NHL Rumors: New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The 2022-23 regular season is more than halfway done and players will be evaluated. Now, with the trade deadline less than a month away, rumors are sizzling.

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 New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Winnipeg Jets. The focus of this article will be on three NHL players who have been in NHL rumors quite frequently.

New York Rangers  – Timo Meier

Rumor: Per – Frank Seravalli – dailyfaceoff.com. The New York Rangers have set their sights on Meier as the No. 1 target leading up to the deadline.

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier is familiar with the Rangers organization. Grier hung out with Chris Drury, who is now the Rangers’ president and general manager. Drury brought Grier to the Rangers as a hockey operations adviser, a post in which Grier essentially served as an assistant general manager. Drury urged San Jose to give Grier the job, and the Sharks’ front office listened. Many times a bond can be formed when two people trust each other.

The Rangers could give the Sharks one of their two first-round 2023 picks, plus a prospect or two to consummate a deal. Meier’s current cap hit of $6 million could be worked into the Rangers’ cap space of about $6.7 million. Then, he will be due a $10 million qualifying offer. Could the Sharks demand one of either Kaapo Kakko or Alexis Lafreniere in return? It may be a price too large, but the New York club has its eyes on winning a Cup this year, and Meier could certainly in help in that regard.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Jakob Chychrun

Rumor: Per – thefourthperiod.com. The Arizona Coyotes defenseman now has another team interested in him. The Penguins are fighting for a playoff spot and could really use him.

Chychrun is a well sought-after player with as many as eight teams interested in adding him to their rosters. The return demanded by Arizona GM Bill Armstrong has seemed to negate any deal thus far. The clock is ticking and teams like the Penguins may get pressed into action to bring him to their teams.

The Pens are aging fast and are the second-oldest team in the NHL. A young Chychrun at 24, could instill some much-needed youth into the lineup. The return may be an issue for the Penguins. What could be kinda crazy is if they trade Pierre-Olivier Joseph back to Arizona. He has played 45 games this season with Pittsburgh, gathering 12 points. He’s a good puck possession player and could fit right into the Arizona youthful roster. The Penguins will need to decide how serious they are about acquiring Chychrun.

Joseph was traded to Pittsburgh in the Phil Kessel trade in June of 2019, and Armstrong didn’t become the GM until September 2020. The other scenario could be the Penguins have been trying to unload Kasperi Kapanen for a while. He’s on injured reserve and has only played in 35 games this season. Armstrong may not be interested in Kapanen, but he’s only 26 years old. We’ll need to monitor this one to see how it goes.

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Winnipeg Jets – Max Domi

Rumor: Per – jetsaggr.com. Per Peg City hockey, Max Domi could be a good addition for the Jets. He may only cost the Jets a second or third-round pick. 

The addition of Domi who is being pursued by five other teams besides the Jets could help supplement the bottom six for the Winnipeg club. He is having a really stand-out season on a bottom-dwelling team in Chicago. He has posted 14 goals and 21 assists in 48 games.

Winnipeg has been a pleasant surprise this season currently in second place in the Central Division with 65 points. In order to be strong in the playoffs, adding a player with Domi’s scoring and tenacity could really propel the Jets in the postseason. Domi is not a stranger to the penalty box with 58 minutes in the sin-bin in 48 games. He is one tough cookie and will not think twice about dropping the gloves.

So, if the Jets could get him for a second (they don’t have one) or third-round pick from Chicago, that could be great for the Winnipeg club. They have enough cap space (just over $9 million) to cover Domi’s current cap hit of $3 million. He may deserve a raise with his current level of play, but then evaluated his addition would certainly help the Jets in the playoffs.

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