NHL Rumors: Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens

Welcome to the Thursday edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner, which means the NHL’s offseason is rapidly approaching. While all eyes will be on the teams playing for the Stanley Cup, the teams that did not make the playoff will be focused on improving their team for next season. Plus, the teams in the playoffs have work to do once their season is over as well.  In this edition of NHL Rumors we look at the Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, and Montreal Canadiens

Calgary Flames – Johnny Gaudreau

Rumor: Per Flames general manager Brad Treliving who joined Scott Oake and Cassie Campbell Pascal on Hockey Night in Canada’s After Hours, “We’re going to move Heaven and Earth to keep Johnny Gaudreau.”

It should not come as a shock that Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving will do everything in his power to keep Johnny Gaudreau on the Flames. Gaudreau is having a fantastic season for the Flames leading the team in points with 108 and assists with 70. He has really thrived under head coach Darryl Sutter. Though there was some doubt as to how this high-end player would fit into a Sutter-type system. Well as Treliving notes, Gaudreau thrives under a coach that pushes him. And Darryl has done that this season with Gaudreau and the rest of the high-end talent on this team. Gaudreau’s play with and without the puck has been great. This is why Gaudreau has earned himself a pay raise this upcoming off-season. The entire season, Treliving, Gaudreau, and Gaudreau’s agent have agreed not to discuss his contract or their negotiations with the public. These men agreed they did not want this to be a distraction as the Flames pursue their ultimate goal. Now, Calgary does have the room to sign Gaudreau next season. But the question will be the cost and how it will affect the rest of the team. Because do not forget Matthew Tkachuk is due a next contract, so is Andrew Mangiapane as well. One thing is for sure is that instead of this Flames’ team breaking up, it appears management will do everything in their power to keep them together with Darryl at the helm.

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

Minnesota Wild – Marc-Andre Fleury

Rumor: Per Marc-Andre Fleury via La Presse’s Katherine Harvey-Pinard, via Sportsnet said he would like to come back for at least another season. 

Entering this season, many wondered if this was going to be the last season, we see Marc-Andre Fleury strap on the pads in the NHL. After the Vegas Golden Knights traded him to Chicago at the beginning of the season, Fleury was contemplating retirement. Fleury had been the heart and soul of that Vegas team and did not want to go to Chicago. However, he ultimately decided to play for the Blackhawks this season. Though he was having a down season, you could see from his body language he did not want to be there. Though there was talk of him not waiving his no-trade clause to go to a contending team, Fleury ultimately did and was acquired by the Minnesota Wild. Fleury has found the fountain of youth playing alongside Cam Talbot in a similar role he had in his latter days in Pittsburgh. In his interview with Katherine Harvey-Pinard, Fleury said he only recently decided he wanted to come back for another season. Since arriving in Minnesota, he has a 6-1 record with a 2.59 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. Fleury is excited to play hockey again and go to the rink and that is in large part to the team he got traded to. If Fleury does come back, you know he will want to be on a contender and maybe Minnesota decides to keep him for another year. They have the best tandem in the league right now.

Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price

Rumor: Per Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price wants to continue playing late into his 30s but only at an acceptable level. 

Carey Price has just come back to the Canadiens for the first time since playing in the Stanley Cup final last year. He missed most of the regular season due to injuries and personal reasons. But Price is back between the pipes and he looks right where he belongs for the Canadiens. Unfortunately for him, the team in front of him is not that good. When asked about how much longer he has left to play, Price responded by saying “I just want to be able to finish playing at an acceptable level.” And for Price that is being the best goalie he possibly can be. There was talk of Price potentially retiring this season, but he has put those doubts to bed. However, Price mentioned he is not sure how much longer he is going to play. Price just wants to leave the game playing well and not be a burden for the team. The issue is for the Canadiens is, do they see the Price as part of their future? Remember, they exposed him in the Seattle expansion draft. Not to mention it will be hard to move his $10.5 million cap hit as Price has a full no-movement clause. So any trade has to be approved by Price. As the regular season winds down and the future of Price with the Canadiens is a story to watch in NHL Rumors. That does it for the Thursday edition of NHL Rumors. Stay tuned for another edition on Sunday.