NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The 2022-23 season is over, and players and front offices will be evaluated. Now, the focus shifts toward the new season. Training camps will begin shortly, and rosters will be finalized. Teams are always looking to improve, and the excitement of a new NHL season is upon us.

In this Sunday edition of NHL Rumors, we’ll examine the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, and the Minnesota Wild.

NHL rumors in this edition include:

Will a proposed trade involving Nicholas Robertson and Alex Turcotte develop? The Avs need another goalie; what are their choices? Where will Phil Kessel find his new home?

Toronto Maple Leafs – Nicholas Robertson

Rumor: Per – Rob Ellis – nhltraderumor.com. There’s been much chatter about a potential William Nylander trade, but what about Nick Robertson?

While all the attention lately has focused on Nylander, the Leafs could use more depth at the center-ice position. The same could be said for the Los Angeles Kings needing to add a winger to their roster. A trade could be in the making that helps both teams and let’s face it, that’s the objective when a deal goes down. Robertson has had the injury bug preventing him from showing his true potential. He only has 31 NHL games under his belt over the last three seasons. When he is healthy, he was able to collect three goals and four assists.

Robertson, 22, was the Leafs 53rd overall selection in the 2019 NHL draft and has tons of potential. A change of scenery may be what he needs to get going.

On the other hand, Alex Turcotte, 22, was the fifth overall selection of the Kings in the same 2019 draft. He too has had his issues with injuries preventing him from playing much. He only has four NHL games on his resume and has yet to register a point. Some have mentioned that Turcotte is a draft bust after being selected so high in the draft.

What it may come down to is positional play. Robertson can fill the void that the Kings see on their wing, while Turcotte can do likewise for the Leafs at the center position. The even swap will not affect either team’s salary cap as their salaries are just $97,500 apart. If this proposed trade goes down, look for it to happen soon before training camps commence.

Colorado Avalanche – Goalie search

Rumor: Per – Shane Seney – nhltraderumors.me. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Colorado Avalanche are examining the goalie market because Pavel Francouz is still recovering from offseason adductor surgery and could miss some time. 

#Avs appear to be examining options on the goalie market. Sounds like Pavel Francouz has not completely recovered from his offseason adductor surgery and there is concern he will miss some time.

Francouz made just 16 starts for the Avalanche last season.@DailyFaceoff

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 14, 2023

With Francouz being out for an undetermined amount of time, they really need another goalie to fill the void. Here are three potential goalies they could pursue.

• Casey DeSmith, Montreal Canadiens – He was acquired in the three-team trade involving Erik Karlsson going to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It didn’t make much sense for the Habs to add another goalie to their crowded crease. Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault are considered locks in Montreal. DeSmith could be a good fit for the Avs to have as a backup to starter Alexandar Georgiev.
• Martin Jones, Toronto Maple Leafs – The Leafs may not need Jones since they are high on Joseph Woll as their backup to starter Alexandar Georgiev. That could leave the Leafs in a good position to receive a decent return in a possible Jones trade to Colorado. He is a decent netminder and won 27 games last season with the Seattle Kraken last season.
• Eric Comrie, Buffalo Sabres –  His $1.8 million contract may be a detractor for the Avs. The Sabres are certainly considering that Devon Levi will be their go-to guy in between the pipes. But, if Francouz is out an extended period of time, Comrie’s name could appear again in trade speculation.

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Minnesota Wild – Phil Kessel

Rumor: Per – Joe Nelson – sicom. Russo and Smith of theathletic.com speculate that Kessel’s connection with Wild general manager Bill Guerin could come into play ahead of the 2023-24 season. 

“The one player available who likely would intrigue Guerin is right wing Phil Kessel, who is thus far unsigned and saying he accepts at this stage in his career that he may no longer be an everyday player. Guerin likes and knows Kessel from their Pittsburgh days, so it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s considered or is considering it.” 

Even though the Wild has their forward lines pretty well set, a veteran like Kessel is always a good addition. He had collected 14 goals and 22 assists with the Vegas Golden Knights… and won his third Cup. Because he was not producing like his old self, he only played in four Stanley Cup games this past season, with two assists. Kessel earned $1.5 million with the Golden Knights. He will likely play for less since the Wild only has $1.6 million in cap space.

As far as his 1,064 consecutive iron-man streak goes, he has made it known that he doesn’t mind if the streak ends as long as he can continue playing in the NHL.
We will need to wait and see where Kessel lands, but it seems he would be a good fit in Minnesota.

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