NHL Rumors: Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers

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 have begun with preseason games on tap. 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 Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and the Philadelphia Flyers.

NHL rumors in this edition include:

Will Patrick Kane join his hometown, Buffalo Sabres? Will the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks pull off a major trade? The Flyers Travis Sanheim discusses his feelings about being a summer trade possibility.

Buffalo Sabres – Patrick Kane

Rumor: Per – Darren Dreger – TSN.ca. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that as Kane nears recovery from offseason hip surgery, the Sabres do indeed have interest in adding him to their roster.

Patrick Kane continues to rehab from his hip surgery. He’s been doing so in the Toronto area since July and requires at least another month. We know Buffalo has interest. He could help a lot of teams when healthy.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 21, 2023

Dreger mentioned that Kane’s rehab is going well and that he continues to train in Toronto. While that may have caused some speculation as to his wanting to join the Maple Leafs, salary cap restrictions won’t allow it. He’s been training in Toronto for the past two months.

He’s not expected to be ready for opening night should a team sign him before then. However, he requires at least another month before he’s ready to play. That’s still just a four-month recovery window from when he had the surgery in June, certainly on the short end of his timeline.

The NHL trend of late has been for players wanting to “go home” when they are free agents. The key factor here with the Sabres is they have the cap space to sign Kane. And they are a surging young team with playoff aspirations. Kane’s experience and talent would certainly help that goal.

Boston Bruins – Big trade coming?

Rumor: Per – Shane Seney – nhltraderumors.me. The Bruins are desperate for forward depth and a team expected to be very aggressive on the trade market this season.

San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier has made it known that he is open to trading a couple of veterans to augment his rebuild. He seeks young prospects and draft picks in return.

Grier made it clear if either Tomas Hertl or Logan Couture want out, he’ll work to find both players new homes.

“I check in with (Hertl and Couture) a lot, and if there ever were to come a time when they felt like they needed or wanted to go somewhere else, it’s definitely something I would listen to, and if it made sense for us, I would explore it.”

Hertl tallied 63 points in 79 games last season. He has played well in the postseason, posting 42 points in 62 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Meanwhile, Couture is signed for four more seasons at $8 million flat. He registered 67 points in 82 games last season in San Jose.

Rumors like this get extra credibility since there have already been some rumblings Grier and Don Sweeney have held preliminary discussions in case either of the Sharks big guns want out and Boston is on the approval list.

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Philadelphia Flyers – Travis Sanheim

Rumor: Per – Jordan Hall – nbcsportsphiladelphia.com. In late June, before the NHL draft, Sanheim’s name was reportedly included in discussions between the Flyers and Blues regarding Blues rearguard Torey Krug.

“There was probably a week there I guess where there was lots going on and I was on my phone pretty well every day. It sucks,” Sanheim said. “It’s not a position you want to be in, but it’s a business and I understand it, I understand where the team’s at. In saying that, I’m here today. There’s a reason I signed here for eight years, I want to be in Philadelphia. I’m excited, I like the group that we have. Now, it’s kind of up to me. I’m excited, I had a really good summer.”

He’s ready to begin the season with the Flyers and has a full no-trade clause, which ensures he controls his future with the Flyers over the next four seasons. After that, the clause becomes a 12-team no-trade list.

Sanheim could be encouraged by Flyers’ management to waive the clause if he was willing to go to a club of his choosing. That’s assuming things go sour with the Flyers over the next four seasons and he’s no longer happy playing for them. As long as he wants to stay in Philadelphia, however, it seems he’s not at risk of getting traded anytime soon.

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