In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs are calling around and trying to find an option to solve their goaltending issues. Who is available? The Philadelphia Flyers are trying to avoid involving a third team in any Claude Giroux trade and the Boston Bruins have made it clear that netminder Jeremy Swayman is not available in trade. Finally, the Buffalo Sabres are on the hunt for a top-two defenseman to play with Owen Power. When will they make a move to try and acquire someone?
Maple Leafs Searching for Goaltender
As per Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the Maple Leafs are doing their due diligence and calling around on goaltenders thanks to the injury to Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek’s struggles. He writes, “If you’re the Leafs, do you check with your rivals in Ottawa regarding Anton Forsberg?” In what is a huge step up, he also notes that the Leafs have contacted the Chicago Blackhawks about Marc-Andre Fleury.
LeBrun notes during the latest TSN Insider Trading segment that he doesn’t believe the Maple Leafs are on Fleury’s list of acceptable teams under which he would waive his no-trade clause conditions, but the Leafs are still checking in on his availability and finding out what the asking price is. Other insiders have suggested Toronto isn’t afraid to take a big swing here. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said on The Fan Morning Show on Monday, “My guess is if the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to go down that path and really take a swing at a goaltender, it’s probably going to be someone of substance, someone you can feel confident in and hang your hat on for a playoff run.”
Capitals Checked in on Fleury Also
LeBrun also believes the Washington Capitals have shown interest in Fleury, but they too are not on his list of preferred destinations. Fleury will call the shots on any trade, based both on his no-trade clause and an agreement he had in place with previous GM Stan Bowman that the team wouldn’t move him if he preferred not to go.
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When it comes to the Capitals, the history of their rivalry with the Pittsburgh Penguins may be playing into Fleury’s lack of desire to consider them.
Flyers Want to Avoid Using Third Team In Giroux Deal
LeBrun also noted that the Flyers are talking to teams about a Claude Giroux trade and one of the things that might need to go down for a deal to work is that a third team gets involved. That said, it’s not what the Flyers want.
LeBrun is reporting that the preferred option for the Flyers is that they make a straight deal with another team. A simple trade with a team that has the cap space to do the deal is their ideal situation and there is at least one team on the list of clubs rumored to be interested that has the room to do this.
Swayman Off Limits
As per Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, a trusted NHL source has told him that goaltender Jeremy Swayman is not available out of Boston. For teams that are finding the goaltending trade market lacking, the Bruins are not in a position to help by moving Swayman, no matter the price.
The source notes that the Bruins have made Swayman off-limits in any trade talk now and believes he was never available in the first place, even if a few rumors suggested he was at the time Tuukka Rask was trying to make comeback.
Sabres Looking For a Defenseman
Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Buffalo Sabres are reaching out to teams and looking for a top-two defenseman. They want to bring in someone who can work with and play in a pairing recently-drafted Owen Power. The idea is to find him a mentor that can work with him as he makes the jump to the NHL.
Dreger notes, “There’s not a high level of urgency here. They’d like to get something done between now and the deadline, but if they don’t, then they are comfortable testing the unrestricted free agent market in the summer.”