In today’s NHL rumors rundown, a couple of scribes for The Athletic looked at the possibility of the Toronto Maple Leafs pursuing Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks. What would it take to get that deal done? Are the Carolina Hurricanes and forward Jordan Staal close to getting an extension done?
Finally, are the Edmonton Oilers open to moving the red-hot Tyson Barrie if it means getting something bigger accomplished?
Do Maple Leafs Have the Pieces the Canucks Want In Horvat Trade?
Joshua Kloke and Harman Dayal of The Athletic, examined a few trade scenarios to see if the Maple Leafs had the right mix of assets to land Horvat in a trade. The first proposal was Timothy Liljegren and Pontus Holmberg, plus a draft pick. The initial reaction was that this might not do it.
Dayal writes:
The sense I’ve gotten from poking around a little bit is that the Canucks aren’t very high on Liljegren. I don’t think he’d move the needle enough to suffice as the centrepiece of a Horvat package in Vancouver’s eyes.
source – ‘Is Bo Horvat a fit for the Maple Leafs? Breaking down three potential trade proposals’ – Joshua Kloke and Harman Dayal – The Athletic – 12/22/2022
The second proposal was Topi Niemela, Joey Anderson, and a second-round pick. In this case, Niemela would be an attractive option for Vancouver, but he doesn’t think Anderson will move the needle and the Maple Leafs might have to upgrade the second to a first-round pick.
Related: NHL Rumors: Senators, Canucks, Flyers, Maple Leafs
Finally, a package of Matthew Knies and William Villeneuve was suggested. The thought here is that Knies would be attractive but that the Canucks would have to decide if adding a winger — as good as Knies projects to be — is enough in this package?
In general, it’s not believed the Maple Leafs are keen to move Knies. Darren Dreger was on TSN’s Leafs Lunch Tuesday and when asked if the Leafs were interested in acquiring St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly, Dreger said he believed they might be, but doesn’t think the Leafs would want to move Knies to do it.
Hurricanes Likely to Extend Jordan Staal
As per Jeff Marek, “It sounds like everything is pointing at an extension for Jordan Staal and Carolina. This guy isn’t interested in going anywhere else.” Marek spoke with Cory Lavalette on The Jeff Marek Show Sportsnet, specifically about how effective Staal has continued to be for the Hurricanes.
Lavalette said there was some thought at the start of the season that maybe this would be Staal’s final season but since then things have changed and the feeling is that an extension will get done between the two sides without much issue.
Are the Oilers Willing to Move Tyson Barrie?
As the Oilers look to fill holes in their lineup but do so with limited salary cap space, who and what are they willing to trade to get their major moves accomplished? David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggests GM Ken Holland is open to moving defenseman Tyson Barrie if he needs to.
The article notes, “The Oilers, as TFP’s David Pagnotta reported on NHL Network earlier this month, are also willing to move defenceman Tyson Barrie and his $4.5 million salary cap hit in a larger move to accommodate a bigger acquisition.” Barrie has been one of the team’s best defensemen and while it would have been a likely trade in the offseason, it’s hard to imagine Holland feels comfortable moving Barrie now.
He’s on an eight-game point streak and has 14 points in 10 games for the Oilers.
Pagnotta also notes that the team is still hoping to move Jesse Puljujarvi but wants to get another forward in return if the Oilers don’t have that forward internally who can take his spot in the lineup. This also runs counter to some reports that suggested the Oilers simply clearing out Puljujarvi’s full salary without retaining anything would be considered a win internally.
