NHL Rumors: Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The 2022-23 season is over and players as well as front offices will be evaluated. Now, the focus shifts toward the new season.

In this Sunday’s edition of NHL Rumors, we will look at the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Arizona Coyotes.

NHL rumors in this edition include:

Will Elias Lindholm re-sign with the Flames, or could he be traded? Is the Blackhawks’ talented forward Lukas Reichel ready to show what he can do in a full season in the NHL? Do the Arizona Coyotes have the inside track at signing Matt Dumba?

Calgary Flames – Elias Lindholm

Rumor: Per – Rob Ellis – nhltraderumor.com. Could the Flames and the Sharks pull off a big trade?

ELIAS LINDHOLM PASSES TO HIMSELF FOR THE GOAL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/olbjtxgUcz

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 17, 2022

The proposed trade would involve the yet-to-be-re-signed Elias Lindholm and netminder Daniel Vladar going to the San Jose Sharks for Logan Couture and prospect William Eklund. The Flames don’t have the cap space to re-sign Lindholm. And, according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman (at the 10:10 mark of the video), Lindholm could command a salary in the $8-$9 million range. They are already in the negative in their cap space at -$213,333. They of course can go further into the negative. But they can’t exceed 10 percent ($8.35M) and must address that cap issue before the season begins.

Then, there are also trade rumors floating around the Flames like wildfire. Lindholm is 28, while Couture is 34 and carries an $8M cap hit through the 2026-27 season. So, keeping Lindholm may cost them more, but what are they gaining by acquiring an aging player who will be 38 years old at the conclusion of his contract? The answer could be the prospect involved in the proposed trade. William Eklund has some pretty impressive stats. The soon-to-be 21-year-old forward collected 17 goals and 24 assists last season with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.

The progression of goalie Dustin Wolf could make Vladar expendable. That would give the Sharks three goalies, but that could change. One must really think that the Flames will want to keep Lindholm. That becomes especially true if Noah Hanifin goes elsewhere as Friedman suggested.

Chicago Blackhawks – Lukas Reichel

Rumor: Per – Joe Yerdon – bleacherreport.com. Blackhawks forward Reichel is ready to make some history even on a team with Connor Bedard. 

In Yerdon’s article depicting NHL players ready for a breakout, Reichel was pegged as a candidate to make some splashes in the NHL this coming season. Chicago’s GM Kyle Davidson had stripped the 2022-23 roster down to implement his plan (which succeeded) to get that coveted first overall selection in the draft. Reichel wasn’t in the lineup much due to this strategy, but still managed 15 points in 23 games in the NHL. Imagining him on a line with Bedard can only strike fear into opponents. Add in Taylor Hall whom Davidson acquired and there’s a line with some potential offensive firepower.

Reichel has proven that he can play in the AHL as he tallied 51 points in 55 games when he wasn’t in the Blackhawks’ lineup. He has quite a bit to prove this coming season, and it appears that he will get the chance to show he is an NHL-worthy player. The youth of Bedard (18) and Reichel (21) can only mean good things going forward for the Chicago club. That duo can be around for some years and get the Blackhawks back into respectability in a number of ways… if you know what I mean.

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Arizona Coyotes – Mathew Dumba

Rumor: Per – Michael DeRosa – nhltraderumors.me. Arizona Coyotes may win the Matt Dumba sweepstakes.

The Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs have all been in the mix to add Dumba to their bluelines. Now, it appears that the Coyotes have the inside track to signing the 10-year NHL veteran. He has spent his entire career with the Minnesota Wild but has been rumored to be on the move for a bit now.

I don’t know if a deal will come to fruition yet, but the Coyotes have been pursuing free-agent defenseman Matt Dumba from the get-go.

— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 3, 2023

Dumba’s offensive game has decreased markedly, but for the Coyotes, who have a very young blueline, he could be a great mentor. He could still sign a multi-year deal since he is still young at 29 years old later this month. He signed a five-year $30 million deal back in 2018 and is an unrestricted free agent now. Dumba averages 21 minutes of ice time per game and is looking for a new home.

The Coyotes seem to have an advantage with the available cap space they command. They show $8.77 million in cap space but still need to sign tough forward Jack McBain who is going to arbitration soon. They should have enough cap space to make it happen, and it’s not that Dumba will project them into being a playoff team… just yet. The Yotes are showing excellent signs of wanting to compete more this upcoming season and signing a competent veteran like Dumba can only steer them in that direction.

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