NHL Rumors: St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The 2022-23 regular season is over and players as well as front offices will be evaluated. Now, with the season completed, the focus shifts toward deals that may go down this summer. What about free agency?

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 over for now, but teams are competing in the playoffs. In this Wednesday edition of NHL Rumors, we will look at the St.Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, and the Chicago Blackhawks.

St. Louis Blues – Jordan Binnington

Rumor: Per – Michael DeRosa – nhltraderumors.me. The Blues had a bad 2022-23 season that saw them miss the postseason. A notable reason for their struggles was their goaltending, and there have been rumblings that they could look to trade Jordan Binnington this offseason because of it.

Binnington has a no-trade clause in his $6 million AAV contract good through 2024-25. He decides if he wants to be traded. One thing is certain, the netminder had a pretty dismal season. He went 27-27-6 with a 3.31 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage.

He has had some antics which may cause the Blues management to consider moving him. Binnington doesn’t seem to demonstrate much emotional intelligence on the ice.

So, for a couple of good reasons, he could be sent elsewhere. It won’t be easy, but that hasn’t stopped the Blues from moving other players with no-trade clauses. It seems that Binnington has expended the patience limit of the front office.

Buffalo Sabres – Colton Parayko

Rumor Per – Michael DeRosa -nhltraderumors.com. The 2022-23 Buffalo Sabres just missed the playoffs and will likely have an active summer. One player they’d like to add is defenseman Colton Parayko.

Parayko would definitely add to the Sabres chances to make the postseason next season. Teaming him up with Rasmus Dahlin would make a perfect top line on the Blueline for the Sabres. He has a no-movement clause in his deal, so he needs to approve any transaction he’s involved in.

He carries a $6.5 million AAV contract through the 2029-30 season. Parayko is 29 years old, so he would be 36 at the end of the pact. He does duty on the penalty kill and at 6′-6″, 230 pounds he makes quite a presence.

Whether the Sabres can acquire him is unknown at this time, but they are weak on the right side of the their defense. Parayko had 115 hits and 144 blocks last season. He is not a big scorer with only 52 career goals, and 182 assists in 577 games.

Envisioning him with Dahlin must make GM Kevyn Adams salivate. He will have about $19.5 million in cap space to help improve his roster. Adding Parayko would certainly do just that.

Around Full Press Hockey

NHL: Four Crucial Areas For Maple Leafs The Rest Of This Regular Season

NHL: NHL Rumors: Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals

NFL: What Eddie Robinson Told Doug Williams After He Made History 35 Years Ago

Full Press Bets:  Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored

PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly Ep 45: Canucks, Islanders, and The Boston Bruins

WANT MORE PODCASTS? Check Out Some Of The Latest From Around The FPC Network

Chicago Blackhawks – Connor Murphy

Rumor: Per- Michael DeRosa – thehockeywriters.com. It’s no secret that the Blackhawks are going through a major rebuild. They cut ties with Patrick Kane so moving Murphy is not a huge undertaking.

Murphy, 30 is on a $4.4 million contract good through the 2025-26 season. Here are three possible destinations where Murphy could land.

• Buffalo Sabres – If the Sabres can’t get Parayko, a cheaper option could be Murphy. He too could team up with either Dahlin on the first unit or Owen Power on the second unit. It could cost the Sabres two second-rounders and a prospect to make it happen.
• Ottawa Senators – The Sens just missed the playoffs and are looking to improve upon that. Even though the Ottawa club added Jakob Chychrun, they need help on the right side. Murphy is a stay-at-home D-man and helps out on the penalty kill. The price? Maybe two second-rounders and a prospect like Roby Jarventie might do it.
• Toronto Maple Leafs – With Justin Holl and Luke Schenn both pending unrestricted free agents, adding Murphy will help. There’s always the cap space issue, so GM Kyle Dubas will need to work his magic. Murphy is a shutdown type defenseman, and his skills are needed in Toronto.

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