NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Arizona Coyotes

Welcome to the Sunday edition Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors. The trade deadline is a little more than one week 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 articles four times a week whenever possible. The March 13th edition of NHL rumors covers the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Arizona Coyotes.

Montreal Canadiens – Artturi Lehkonen

Rumor: Per – Shane Seney – nhltraderumors.me. Trade market heating up on Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen.

Lehkonen, 26 is on fire of late with six goals and two assists in his last five games. That brings attention to him by other teams needing his services. He is a very reliable player who plays on the penalty kill and contributes at both ends of the ice. He is earning a $2.3 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent after next season.

So, do the Canadiens, who aren’t going to be contenders for at least a couple more years, trade him now or re-sign him? According to Tony Marinaro (the Sick Podcast) now is the best time to deal Lehkonen. He thinks Lehkonen could be sent to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a second-round pick and prospect Jack McBain, whom Montreal GM Kent Hughes covets.

Scouts had this to say recently about Lehkonen’s play Eric Engels of Sportsnet:

“He’s got a rep around the league of doing everything the right way and now the puck’s going in for him. We really like him. Any team with a real chance of making the playoffs or contending would really like him. And it’s not a secret that he tends to play better under pressure. He raises his game at playoff time. I’ve seen it. A lot of us have seen it. And we talk about that stuff in meetings.“

Needless to say, Artturi Lehkonen‘s name will remain in NHL rumors for the next week or so.

Around FPC

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NHL: The Vancouver Canucks Management Countdown Begins

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PODCAST: Full Press NHL Podcast Ep 20: Jack Eichel is Back, The Montreal Canadiens Free Fall, and USA vs Canada

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New York Rangers – Nils Lundkvist

Rumor: Per – Arthur Staple – theathletic.com. If GM Chris Drury is set on using Nils Lundkvist as his main trade chip, maybe there’s a deal with Anaheim that includes Hampus Lindholm.

Since it seems that the New York Rangers pursuit of J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks is no longer on the table, it’s time to evaluate other trade options. Lundkvist, 21 has one goal, three assists this season in 25 games. He was the 28th overall selection by the Rangers in the 2018 NHL draft. He is in the first year of his entry-level contract at $925,000.

The Rangers have all kinds of cap space and are really trying to upgrade their blueline with a player of Lindholm’s capabilities. He possesses a $5.21 million cap hit and will be a UFA at season’s end. It seems that the Ducks aren’t too happy with Lindholm’s desires for the term of a new deal. Thus, his name has been floating around in NHL rumors of late.

This would be a trade of two Swedish defensemen and would certainly show how the Ducks are desiring to keep their team young and loaded with prospects. The Rangers are attempting to solidify their standings and looking towards upgrading their roster before the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Tyler Motte

Rumor: Per – Irfaan Gaffar – thefourthperiod.com. Tampa, Vancouver discussing Tyler Motte?

Name we keep hearing about as well is Tyler Motte in Vancouver. Tampa Bay has shown a lot of interest recently in the Canucks forward. View him as a piece that fits right in kind of like a Barclay Goodrow. Oh ya, Tampa in Vancouver Sunday.

— Irfaan Gaffar (@irfgaffar) March 11, 2022

Tyler Motte could be had for a low cap hit since he only has a $1.225 million salary right now. He would be an excellent rental for a team like the Lightning. As a bottom-six forward he could really help the Stanley Cup champs attempt to do a three-peat this season. The Lighting won’t be the only team attracted to Motte’s reasonable contract. The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers also have some interest in him.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin has been conducting talks with Motte’s agent about signing the 27-year-old to a contract extension. If that fails, it will likely result in him being dealt by the deadline on or before March 21st. NHL rumors need to know, can the Lightning pull off yet another magical move to strengthen their chances of being champs again?

Arizona Coyotes – Karel Vejmelka

Rumor: Per – Chris Johnston – TSN.ca. With Fleury not guaranteed to be on the move, it actually shapes up as a rather thin goaltending market when we look towards the trade deadline and that could leave the Arizona Coyotes with a decision on a goaltender they like.

Karel Vejmelka is in his first NHL season and has been fairly decent on a team in the midst of a rebuild. He earns a very reasonable $900,000 and is due to be a UFA after next season. If a new deal can’t be agreed upon, or if the Coyotes obtain another goalie before the trade deadline, he could be traded.

A team like the Toronto Maple Leafs could easily view “Veggie” as someone who could step in for injured Jack Campbell and perhaps have a future with a contending team. While his stats are not that impressive, he is playing on a team that is tanking and hoping to receive the first overall pick in the draft.

It is soon time for GM Bill Armstrong to decide if he wants to keep Vejmelka or trade him for additional assets. It’s certain that if it’s the latter, one Kyle Dubas will have Armstrong’s cell number on speed dial.

That’s it for this edition of NHL rumors, be sure to look for our next article!