In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Matt Murray appears to have already suffered an injury and that can’t be good news for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers continue to play with the waiver wire in an effort to gain a few dollars with each transaction.
Finally, there are predictions when it comes to trades coming out of the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers organizations.
Is Murray Already Out With an Injury?
According to multiple insiders, including Elliotte Friedman, goaltender Matt Murray may already be on the shelf for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Friedman writes, “Matt Murray has discomfort in his groin, per Sheldon Keefe. Still being examined, status is not yet determined. Samsonov preparing to start but Murray could still play if cleared.” David Alter writes, “Matt Murray appeared to be in discomfort. Immediately sought out goalie coach Curtis Sanford and then immediately departed the session. Stay tuned.”
This is not good news for the Maple Leafs who have already taken somewhat of a gamble with their goaltending this season. If Murray can’t go, that leaves a very questionable situation in the net. The Maple Leafs organization doesn’t have much to work with: Murray (maybe hurt), Ilya Samsonov, Erik Kallgren (hurt), Joseph Woll (hurt), and Dennis Hildeby (loaned to SWE).
Oilers Continue Using Waivers
On Saturday morning, the Edmonton Oilers recalled forward Devin Shore from the Bakersfield Condors and loaned defenceman Philip Broberg back to the AHL. This came just hours after the Oilers recalled Broberg and it looked like he might get a chance to play Saturday night versus the Calgary Flames.
Related: NHL Rumors: Oilers, Maple Leafs, Red Wings, Blue Jackets
This could be something the Oilers regularly do as the season rolls along and they have next to no wiggle room on their cap and these moves give them a couple of extra bucks each time they do them. Or, this could be another hint that one of Kailer Yamamoto or Warren Foegele isn’t quite ready to go against the Flames.
In other Oilers news, the Oilers have announced several hockey operations staff updates, including the additions of Duncan Keith as Player Development Consultant & Milan Tichy as Director of Amateur European Scouting.
Could Blackhawks Trade Toews Before Kane?
Mark Lazerus of The Athletic writes that while most people believe Patrick Kane will be traded first and that Jonathan Toews might be untradeable, it is Toews that could actually be moved first and that teams like the Colorado Avalanche might be in the market for his leadership and depth as a third-line center.
As one of his bold predictions on the season, Lazerus writes:
As for Kane, I may be alone on this, but I really believe he’s looking for a reason to stay. He wants to be a Blackhawks lifer. Kyle Davidson would probably prefer to trade him for a first-round pick and more, but Kane holds all the cards. And while playing alongside Artemi Panarin or Mathew Barzal would be greatly appealing to him, in the end, Chicago is home.
source – ‘NHL 2022-23 bold predictions: A 70-goal scorer, trades, breakouts, awards, more’ – Mark Lazerus – The Athletic – 10/15/2022
Flyers Will Trade a Veteran
Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic is also predicting that the Philadelphia Flyers will trade one of their recognizable veterans holding a long-term contract. He writes, “John Tortorella is serious about implementing his brand of “hard to play against” culture with the Flyers, even if the team probably isn’t good enough to compete for a playoff spot. A big part of that will be determining which players are truly buying into his approach.”
The suggestion here is that one of the veterans will not buy into Tortorella and be on the move as a result. It’s not clear who that would be and Lazerus didn’t name anyone in particular, but there is often a butting of heads when new coaches come in and veterans who were used to doing things their way for a long time don’t adapt to change quickly. Lazarus writes, “Chuck Fletcher can’t afford to be patient anymore — this club needs to show progress this season, at least in terms of competitiveness. If someone isn’t on board, I wager he won’t be long for this roster.”
