NHL Rumors: Flyers, Canucks, Marleau, More

In today’s NHL rumor rundown there is news coming out of Philadelphia that the Flyers are listening to offers on their first-round draft selection, The Canucks are going to be aggressive leading to the NHL draft and there’s a potential trade in the works that would send Patrick Marleau to the LA Kings.

Flyers Offering #11, Being Aggressive

Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer said that Philadelphia Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher is listening to any trade offers for their first round pick – 11th overall.

Philadelphia Flyers general manger Chuck Fletcher
Philadelphia Flyers general manger Chuck Fletcher (Jose F. Morena/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

While he’s not set on keeping the pick, he’s also not willing to move it if the right deal isn’t there. Fletcher said, “if we can get a good player at the right stage of his career and with some term left on his contract, we’d certainly look at it.”

Adam Kimelmen of NHL.com adds that the Flyers are planning on having a busy and aggressive offseason. He cites Fletcher as having said:

“The unfortunate part is the vast majority of things you look into don’t work out. … So we’re going to be very aggressive in trying to fill the holes we feel we have. I don’t know if I can say we’ll be able to fill all of them.”

Fletcher says the Flyers have holes everywhere that he’s looking to fill. He’ll do what he can to add but he’s also having preliminary talks with their four big RFAs in Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton.

Related: NHL Rumors: Anisimov, Hakstol, Trade Talk, More

Patrick Marleau to the Kings?

Pierre LeBrun is reporting that he’s heard that the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings have talked about a possible Patrick Marleau trade.

Patrick Marleau Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs center Patrick Marleau (Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Marleau has to waive a no-trade clause to be moved but the feeling might be that if he were to be offered to a team with a former head coach and a location similar to San Jose, he might say yes. The Kings now employ Todd McLellan.

If Marleau were to say yes, the Kings would need to move a contract or two in order to fit him in under the cap. That’s the main issue for LA and why Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott reported Marleau will not be traded to Los Angeles.

Elliott wrote that once the teams started discussions, it quickly became obvious that each teams’ needs and salary cap issues wouldn’t make a trade viable.

Related: NHL Rumors: Zaitsev, Marner, More Leafs and Oilers

Jim Benning’s Job on The Line in Vancouver?

Talking to TSN Radio Vancouver, TSN’s Jeff Patterson said Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning is well aware that his job is likely on the line if the team can’t take that next step this upcoming season.

General manager Jim Benning
BUFFALO, NY – JUNE 24: General manager Jim Benning of the Vancouver Canucks speaks at the podium during round one of the 2016 NHL Draft at First Niagara Center on June 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

Patterson believes Benning is very likely to be active on the trade market as the draft approaches. “Benning seems open for business on the trade front,” Patterson said. Noting that Benning repeatedly talked about speaking with other GM’s around the NHL, he spoke of draft week and looking forward to all the managers being back in the same room.

“Defence is not a position of strength for the Canucks,” Patterson said and noted he got the feeling Benning knows he’s got to make a big trade but his record on big trades isn’t great.

Still the with Canucks defense, Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal writes that the Canucks haven’t made much progress with veteran defenseman Alexander Edler. There has been quite a bit of talk from both sides about a continued working relationship but they still far apart. Dhaliwal says the term is the key problem.

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