Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The focus has shifted toward the new season. Teams are always looking to improve, and the excitement of a new NHL season is upon us. With the American Thanksgiving used as a gauge for playoff contention, the rumors are hot and heavy! We’ll cover a couple of big trades and how they’re working out currently.
In this Wednesday edition of NHL Rumors, we’ll examine the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Edmonton Oilers.
NHL rumors in this edition include:
Could the Penguins consider trading Erik Karlsson? Will the Flyers go after Johnny Gaudreau after losing out on him earlier? Will Elvis relocate to Edmonton?
Pittsburgh Penguins – Erik Karlsson
Rumor: Per – Dan Kingerski – pittsburghhockeynow.com. The play this season of the Penguins has GM Kyle Dubas wondering if acquiring EK was a good idea… or better yet, what to do about it.
Kingerski writes, “From this view of the church, it seems the Penguins could indeed trade Erik Karlsson. He’s here to win, and if that’s not going to happen, both sides could find a quick and amicable parting. Dubas could surely recoup the first and second-round picks the Penguins gave up in the deal, if not more, and even come out ahead. However, next summer is the more likely timeframe for that trade because of Karlsson’s salary.” That salary amounts to $11.5 million AAV through the 2026/27 season.
Even thinking of trading Karlsson is a complete shock to most hockey fans and analysts. He was acquired in this complicated three-team deal on August 6, 2023: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the San Jose Sharks with a 3rd round draft pick in 2026 and Dillon Hamaliuk to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pittsburgh Penguins sent a 2nd round draft pick in 2025, Casey DeSmith, Nathan Legare and Jeff Petry to the Montreal Canadiens. The Pittsburgh Penguins sent a 1st round draft pick in 2024, Mikael Granlund and Jan Rutta to the San Jose Sharks. The Montreal Canadiens sent Rem Pitlick to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Montreal Canadiens sent Mike Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks.
EK has not exactly dominated as he did last season when he had 25 goals, 76 assists for 101 points, and a Norris Trophy added to his mantle. Thus far this season, he has collected six goals and 16 assists in 30 games. He averaged 1.23 points per game in 2022-23 and has only 0.73 points per game in this current campaign.
According to Kingerski, even someone like Jake Guentzel could be traded and should give the Pens at least a first-round pick…and more. That could augment the weak Pittsburgh prospect pool. If I were you, I’d be tuned in here for any NHL rumors to go down.
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Philadelphia Flyers – Johnny Gaudreau
Rumor: Per – Jonathan Bailey – phillyhockeynow.com. Things haven’t exactly worked out too well for Gaudreau since signing in Columbus. Could he entertain going home to Philly?
In the past, Johnny Gaudreau had often expressed his desire to return ‘home’ and nearly signed with the Philadelphia Flyers before ex-GM Chuck Fletcher’s negligence forced Gaudreau’s hand. To many a hockey follower, the Flyers are playing exceptional hockey of late. The Flyers sport an 18-10-3 record, good for second place in the Metro division. The way they’re playing, they could be just one good player away from being even more competitive.
What the Flyers must consider is the Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t going to just give away Gaudeau. He has an AAV contract worth $9.75 million through 2028/29. He also has a no-movement clause in his deal… not that he would object to play for the resurgent Flyers rather than the putrid Blue Jackets. For starters, the Columbus club would want a first-round pick and either two really good roster players or two top prospects to swing a deal. If the Blue Jackets have their radar focused on Cutter Gauthier and Matvei Michkov, that is not going to happen.
For Columbus, if they wait, Gaudreau is not getting any younger, and his play has not been overwhelming enough to want to keep him. The Blue Jackets are not a competitive team, and trading away Gaudreau sooner rather than later will reward them with some assets to help with their obvious rebuild.
Gaudreau has stated, “I have a ton of family here, all my friends,” the 30-year-old previously said. “I actually have a wedding this weekend in South Jersey, and all my friends come back here. All my good friends and kids who I have played with all my life are from South Jersey, so it would be sweet to play here someday. You never know in sports. It’s a lot of support back here in South Jersey and the Philly area, they follow me pretty well.”
We’ll see…
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Edmonton Oilers – Elvis Merzlikins
Rumor: Per – Caleb Kerney – thehockeynews.com. It’s quite obvious that the Oilers need help in net. Enter ELVIS…
The Oilers have been scouting Merzlikins lately, so the NHL rumors about a possible trade are all over the place. The Edmonton team needs a backup goalie to relieve Stuart Skinner, who would be overwhelmed playing an excessive amount of games. The 29-year-old 6’3″ Merzlikins has a great .911 save percentage (SV%) to go along with a bit higher than average 3.04 goals against average (GAA). He could very well be the answer in net for the Oilers, who desperately need a solution at that position.
The Oilers have been very streaky this season. They have lost four straight twice, three straight once, and two straight once. In the winning column, they have won three straight once and eight straight once. They lack consistency, and getting Merzlikins could help in that endeavor. Elvis has a $5.4 million AAV contract through the 2026/27 season with a modified no-trade clause. Obviously, if the Oilers want to compete for a Cup this year, they need to figure out how to stop more pucks from entering their net. Will Elvis be in the house?
That concludes this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article, and thanks for reading!