a better chance at the playoffs this year than the Oilers. Read about that here. 

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NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • Thomas Drance (The Athletic): Regarding the hold-up on a potential Vince Dunn to the Vancouver Canucks trade,
    • “There’s some LTI-related gymnastics awaiting the Blues front office on the horizon, so they’d ideally be looking for picks in return for Dunn, as opposed to a young forward… Which would make for a simpler and more appealing deal from a Vancouver perspective, particularly considering the Canucks’ own tight cap situation.”
  • Jonas Siegel (The Athletic): Says the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for at top-9 forward in return for defenseman Travis Dermott.
    • “…the Leafs will likely need to find another option for the top nine, ideally someone who can play centre when called upon. Does that mean dealing from the apparent surplus on the back end? Perhaps. Travis Dermott feels like the likeliest candidate to move.”
  • Anthony Scultore (The Daily Goal Horn): Reckons the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames or St. Louis Blues might be good trade partners when it comes to finding a new home for Anthony DeAngelo,
    • “Calgary is said to be in the market for a defenseman and Sam Bennett, a center may be a trade candidate. Regardless, I expect we will officially hear the Rangers involved in trade talks for Vince Dunn soon.”
  • Bob McKenzie: The Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks are among the clubs potentially interested in 25-year-old New York Rangers defenseman Anthony DeAngelo.
    • The Rangers’ Plan B if a trade isn’t possible is to buy out DeAngelo at the end of the season. They’re not prepared to retain a huge portion of his $4.8 million annual average value nor are they willing to take on a huge contract coming back the other way. They’d only face a $300K penalty for buying him out next season and $800K the season after that.
  • George Richards (Florida Hockey Now): Believes one of the reasons that the surging Florida Panthers would like veteran d-man Keith Yandle to waive his NMC is because if he doesn’t, he’d be amongst the trio of blueliners they’d be forced to protect for the expansion draft.

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(1/31/2021) – BLH’s NHL Rumors Quick Hits Edition: “The Penguins were close to a deal for…”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Evgeni Malkin (PIT), Vince Dunn (STL), Elvis Merzlikins (CBJ), Jack Eichel (BUF), and more!

The Oilers have a bit of a mind-bender brewing on the right side of their defense and a couple of big contracts set to expire there with some high-end prospects almost ready to take over. What is Ken Holland set to do?

TSN’s Frank Seravalli says that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins might not be in the Oilers’ plans going forward. Read all about it right here.

Craig Button absolutely tore the Oilers a new a$$hole on TSN 1260 recently. Click this link and read what he said!

TSN1260’s Jason Gregor is pissed! Check out this rant on the Oilers here!

BLH has some ideas for the Oilers lineup card. Check those out here!

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • Eric Duhatschek (The Athletic): The New York Rangers made a hard push for Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel last off-season.
  • Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet): The Pittsburgh Penguins plan on giving forward Evgeni Malkin a contract extension this summer, but there’s some speculation that Malkin could want out.
    • Sam Bennett has requested a trade. He would like a bigger role in the lineup.
    • The New Jersey Devils are not inclined to let Tom Fitzgerald interview for the Penguins vacant GM’s position.
  • Aaron Portzline (The Athletic): Forward Patrik Laine is on track to make his Columbus Blue Jackets debut on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars.
  • Rick Carpiniello (The Athletic): There’s an excellent chance that Rangers d-man Tony DeAngelo isn’t claimed off of waivers.
  • Dan Kingerski (Pittsburgh Hockey Now): The Penguins were close to a deal for St. Louis Blues defender Vince Dunn prior to Jim Rutherford’s resignation.
  • Josh Wegman (The Score): The Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, and Winnipeg Jets are potential destinations for Vince Dunn.
  • Salim Nadim Valji (TSN): Montreal Canadiens defenseman Victor Mete has officially requested a trade out of the organization.
  • Adrian Dater (Colorado Hockey Now): Avalanche blueliner Devon Toews could be out “long-term” but the team won’t know for a couple of days.
  • Bob Stauffer (Oilers Now 630CHED): “What would you think of a Koskinen/Merzlikins tandem?”
  • David Pagnotta (The Fourth Period): The Rangers “would not stand in the way” of Drury pursuing the GM post in Pittsburgh, though a request for an interview from the Penguins has not yet come as of Saturday.

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This is how Pavel used to tell you who was #1 back in the day! Click the pic and grab a shirt or a mask!
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