Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! Teams are always looking to improve, and the excitement of another NHL season is upon us. With the March 8th trade deadline approaching, the rumors are hot and heavy!
In this Wednesday edition of NHL Rumors, we’ll examine the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, and the New York Islanders.
NHL rumors in this edition include:
Will the Oilers and the Pittsburgh Penguins trade forwards? What’s the latest on Sean Monahan? Will the Islanders try to acquire Trevor Zegras?
Edmonton Oilers – Evander Kane
Rumor: Per – Caleb Kerney – thehockeynews.com. Would a Kane for Jake Guentzel trade benefit the Oilers?
The Oilers are rolling along with an 11-game winning streak, and things have really improved considering their horrid start. However, one player has struggled of late, Evander Kane. HIs ice time has been reduced significantly from 18:27 to 16:15. He has been replaced on the power play unit by a hot Zach Hyman.
Kane’s offensive production tells the story that either his wrist injury is bothering him, or for some reason, he has lost his scoring touch. In the first 21 games, he tallied 20 points. Since then, he has only gathered five points in his last 17 games. Every player can have scoring droughts, and yet it may be time to look to trade him. Kane is 32 years old and has a $5.125 million contract good through the 2025-26 season.
Guentzel is three years younger than Kane and has a $6 million contract that expires after this season. He is tied with Sidney Crosby for the team lead in scoring with 46 points in 42 games. Guentzel’s name has been floating around NHL rumors recently, and here is what Pierre LeBrun from theathletic.com had to say about it. “It’s quite a pickle. I don’t envy the spot everyone involved is in here. But this is where Dubas will give us a glimpse of how he views this team, bigger picture. Unless the Penguins are sitting comfortably in a playoff spot, the smart move is to trade Guentzel. It’s the tougher call, but it’s the right one.”
Much may depend on the Penguins playoff picture. They stand one point from the last wild-card spot with two games in hand. If they fall from the playoffs contention again, GM Kyle Dubas will be tempted to trade Guentzel.
Montreal Canadiens – Sean Monahan
Rumor: Per – Canadian Press – sportsnet.ca. Anything is possible with pending UFA Monahan.
Habs GM Kent Hughes says an understanding in a “general” sense with Sean Monahan was made when he signed about moving him to a contender. No guarantee, depends on how things play out… That said, many (myself included) expect Monahan to be moved by the deadline.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 15, 2024
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The Habs signed Monahan to a one-year, $2 million deal last off-season.TSN reported last week that the Canadiens agreed when they signed the contract to trade the 29-year-old center to a contender or a team of his choice before the deadline. Monahan has had an excellent season thus far, with 11 goals and 13 assists in 42 games. GM Kent Hughes is willing to do what it takes to improve his team for the future. Asked if the team would offer Monahan a new contract before the trade deadline, Hughes responded, “anything’s possible.”
It has been reported that the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets are interested in Monahan. Considering that the Habs are terrible this season offensively, he has been one of their most consistent producers. This has set the table for Hughes to be able to make a deal at the deadline for a promising return as long as Monahan stays healthy until then. They could get another pick or high-end prospect by trading him away. Montreal only has one first-round pick this season, and if they want to guarantee a possible top pick in the draft, they could use another for leverage.
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New York Islanders – Trevor Zegras
Rumor: Per – Joe Lazar – eyesonisles.com. The Islanders should be first in line to acquire a long-term piece like Zegras this offseason.
Zegras has a reasonable contract of $5.75M for three years. His talent is obvious, and he is only 22 years old. He is sidelined with an ankle injury now and will be out for 6-8 weeks. That would delay a trade until the offseason, but the Isles could certainly use his offensive explosiveness. Looking to the future, Zegras could be an excellent replacement for Brock Nelson, who is 32 years old.
Zegras could add some scoring depth to a team that has trouble scoring. They rank 23rd in scoring, averaging 2.93 goals a game. Perhaps the acquisition of Zegras may allow the Islanders to buy out or trade somebody like Kyle Palmieri this offseason, which would open up $5 million in cap space.
Zegras only had four goals in 20 games before his injury. He certainly has excellent NHL career numbers, with 53 goals and 93 assists in 200 games. In the two seasons prior to the current campaign, Zegras has managed to rally 46 goals. If the Isles can grab him, it could really be quite an addition to the roster. For now, we must wait to see how he recovers from his injury and if the Ducks want to move him.
That concludes this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article, and thanks for reading!