NHL Rumors: Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors. The trade deadline is under a week away and the rumors are picking up. Though the action off the ice is quiet, all of that could change with one phone call. Therefore, we here at Full Press Hockey will continue to deliver NHL rumors articles four times a week, whenever possible. The March 15th edition of NHL rumors covers the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals. 

Pittsburgh Penguins – Forward

Rumor: Per Mike Defabo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall likes the depth of his team but would love to add a depth forward to the mix. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins are an interesting team heading into the trade deadline. Usually, they are a team that is very active. But not this year. Their general manager and the president feel confident in the depth on the roster. But, in a perfect cap world, they would like to add a power forward. The Penguins are a cap-strapped team with $127,000 in cap space to spare come the trade deadline, so there is not much the Penguins can do unless they move out some money.

Several reports have the Penguins linked to the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks. In regards to the Ducks, they have an interest in Rickard Rakell. If the Penguins were to pull the trigger on a player like Rakell — who would fit their lineup nicely — a player with similar value will have to go to Anaheim. The same goes for a team like Vancouver. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Penguins and Canucks have been talking and they like Marcus Pettersson and John Marino. Only time will tell what the Penguins do.

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New York Rangers – Ryan Strome 

Rumor: Per Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the New York Rangers would be wise to hold onto their trade chips with Ryan Strome not signed to a new deal. 

The Rangers are facing a similar scenario they did a couple of years ago heading into the NHL Trade Deadline. They have a player who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season whose name has come up in trade talks. While the Rangers do need a second-line centre, moving on from Ryan Strome now would cripple this team, considering there is already a hole in the top-six forward group. 

The question general manager Chris Drury has to ask himself is are the Rangers true contenders this season. Because if they are, great — go all in. But if he feels they are not, then why mortgage the future when the team has a chance to continue their progression the right way? Everyone knows the Rangers will be in the market for a centre come the off-season. And if the price is right, then strike by using Strome as part of the deal. But not now. 

Because as we have seen in the past, just because his name is out there does not mean he will be staying with the team long-term. Just look at Chris Kreider. This could be another scenario where that happens with Strome and the team announces the deal at the deadline. 

Washington Capitals – Tyler Motte 

Rumor: Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period states the Washington Capitals are looking to add a depth forward, and the player that keeps coming up is Tyler Motte. 

Many wondered if the Capitals were going to upgrade their goaltending at the trade deadline. However, since their general manager does not think they are even a contender this season, they will look to wait come the off-season. Plus, Vitek Vanecek has taken the reigns over from Ilya Samsonov. An area the Capitals are looking to upgrade is their bottom-six forwards. 

With Carl Hagelin going out of the lineup due to a serious eye injury, the Capitals are looking to replace his production once the playoffs begin. A player the Capitals have been linked to is Tyler Motte of the Vancouver Canucks. Motte carries a low salary cap hit of $1.225 million and can fill a role similar to Barclay Goodrow did for the Lightning during their back-to-back Cup runs. Not only that, but Motte is the perfect bottom-six forward for any contending team. For the Capitals, he could slide right into Hagelin’s role. 

Both Hagelin and Motte have registered the same amount of points (7). But, the difference is Motte has seven goals on the season; Hagelin only had three. And the Capitals may not have to give up much to get him. Even with Anthony Mantha back, a team can never have too much depth come playoff time. 

Stay tuned for another edition of NHL Rumors on Wednesday.