NHL Rumors: Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Seattle Kraken

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The Stanley Cup Final is history and the Colorado Avalanche have won Lord Stanley’s Cup. Needless to say, leading up to the NHL Draft on July 7th, and free agency on July 13th, there are endless rumours abound. Clubs are always working to improve their rosters for next season. In this special edition of NHL Rumors, we will take a look at the Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, and the Seattle Kraken.

Rumor:  Per – Elliotte Friedman – sportsnet.ca. Friedman on 32 Thoughts suggested the Flyers are one of the teams that have legitimately pitched Chicago on DeBrincat — more than just tire-kicking — and they’ve tested the market on many of their players. 

The Chicago Blackhawks received a strong offer for forward Alex DeBrincat but decided to reject the deal. Friedman mentioned the deal included a reasonably high first-round pick, another first rounder and a prospect for the sniper but decided to wait it out longer. It is entirely possible that GM Kyle Davidson is taking the route of waiting it out to see what his best offer may be. In other words, he knows he has a good poker hand and wants to see how high the pot goes. WIth the fifth draft pick, the Flyers are hoping to call Davidson’s hand to see what he holds.

The Hawks also need to keep in mind if they trade the high-scoring forward, how will that affect the future of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews? Kirby Dach is also a name teams have inquired about. If Davidson wants to go full force in a rebuild, trading DeBrincat may only be the beginning. For the Flyers, they just want to get back to respectability. GM Chuck Fletcher means to swing for the fences. Adding ‘Cat’ would certainly bring him closer to those goals.

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Montreal Canadiens – Three Players Being Shopped

Rumor: Per – Elliotte Friedman – sportsnet.ca. Friedman again says the Canadiens will test the market on veterans Christian Dvorak, Jeff Petry, and perhaps Josh Anderson. 

The Canadiens wish to be more competitive, so they’re not going to strip it bare. It would be very curious to see what it would take to get Anderson. He was the Habs’ fifth-highest scorer with 19 goals, and 13 assists in 69 games. With his $5.5 million contract, it may be difficult to move him without some salary retention.

Dvorak is the only 26 years old and has a $4.45 million cap hit for three more seasons. He collected 11 goals and 22 assists in 56 games. He does have injury issues in his NHL career. Creating some cap space by trading him may be a good move for GM Kent Hughes. Possessing the first overall pick gives him a roadmap to build for the future.

Petry at 34 is considered the most likely to be moved. He has been mentioned numerous times in NHL rumors as the Habs try to cut some payroll and add younger players. He had a down season with only six goals and 21 assists in 68 games. His hefty $6.25 million deal is still in place for three more years and the Montreal club could use that cap space to sign players with a lower cap hit.

Seattle Kraken – High-end Forward Needed

Rumor: Per – Elliotte Friedman – sportsnet.ca. Per Friedman: The Kraken are expected to be very busy over the next few weeks. This was a disappointing season, and nobody wants a repeat. 

Not only does the newest franchise Seattle Kraken possess the fourth overall selection in Thursday’s NHL draft; they also have tons of cap space. With $22.8 million to search for a high-end forward, some intriguing free agent names come to mind. How about Johnny Gaudreau, Filip Forsberg, Nazem Kadri, Ryan Strome, Andre Burakovsky, John Klingberg, or Rickard Rakell? The Kraken are definitely ready to stop being bottom feeders. With a good draft position and some excess funds to attract free agents, it may be a formula for success.

The Kraken fans are ready for the team to move upward in the standings and GM Ron Francis will certainly attempt to do that. Yet, it’s difficult to attract free agents to an expansion team. Vegas did it, but that was a whole different scenario. If the Kraken can attract two really outstanding players from free agency, they will be on the path to improving their standing in the league.

That concludes this special edition of NHL rumors. We are changing our schedule for this busy week. We will have NHL rumors for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in hopes of keeping you up to date on the latest news.