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NHL rumors roundup Week 6: Oilers-Habs trade on the horizon, Bruins to cut baggage, Pens fire sale to fade, and more
Week 6's NHL rumors roundup is headlined by the Oilers and Habs having what each other need, Predators looking for a center and D-man despite the likes of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg on the roster.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney was rumored scouring the market in an effort to 'shake things up', but his shake-up came in the form of firing head coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday, a day after Bruins lost 5-1 to the Blue Jackets. The Bruins' woes won't stop there, but a head coach shake-up may be a good short-term change. Sweeney would probably still look to make some additions to the roster.
Deep dive into this week's top NHL rumors:
A 34-year-old Habs D-man is rumored to be one of the Oilers' top targets, to fix their leaky PK and overall defense. With Darnell Nurse out of the lineup for at least 5-10 days, the Oilers' blueline depth will be tested, and indicate to GM Bowman if a D-man addition is required as we move further into the season.
A Pittsburgh Penguins fire sale rumor was making rounds on social media after the team's disappointing start to the season. Insider Kevin Weekes even floated the idea of Sidney Crosby being traded to the Nashville Predators, in order to not waste his final years with a struggling Pens squad with a very bleak future.
Here's a detailed view into each of Week 6's NHL rumors:
#5. Nashville Predators hunt for center, D-man on the chopping block
On Thursday's broadcast of NHLonPrime, insider Frank Seravalli reported that the Nashville Predators are looking to add a center, after the team's early season struggles despite having the most hyped offseason having acquired Steven Stamkos & Jonathan Marchessault.
Seravalli added that D-man Alexandre Carrier is on the chopping block, as a possible player to facilitate the trade for a center. Carrier is in the first year of his three-year, $11,250,000 contract, carrying a $3,750,000 cap hit.
Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman added that the Predators are also looking for a top-four defenseman with a little bit of term.
#4. Pittsburgh Penguins fire sale on the cards after disastrous start to the season?
After a 7-10-4 start to the new season, NHL insider Chris Johnston slashed all rumors of the Penguins big four - Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson being on the team's trade radar. Johnston said that while the Penguins core will not be blown up in one go, depth players like Marcus Pettersson may be the first ones to go, should the franchise decide to go down the rebuild route.
"I don't think (Crosby, Malkin, etc.) are in play, ... Marcus Pettersson on their blue line will be pretty heavily featured on the trade board that comes out."
#3. Ducks have changed their view on trading Trevor Zegras
Trevor Zegras has been churning in the NHL rumor mill in the prior seasons, and more so during the latest offseason. But according to insider Chris Johnston, the Anaheim Ducks are seemingly happy with Zegras after initially questioning his personality in the past.
Johnston did not completely write off Zegras as a non-trade candidate and said:
".... but I don't think he's going to be up at the top of the trade board whenever it gets dusted off,..."
#2. Boston Bruins depth players may be on the chopping block
The Boston Bruins are currently 8-9-3, which led to GM Sweeney to fire head coach Jim Montgomery. Although that may have been the easiest change to make, the Bruins' woes lie in the inability of their roster to play NHL-level hockey.
Insider David Pagnotta singled out forwards Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm, who have not contributed much to the Bruins offense, 20 games into the season. Owing to the Bruins' tight cap space, Pagnotta speculated that GM Sweeney may consider trading one or more of these struggling players to bring in more effective offensive help.
#1. Oilers, Canadiens headline this week's NHL rumor roundup; Montreal has what Edmonton needs
NHL insider David Pagnotta deemed Montreal Canadiens D-man David Savard a "target for a number of teams including Edmonton Oilers". Savard's $2.3 million AAV should make it easier for the Oilers to trade for him, given Habs agree to retain some part of his salary. The Oilers have 2025 2nd & 3rd-round picks to facilitate their upcoming trades.
Pagnotta said the Oilers' struggling PK will eventually force them to make blueline additions when the March 7 NHL trade deadline approaches. Pagnotta added:
"I believe David Savard will be one of those options that they look at, because I think they definitely want to bring in somebody with physicality and a defensive mind on that blueline.”
Per Pagnotta, Blue Jackets' Ivan Provorov, Penguins' Marcus Pettersson and Ducks' Cam Fowler, and some other D-man targets the Oilers may be interested in.
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