In today’s NHL rumors rundown, word is out that Bo Horvat had rejected an offer by the Vancouver Canucks and will test free agency. Obviously, the Canucks will have to trade him before that happens.
Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals have said they will not rebuild while Alex Ovechkin is part of the roster. What pieces are the Montreal Canadiens looking to move and is any talk of the Oilers’ interest in Erik Karlsson just exaggerated?
Canucks Will Try to Trade Horvat
A story first broken by Rick Dhaliwal, then confirmed by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Canucks will try to trade Bo Horvat ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. The Canucks are solely focused on trading the player after unsuccessfully trying to sign the center to a contract extension.
Multiple reports are surfacing that Horvat has rejected the latest contract offer from the Canucks, one that was speculated to be worth well shy of $8 million per season. Dhaliwal says Canucks will now take the best offer in a trade for Horvat. He notes, “As of right now I believe they have gone as far as they can go..”
Dhaliwal and Thomas Drance also offered an update on the status of a Brock Boeser trade and said there’s nothing new to report. The Canucks are receiving calls but his $6.6 million annual cap hit through 2024-25 is proving difficult to move. That his production has dropped off isn’t helping get him traded either.
Capitals Won’t Rebuild While Ovechkin Chases Gretzky’s Record
As per an article by Greg Wyshynksi of ESPN:
“ Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said his team won’t rebuild with Alex Ovechkin on the roster, having promised his star captain that the club will remain competitive while he chases Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record.”
A team that sits outside the playoff picture right now, he adds, “Washington is primed for a roster overhaul next season with only 10 players under contract for 2023-24, including only one defenseman. But Leonsis said it won’t be a rebuild.”
Canadiens Updated List of Players They Might Move
As per an article in Montreal Hockey Now by Marco D”Amico, there are a few names the Canadiens are either open to moving or shopping ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. He mentions Joel Edmundson, Josh Anderson, and Sean Monahan as the three big names to watch.
With Edmundson, D’Amico notes that the extra year he has on his contract, worth $3.5M per season, makes him more valuable than a simple rental.
With Anderson, he writes, “[Kent] Hughes has used Anderson’s name in public before as an example of a player they aren’t implicitly shopping, but that teams are calling on a great deal.” He notes the team has turned down offers that include a first-round pick in the past. He thinks the offers will increase as playoff contenders will come calling again.
With Monahan he writes that the center could fetch the Canadiens a first-round pick. He notes:
Teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders, just to name a few, all need a bonafide Top-6 centre that can play in all situations and will likely pay top dollar to one-up their competition.
Sharks Won’t Get Value For Karlsson, Oilers Not In It
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff addressed the rumors of Erik Karlsson being on the Oilers’ radar in terms of a trade and he shot down those rumors fairly quickly saying he doesn’t think people quite understand how difficult it would be to move Karlsson’s contract.
Seravalli noted that he checked with sources in the San Jose organization and they seemed shocked to hear that Edmonton might have interest and when a proposed Jesse Puljujarvi to San Jose for Karlsson and salary retention, the Oilers were going to turn that down. Seravalli noted the Sharks will get absolutely nothing back for Karlsson if they don’t retain salary and almost nothing if they do.
