In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Philadelphia Flyers were active on Saturday talking to teams and trying to finalize the details on two trades. Where is the organization at with moves to send Kevin Hayes to the St. Louis Blues, and Tony DeAngelo to the Carolina Hurricanes? Meanwhile, there is talk in St. Louis about defenseman Torey Krug. The Winnipeg Jets have a number of irons in the fire, the Ottawa Senators continue to work in an Alex DeBrincat trade, and are the Nashville Predators clearing space for a major move?
Flyers and Blues Trade Close
The waiting game continues on Sunday as news that the Flyers were working on a multi-player trade with the Blues hasn’t been made official yet. Elliotte Friedman notes that one of the factors causing a delay in the proposed deal which includes Kevin Hayes (and potentially more players), is the lack of a waiver of the no-trade or no-move clause by at least one of the potential participants. He writes, “So we wait out that process.”
Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic was the first to give real intel as to what might be cooking between the Flyers and Blues, tweeting, “Nothing confirmed yet, but sources tell @TheAthletic that the Blues and Flyers are working to finalize a trade for center Kevin Hayes. Appears to be several elements involved, which takes time, but could be done today.”
DeAngelo Trade Hits a Snag
Pierre LeBrun of TSN is reporting that the proposed Tony DeAngelo trade to Carolina from Philadelphia hit a snag late Saturday night according to sources. He writes, “It needs to get worked out, or else that deal now doesn’t happen.”
Related: Hurricanes Re-Sign Jordan Staal to 4-Year Deal
The initial report from LeBrun was that the Flyers would retain 50 percent of DeAngelo’s salary in the deal and would be getting back a prospect from Carolina.
Krug Won’t Waive No-Trade Clause
According to Friedman, “We will see how this develops throughout the next day or so, but hearing this morning that Torey Krug is leaning towards not waiving his no-trade clause.” Greg Whyshinksi of ESPN points out that Krug, who was signed to replace Alex Pietrangelo, left the Boston Bruins in part because they wouldn’t give him a full no-movement clause to block things “like being shipped out one day because of his salary.” It makes little sense to expect him to now waive it for that exact reason.
At 32 years old, Krug is locked into a four-year contract worth $6.5 million per year.
Senators and DeBrincat Trade Update
As per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Ottawa is currently engaged in ongoing negotiations with several clubs regarding Alex DeBrincat. While the Senators have the possibility of acquiring a first-round pick and including it in the deal, it is not a mandatory requirement for every team they are in discussions with. The Detroit Red Wings possess the 9th and 17th overall picks and are still considered contenders for acquiring DeBrincat.
Jets Not Close On Any Deals Yet
As per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, there are numerous ongoing discussions and rumors circulating this weekend involving the Winnipeg Jets. It appears that the Jets are actively involved in various potential deals and while there is considerable speculation linking them to the Los Angeles Kings, there doesn’t seem to be a sense of any imminent agreements. The recent Sean Durzi trade has positioned the LA Kings favorably for their upcoming moves.
Do the Predators Have Something Brewing?
Incoming Predators’ general manager Barry Trotz has been proactive in making changes and decisions within the team. He fired John Hynes, hired Andrew Brunette, expressed his desire for the scouts to be more involved in the draft, and made a significant trade involving Ryan Johansen and Alex Galchenyuk. Most insiders believe he’s got something big cooking or has intentions to make a major play at the draft or in free agency.
Trotz told NHL.com that he’d been working on this Johansen deal for a few weeks. He noted, “You’re trying to gauge the league, and you see every team is very, very tight up against the cap” and added that “trying to move players with big cap numbers is not easy.” He wanted this deal to keep the team lean and flexible and also carve out a path for a few prospects they have high hopes for.
