In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Calgary Flames have been informed that Matthew Tkachuk will not be signing a long-term extension. What’s next and which teams did Tkachuk say he’d like to go to? Meanwhile, are the Edmonton Oilers interested in Patrick Kane?
His name has been connected to the organization in recent days. It doesn’t sound like the Colorado Avalanche are going out of their way to sign Nazem Kadri and how serious are the Ottawa Senators about adding a defenseman?
Flames Informed Tkachuk Not Signing Long-Term
As per Hailey Salvian and Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, Matthew Tkachuk has, in fact, informed the Calgary Flames that he has no intention of re-signing a long-term deal with the organization. He has submitted a list of teams that he would consider signing a long-term deal with and it is believed the Flames have already begun working on the process of trading the player to one of those teams.
There is some mixed reporting about which teams are on Tkachuk’s list. The article suggests the St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, and Dallas Stars are on there. That said, Nashville just signed Nino Niederreiter and Vegas has no cap space to make this kind of move. New Jersey and the New York Rangers are also among the other teams that have expressed interest. What does seem to be a consensus thought is that the Flames would like to get this done prior to the arbitration hearing that was officially scheduled for August 11th. They don’t have to move the player by then as they would have all season to make a deal, but Calgary is looking to do this as soon as possible if the return is there.
Oilers Not Interested in Patrick Kane
While sports betting site Sportsbetting.ag has the Oilers edging out Colorado in term of odds to land Patrick Kane in trade, Tom Gazzola of TSN and the OilStream Podcast says there is no interest in Kane from an Oilers’ perspective right now. He says he checked into the rumors and was told directly by sources close to Ken Holland the buzz isn’t accurate.
“It’s something that came up in recent meetings on hockey ops and it was shut down by everybody at the top, starting with Ken Holland. That’s just a rumor, that’s stirring it up, that’s click bait,” said Gazzola. He said the topic of Kane was brought up but there are no legs to any rumors there is a plan to pursue the player.
Avalanche Unlikely to Trade Girard to Make Cap Space
As time goes by, it seems less and less likely the Colorado Avalanche make a play to bring Nazem Kadri back to the team as a free agent. According to Adrian Dater, he certainly doesn’t believe the Avs will trade defenseman Sam Girard to make the room. He tweeted, “Putting on my thinking cap more, I doubt Sam Girard will be traded. Only 24, lots of term left, very good player. Doesn’t make sense to move him on the cheap.”
Related: NHL Rumors: Ducks, Canucks, Bruins, Flames, Blues
There is a sense from Dater that Kadri might be growing frustrated with a lack of big offers like he was expecting might be out there. Some believe as this process moves along, Kadri’s ask will drop and more teams will get in the mix when that happens.
Senators Linked to Defenseman
Travis Yost of TSN writes that the Ottawa Senators are being linked to a couple of defensemen as they search to improve their blue line. Among the names being connected are Florida Panthers MacKenzie Weegar and Arizona Coyotes Jakob Chychrun. The question some are asking right now is how aggressive will the Senators be? They have a good group of top-six forwards and could be on the verge of competing for a playoff spot.
While Thomas Chabot is a stud, currently their projected top-six defense includes Travis Hamonic, Nikita Zaitsev, and Nick Holden. They need an upgrade.