NHL Rumors: St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The 2022-23 regular season is nearly halfway done and players will be evaluated. Now, with the trade deadline less than two months away, rumors are still around. The NHL holiday trade freeze ended at 12:01 am on December 28th. That could mean trade activity or NHL rumors could be picking up.

Clubs are always working to improve their rosters for next season. Some teams are having difficulty creating enough cap space to make moves. Others are experiencing severe injuries to star players. Trade rumors/signings are still possible. In this Sunday edition of NHL Rumors, we will take a look at the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and the Carolina Hurricanes.

St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko

Rumor: Per – Rob Couch – nhltraderumors.me. Four teams may have interest in Tarasenko.

According to Couch, the four teams interested in Tarasenko include the New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, and New Jersey Devils.

The Avs could use a center, but with a talent like Tarasenko in the lineup things can be adjusted. Mikko Rantanen could be moved to the second line center and have him and Nathan MacKinnon center the first two lines.

The Islanders need a top-scoring forward and Tarasenko fits the bill. They may go all-in to acquire him.

The Flames have a group of underperforming forwards including Jonathan Huberdeau. Adding Tarasenko could also increase the Flames’ playoff chances.

The Devils are searching for a high-end forward and may move Damon Severson to make room to do it. The Devils are trying to stay in the mix of playoff teams, and need to supplement their lineup to do it.

Nashville Predators – Mattias Ekholm

Rumor: Per – Frank Seravalli – dailyfaceoff.com. Defenseman Ekholm being shopped.

This comes as a bit of a surprise as Ekholm just signed a four-year $25 million contract this offseason. If another team is seeking a left-shot second-pairing defenseman, he can fill that role. He’s a steady defensive blueliner who has three goals and 13 points in 36 games this season. He doesn’t have any trade protection in his contract.

With this news, it seems plausible that the Nashville team will be experiencing a re-tool, which means other players may be moved soon. Having three defensemen on your blue line that basically average $6.5 million or more, is probably pretty problematic moving forward.

A team like the Edmonton Oilers may be checking out adding Ekholm to their blueline. Darnell Nurse could sure use some help.

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Carolina Hurricanes – Frederik Andersen

Rumor: Per – Rob Couch – nhltraderumors.me. Frederik Andersen is getting healthy which causes a problem in net for the Carolina Hurricanes. 

With Andersen due back soon, it creates a crowded net in Carolina. Pyotr Kochetkov has been spot-on since being recalled earlier this season. His 10-2-4 record along with a 2.08 goals-against-average, and a .924 save percentage with three shutouts is difficult to ignore.

Antti Raanta is 10-2-4 with a 2.08 goals-against-average, .924 save percentage, and three shutouts. So, the numbers say one goalie must go. It seems like he will be the odd man out.

Kochetkov being sent back to the AHL doesn’t make sense since he has been the Canes’ best netminder. He was instrumental in the team’s 11-game winning streak. He also was unbeaten in 18 regulation games before a loss to the New York Rangers. The 10-year veteran has been on four different teams, and it appears he will be headed to a fifth.

He will be a good backup goalie for some team but has had a long history of injury issues.

That concludes this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article, and thanks for reading!