NHL Rumors: Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors. The trade deadline is a little less than three weeks away and the rumors off the ice continue to swirl around players being moved and contending teams preparing for the push to the playoffs. Therefore, we here at Full Press Hockey will continue to deliver NHL Rumors four times a week. The March 2nd edition of NHL Rumors looks at the Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, and the Detroit Red Wings.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Rickard Rakell

Rumor: Per – David Pagnotta – thefourthperiod.com. The Anaheim Ducks are expected to take calls on Rakell, who switched agents this season. Teams expressed interest in Rakell last season and in the summer, and will no doubt be calling again.

The Pittsburgh Penguins could use some additional scoring as they head to the postseason. Rickard Rakell may be just what they need. He has 14 goals, 11 assists in 45 games this season. He averages over 18 minutes a game and is an accurate 11.4 percent shooter. Rakell’s been hot of late with three goals, one assist in his last five games.

He is due to be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and has a $3,789,444 cap hit. That is reasonable for a forward with a 0.62 points per game average. The 28-year-old Swede has participated in 544 games with 152 goals, 184 assists. He also is an excellent possession player with a Corsi For of 55.7, and a Relative Corsi if 9.1. It’s very apparent that other teams will be interested in him, so will the Penguins be fortunate enough to add him to their roster? You’ll need to keep our NHL rumors included in your reading material to find out.

Around FPC

NHL: NHL Insights: Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings

NHL: NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders

NHL: Arizona Coyotes Centers: Searching For That True First Line Player

NFL: Odell Beckham Jr., Rams Agree To One-Year Deal

Wrestling: Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns Is The Perfect Time To Make One Champion

PODCAST: Full Press NHL Podcast Ep 11: Are The Penguins Really For Sale? Senators Talk w/ Murray Pam

Colorado Avalanche – Pavel Francouz

Rumor: Per – Dan Rosen – nhl.com @drosennhl. The Colorado Avalanche could move Pavel Francouz before the deadline passes.

Should the NHL leading Av’s trade Francouz, it will mean they are involved in upgrading their goalie lineup. They could include going after Marc-Andre Fleury. They already possess the hottest goalie in the league in Darcy Kuemper. Over games since December 2nd, he has an amazing 16-1-2 record. His 2.21 goals-against-average of 2.21 isn’t bad either. A save percentage of .929 has other teams drooling. He threw in three shutouts to top things off.

It’s hard to believe that if the Av’s pull off trading Francouz and somehow obtain Fleury, their goaltending could get any better. They already sport the best goal differential in the league with a +63. Adding Fleury would be icing on the cake. It’s not that Francouz is terrible, he’s not. He did miss the entire season of 2020-21 with injuries, but he’s back strong. He has a 9-2-0 record with a 2.41 GAA and a .921 save percentage.

Francouz carries a $2 million salary cap hit and will more than likely require an increase. He is an unrestricted free agent, so it becomes a case of… do the Av’s want to re-sign him? It will depend on if they can upgrade their goaltending by adding Fleury.

Detroit Red Wings – Jeff Petry

Rumor: Per – Marco D’Amico – montrealhockeynow.com. Teams like the Dallas Stars and the Detroit Red Wings already showing interest in Jeff Petry, but evidently, the Canadiens have not yet been able to close a deal for their veteran blueliner, and this is why his name continues to float in NHL trade rumors.

New Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is very open to moving Petry, and is looking to make some moves to improve the Montreal club before the trade deadline. There’s no real hurry since Petry is locked up until the 2024-25 season. Petry wants a new change of scenery and Hughes will be happy to accommodate him.

Detroit is still in a rebuild, but making headway with a 23-24-6 record this season. They more than likely won’t make the postseason, but adding a veteran like Petry could be a wise move going forward.

Another team that could have interest in Petry is the Philadelphia Flyers, according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman in a recent 32 Thoughts. It goes without saying that Petry will be heading somewhere, we just don’t know quite where yet.

That concludes another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL rumors. Be sure to watch for our next article to stay attuned to the latest NHL happenings.