Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Morgan Rielly

Toronto’s Dubas Isn’t Budging On Contract Standoff With William Nylander

at CDT | by 7 Comments

With still a number of restricted free agents around the league opting not to attend training camp, many people find themselves looking at the most prominent of them in Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander, who still hasn’t come to an agreement with Toronto and rumor have the two sides being far apart. The 22-year-old winger, who was the eighth-overall selection back in 2014, has put up two solid 20-goal, 60-point campaigns and could be ready for a breakout season.

Regardless, negotiations seem to be at a standstill. Maple Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas did a Q&A with students from his alma mater, Brock University this morning and had an interesting response when asked when the team was going to sign Nylander.

“As soon as possible,” said Dubas. “If we want to sustain success here we can’t be setting any marketplace records.”

According to Kevin McGran of the Star, Dubas made it clear that the team wasn’t budging on its offer to Nylander, who is rumored to be seeking $8MM per season, while the Maple Leafs are offering around $6.5MM. Dubas also said he isn’t worried if Nylander misses some of training camp. Due to all its salary cap issues over the next several years, Dubas has to make sure not to overpay any one player, considering he still has to sign Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to extensions as well.

While there is no confirmation of the $8MM salary demand from Nylander, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, in his most recent 31 Thoughts column, writes that he believes that Nylander is asking for Leon Draisaitl money at $8.5MM per season and is likely accurate for several reasons. He writes that agents are always high, but they are using the Draisaitl comparison since Draisaitl posted 129 points in his first two seasons, while Nylander has posted 122. Throw in the fact that Connor McDavid new contract last season pushed Draisaitl’s pricetag up, the same is likely to happen as Nylander will want to be near the salaries that Matthews and Marner will eventually get (not to mention the money that Tavares got this offseason).

Dubas and the Maple Leafs are hoping that Nylander will take a little less money being on a deep, dominant playoff team, something that other players have already done such as Tavares, Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly already have.

Maple Leafs Will Not Name A Captain This Off-Season

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs did not have a captain last season and judging by the comments of new GM Kyle Dubas, they may not have one this season either. In an interview with TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Dubas stated for a fact that the team would not name a captain prior to the beginning of the season and would again go without one until Dubas, Brendan Shanahan, and the coaching staff can better evaluate their options.

I want to get into a day-to-day with these people and see who is best suited to handle [the captaincy]… if we do determine that we need somebody to handle that. If we feel we have a void in leadership because we don’t have a formal captain, then that is something that I think we can address… We need to evaluate it as the season evolves and as we go through the ups and downs of a season and see how the players each individually handle the daily process of a season.”

Dubas seems hesitant to make any sort of decision until he has a complete read of the locker room and until a time that he feels naming a captain is necessary. He calls the title for a historic club like the Maple Leafs “an honor” and wants to make sure that the correct person is named. Dubas feels that being patient with naming a captain will be the right move and eliminates the risk of any future drama surrounding the team’s leadership.

Dubas specifically mentions Patrick Marleau, Ron Hainsey, and free agency prize John Tavares as top candidates if and when a decision is made. The latter was the captain of the New York Islanders before signing in Toronto and some speculated that the commitment made by the team to Tavares could indicate that he would be in line for the same role. Meanwhile, Dubas singled out Marleau as a player who stepped up as a locker room leader for the team last year. While the team lost regular alternates in Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov this off-season, Marleau, Hainsey, and Nazem Kadri also wore the “A” occasionally last season. As for the young core of the team, Dubas says that he hopes William Nylander, Morgan Rielly – a frequent alternate the past few years, Jake Gardiner, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner continue to grow in their leadership abilities, but stopped short of calling any of them a prime candidate at this point. With Nylander still unsigned and both Gardiner and Hainsey on expiring contracts, it would seem that either Marleau or Tavares would be the favorite for the role, with Rielly, Matthews, and Marner as possibilities. However, Dubas will not rush the decision and the Leafs may even go another whole season without a formal captain.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs’ Defense, McAvoy, Bruins’ Rookies, Drouin

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With most of the media attention drawn towards the Toronto Maple Leafs’ signing of John Tavares, many people didn’t notice that the team didn’t really address their defensive issues this last offseason. The main reason for that is that general manager Kyle Dubas feels the answers to their defensive problems are more likely to be found within their own organization.

The Star’s Mark Zwolinski writes that the team has their top four of Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev, but they also have an overabundance of talented blueliners who are ready to step in and fill in those final two spots as well as help out if one of those top four struggle next season. The team can look to a number of defensemen, including Travis Dermott, Igor Ozhiganov, Connor Carrick, Timothy Liljegren, Justin Holl, Jordan Subban, Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen, Martin Marincin and Andrew Nielsen, who all have the capabilities of checking in if needed.

The scribe writes that one major advantage for all these players is they’ve had at least one year (except for Ozhiganov) of experience with defensive coach D.J. Smith, who was voted in a players’ poll as the assistant coach best suited to become a head coach.

  • After seeing Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin sign a six-year, $29.7MM deal ($4.95MM AAV) on Thursday evening, The Athletic’s Joe McDonald (subscription required) wonders what it might end up costing the Boston Bruins to lock up defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is playing out the final year of his entry-level deal this season. If Hanifin makes that much, McAvoy, who has been quite an impact for the team already in just one-plus season, should be able to get an even bigger deal. The scribe writes that the Bruins had already started extension talks at $6MM over seven years, but are more likely to work out an even longer-term deal after this season, which could be an eight-year deal between $7.5MM and $8MM.
  • In a team preview, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes that it looks like a rookie will be centering the Boston Bruins’ third line next season after having Riley Nash centering it last season. It just comes down to who wins that job between Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka. All are expected to have significantly better offensive skills than Nash, but all have no NHL experience so far. The 21-year-old Forsbacka-Karlsson was inconsistent in his first season in the AHL last year. The 20-year-old Frederic is considered to be more of a grinder after two seasons at the University of Wisconsin, while the 19-year-old Studnicka still lacks both size and strength and may not be ready for an NHL role yet, despite excellent offensive skills. If none are ready, Sean Kuraly or Chris Wagner would have to assume the role.
  • Patrick Hickey of the Montreal Gazette, in a series on key players the Montreal Canadiens need to get a better season from, suggests that the team must get a major improvement out of center Jonathan Drouin this season. One reason the highly-touted Drouin struggled was because the 23-year-old spent the previous summer training with Max Pacioretty with the assumption they would be linemates, but learned early on that they weren’t very compatible together as well as the fact that some within the organization felt he would be a better winger, while others wanted him playing center. Now, a full-time center, Drouin has been training for this season all offseason. “Last year, I came in and I had no feel for what was going on,” Drouin said earlier this week. “As the year went on, I felt more comfortable knowing what do in some areas, at some points in the game. At the end of the year, things were starting to work out and I want to continue like that.”

Snapshots: Bergeron, Vilardi, Rielly

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Patrice Bergeron was back on the ice today for the Boston Bruins as they prepare for training camp, but he won’t be going to China with the team for their upcoming preseason games. The Bruins are scheduled to open the preseason on September 15th in China against the Calgary Flames, but instead of travelling with the team Bergeron will be continuing his rehab after offseason surgery.

Bergeron is aiming to be ready for the start of the regular season, but as Joe McDonald of The Athletic writes he may have a different winger beside him to open the year. Danton Heinen has apparently been preparing to play either wing this offseason, and could get a look on the top unit beside Bergeron and Brad Marchand if the Bruins decide to move David Pastrnak onto a different line. Heinen may have been overlooked in an incredible rookie class last year, but still recorded 47 points in his first full-season which led all forwards outside of the top line.

  • Los Angeles Kings fans may have to wait even longer to see top prospect Gabe Vilardi on the ice as his back injury could keep him out of rookie camp next week. That’s according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times, who reports that the 19-year old forward experienced a “flare-up” of the injury this summer. Vilardi missed a good chunk of his junior season last year with this chronic injury, and the Kings want to be as careful as possible. The 11th-overall selection in 2017, Vilardi has the talent to become a dominant offensive player in the NHL if he can stay healthy enough to continue his development. He is a “day-to-day” situation at this point, just two weeks until training camp begins.
  • Kristen Shilton of TSN sat down with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly recently, and asked the alternate captain about the recent news that Auston Matthews would accept the captaincy if offered it by the coaching staff. Rielly spoke incredibly highly of Matthews’ maturity and drive, and admitted that he’d already a leader on the team. The Maple Leafs have been without a captain since trading away Dion Phaneuf in the middle of the 2015-16 season, and lost two alternates in Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov to free agency this summer.

Maple Leafs Activate Rielly, Assign Holl to AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have activated defenseman Morgan Rielly off of injured reserve and assigned defenseman Justin Holl back to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

Rielly’s return should only help the Maple Leafs who have won four straight and five of their last six games. One of the team’s top defensemen, Rielly has missed their winning streak, but should add some leadership and improved offense to the team. The 26-year-old, who had to miss the all-star game after suffering an upper-body injury on Jan. 18, and is still on pace to put up career numbers. He has five goals and 26 assists in 47 games this season.

Holl, who had was an emergency recall on Wednesday after the team placed defenseman Roman Polak on injured reserve, played in two games for Toronto and was quite impressive, providing the team some offense of his own. A former second-round pick in 2010, Holl scored a goal in each of the two games he played for the Maple Leafs. He became the sixth defenseman in the NHL to score goals in his first two NHL games. In fact, his career numbers show he has played in two games, taken two shots and scored two goals. He also has a +5 plus/minus rating. He has four goals and 20 points in 39 games for the Marlies this season. Polack remains on injured reserve.

Atlantic Notes: Shaw, Zaitsev, Gionta

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Montreal Canadiens announced today that three players had not accompanied the team on their road trip to St. Louis for tomorrow night’s game. Shea Weber is away recuperating from his foot injury, Phillip Danault is still dealing with concussion-like symptoms, and Andrew Shaw is out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury.

We’d previously heard that both Shaw and Weber could be back soon after the All-Star break, which now doesn’t appear to be the case. This is just further trouble for the Canadiens, who are now 15 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic Division. Shaw’s injury also adds another factor to any interest in his services from around the league, as he likely won’t be healthy when the trade deadline passes on February 26th.

  • Those Maple Leafs on the other hand received some good news today when Nikita Zaitsev and Nikita Soshnikov returned to practice. The team was still without Morgan Rielly as he continues to come back from an upper-body injury, but could get Zaitsev back for Wednesday’s game. The fact that the team only recalled Kasperi Kapanen today from the minors seems to support that idea, as the team only has six healthy defensemen.
  • The Rochester Americans have signed Brian Gionta to a professional tryout, and he’ll suit up for them tomorrow night as he continues his preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games. Gionta is set to captain Team USA in Pyeongchang, with a squad of several former NHL players. Remember, that the Olympics do end just in time for any players to sign NHL contracts that would make them eligible for the playoffs. Any exceptional performances could earn a depth spot for a playoff stretch run.

Atlantic Notes: Danault, Dubois, Hedman, Panthers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Montreal forward Phillip Danault was released from the hospital this morning and is resting at home after he was hit in the head by a 124 kilometers-an-hour slapshot by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, tweets Arpon Basu of The Athletic. The 24-year-old was just 10 feet away with 1:37 remaining in the second period when he tried to block the blistering shot only to have it hit him in the head.

Danault was motionless for some time, then slowly tried to get up to the applause of the Montreal fans, only to have him collapse again. With blood all over the collar of his jersey, he was wheeled off in a stretcher and taken to the hospital. While indications after the game was that he was OK, that was confirmed this morning by the team. No word yet on whether he will miss time.

  • In the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos says the Montreal Canadiens still have high aspirations to trade for Columbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Canadiens who have a desperate need for center help on their team have long coveted the former third overall pick from the 2016 draft. While there is talk that Columbus does like Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk, Kypreos says Columbus currently has no interest in moving their young center, at least until they find themselves fully healthy. Alexander Wennberg only came back a couple of games ago and the team still has other missing players as well.
  • In the same segment, Kypreos also added that with Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman out for the all-star game, the NHL is considering two replacements for him, including Toronto’s Morgan Rielly and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy.
  • The Florida Panthers intend to put a lot of stock into the next 16 games (number of games before the trade deadline) before they determine whether to bolster their roster, according to Sun Sentinel’s Craig Davis. The team, currently six points out of a playoff spot, has enjoyed great success with their top line of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgeni Dadonov, but hasn’t seen the same production from their second line despite a solid season from center Vincent Trocheck. The scribe writes the team wouldn’t be against acquiring a winger like it did a year ago when it traded for Thomas Vanek, but general manager Dale Tallon said any deal would have to factor into their long-term plans. One other factor is that Florida has been playing well of late, having gone 6-3-1 over the past 10 games.

 

Toronto Maple Leafs May Avoid Defense Rentals

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of things going for them this season. Goaltender Frederik Andersen is in the midst of his best season in the NHL, with a .922 save percentage and leading the NHL in games played, shots faced, saves and minutes. The offense, led by the trio of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner has been effective, if a little inconsistent at times. Morgan Rielly has come into his own as a bonafide top pairing option, and Ron Hainsey has been more than they could have expected, turning in quality minutes at even strength and leading the league in short-handed ice time.

Beyond that top pairing though, there remains questions on whether or not the Maple Leafs blueline is good enough to compete for a Stanley Cup. Jake Gardiner has seemingly taken a step backwards this season, and Nikita Zaitsev is still out for some time with a foot injury. Many have speculated that the Maple Leafs would eventually enter the market for rental defensemen, linking them to players like Erik Gudbranson, Ian Cole and Mike Green among others.

Recently though, the Maple Leafs promoted young defensive prospect Travis Dermott and tonight he’ll move up in the lineup and skate alongside Gardiner on the team’s second pairing. That gives them another option going forward, and perhaps enough depth to sit tight as the trade deadline approaches. Bob McKenzie was asked about how Toronto feels about their defense corps today on TSN radio, and he reiterated something he’s been saying all season:

I said it before and I’ll say it again. There is a part of me that believes that the Leafs are relatively content, in the absence of something coming up that absolutely makes sense and is the perfect fit…

…I would be really surprised if the Leafs picked up a defenseman on an expiring contract–I guess they could–for future considerations. I think they’re probably in an ideal world looking at something longer term, and as I said those are difficult to come up with. Maybe, what you see is what you get.

Unless Dermott immediately makes an impact for the team, it’s likely that the Maple Leafs will continue to be questioned on their defensive ability. But at this point in the season they’re already 11 points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings for third place in the Atlantic, and appear destined for a playoff spot with little trouble. Whether they’ll be able to win once they get there is still unclear, but with the quick-strike offense and several blooming stars up front it would be an uneasy matchup for any team in the Eastern Conference.

Veteran Free Agent Contracts Not Working Out Well In 2017-18

at CDT | by 2 Comments

There is no doubt that the game of hockey is getting faster and, as a result, younger. Yet, in 2016-17 that didn’t stop 44-year-old ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr from outscoring his age, 40-year-old Matt Cullen and 37-year-old Chris Kunitz from contributing to a second straight Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup title, 39-year-old Zdeno Chara from skating in more than 23 minutes per game, or 36-year-old Henrik Zetterberg and 37-year-old Joe Thornton from finishing among the league’s best in assists. Several teams who witnessed the impact that older players had on their teams last year went out and signed older free agents this summer in hopes of a repeat performance. It hasn’t happened for most of those teams. The majority of players age 36 and older who signed with new teams this off-season have struggled to meet expectations.

Jagr, of course, is the poster boy of the anti-youth movement. The 28-year NHL veteran has somehow remained consistent throughout his career even into his mid-40’s, but despite a 46-point campaign last year, got little attention this summer and it looked like his illustrious career was over. However, the Calgary Flames swooped in at the last minute, signing Jagr to a one-year deal in early October. At $2MM for the year, it was a low-risk, high-upside singing. Yet, through 36 games, that upside has not shown up. Jagr has only been healthy for 19 games, in which he has only one goal and six assists. Even if Jagr was magically healthy for each of the Flames remaining games this season, he would be on pace for a career-worst 24 points. It seems that Jagr’s days are finally done.

He’s not alone though. The Penguins aging role players also decided to leave Pittsburgh this off-season, with Cullen heading home to Minnesota to join the Wild and Kunitz chasing a fourth Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both players have been nothing short of a disappointment so far. Cullen, who was a major contributor to the Pens’ success last year as a dependable checking center and 30-point scorer. So far with the Wild, Cullen has been a non-factor offensively (7 points) and defensively (team worst -11) through 35 games and was even a healthy scratch earlier this month. Despite the incredible talent around him, Kunitz has just 10 points this season, a pace which is a far cry from his recent back-to-back 40-point seasons.

Who else is on the list? Defenseman Mark Streit was a complete disaster in Montreal, released by the Canadiens after just two games. Journeyman goalie Michael Leighton hasn’t done much better, already on his third team in 2017-18 and without an NHL appearance thus far. Despite the time-tested theory that Radim Vrbata always performs his best in Arizona, the aging scorer bolted the Coyotes for the Florida Panthers, who so far have only received 12 points and 29 games from the signing.

The jury is still out on a few veterans. Francois Beauchemin returned home to Anaheim this summer and many expected him to improve his game back on a familiar roster. While Beauchemin’s 7 points through 30 games pale in comparison to the better seasons of his career, it’s similar to the production he showed last year with the Colorado Avalanche. With the Ducks struggling as a team, it seems fair that Beauchemin’s play has also been a bit lacking. That hasn’t been the case for Ryan Miller, another aging addition in Anaheim. His .928 save percentage and 2.23 GAA has been very good. However, Miller has only gotten the win in four of his ten appearances and missed much of the early season due to injury. Miller has performed better than the rest of his team, but had he been healthy it may have reversed the Ducks’ fortunes early on. Matt Hendricks has already matched his point total with the Edmonton Oilers last season now with the Winnipeg Jets last season. He’s playing a valued energy role and the Jets likely don’t have many gripes. With that said, Hendricks needed only seven points to match that total from a down year in 2016-17 and has a been playing a less-physical game than he has in the past. Hendricks hasn’t been bad, but Winnipeg would undoubtedly rather see 2014-15 Hendricks, who posted 16 points and 220 hits.

The one team who has had great success with veteran signings in 2017-18 is the Toronto Maple Leafs. San Jose Sharks legend Patrick Marleau chose to sign in Toronto, leaving the only team he had ever played for, but the Leafs had to give him three years and $18.75MM to get it done. So far, it hasn’t been a bad investment. Marleau has 19 points in all 36 games, including 12 goals, and the 38-year-old should easily reach 40 points for the 18th time in his career. However, the real breakout veteran performance has been from the 36-year-old Ron Hainsey, whose signing was initially panned by many. Yet, Hainsey is on pace for one of, if not the best offensive campaigns of his career with 15 points so far. Forming a dynamic duo with Morgan Rielly, Hainsey seems rejuvenated late in his career and it has shown in an improvement on Toronto’s back end. But even the Leafs weren’t perfect though; the signing of Dominic Moore has been a disappointment. Moore has only nine points and has been a frequent scratch after a season with the division rival Boston Bruins in which he put up 25 points and played in all 82 games.

The NHL has been an increasingly difficult place for mediocre older players to find work. There has been a movement toward younger rosters, with veterans settling for minimum contracts, tryouts, or simply heading to Europe. Yet, exceptions continue to be made, especially for some talented older players. After the results this elderly free agent group has shown, veteran signings – especially those demanding big money and term – will surely become even less frequent.

Atlantic Notes: Canadiens, Matthews, Bertuzzi

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens seem to be having a roller coaster of a season, although it seems much of it is down. The team had a seven-game losing streak early in the year. Then they rebounded with a three-game mini win streak, followed by another five-game losing streak. Then a five-game winning streak looked like the team might turn their fortunes around until now, a three-game losing streak.

After a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the struggling Edmonton Oilers, The Athletic’s Mitch Melnick writes (subscription required) the team has major flaws and needs to be rebuilt as the team lacks one key philosophy that most teams have adjusted to, which is speed. The Oilers skated right past the slow-moving Canadiens on their way to an easy win.

Melnick writes that captain Max Pacioretty basically admitted that he was intimidated by the speed of the Oilers and has scored only once in the last 13 games. Much of the blame falls on general manager Marc Bergevin, who believes that players such as Jordie Benn and Tomas Plekanec are key pieces to the team’s success and believes they deserve big minutes for the franchise. But blame should also be thrown at Claude Julien, who didn’t play one of their fastest skaters in Victor Mete against the speedy Oilers.

  • Rumors of a concussion circle around Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, who is doubtful to play in tonight’s matchup with the Edmonton Oilers, tweets James Mirtle of The Athletic. Matthews took a blow to the head from teammate Morgan Rielly during Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh  Penguins. He was turning around in the defensive zone when the two players collided in the third period. Matthews took the brunt of the hit, mostly in the chin. The 20-year-old wasn’t put into concussion protocol and played two more shifts after the hit. He had already missed four games earlier this year due to back issues and has only scored once in his last nine games.
  • Max Bultman of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Tyler Bertuzzi’s stint with the Detroit Red Wings Saturday didn’t go as plan. As the team found itself on special teams for a large chunk of the game, Bertuzzi saw little time on the ice (9:23) as he doesn’t play on either unit. Unfortunately with Luke Witkowski returning from a 10-game suspension and a possible return of David Booth, the team will have to make a decision on whether to return Bertuzzi to the Grand Rapids Griffins or allow him to develop his game in Detroit at the expense of some veterans who are struggling. Considering that many feel he is a player that the rest of the team would want around, the move might suggest what direction the team is trending towards in the near future. Regardless, a move will have to be made within the next day or so.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top