NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The 2022-23 regular season is nearly halfway done and players will be evaluated. Now, with the trade deadline quickly approaching, rumors are still around. The NHL holiday trade freeze ends at 12:01am on December 28th. That could mean trade activity or NHL rumors could be picking up.

Clubs are always working to improve their rosters for next season. Some teams are having difficulty creating enough cap space to make moves. Others are experiencing severe injuries to star players. Trade rumors/signings are still possible. In this Wednesday’s edition of NHL Rumors, we will take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and the Dallas Stars.

Toronto Maple Leafs –James van Riemsdyk

Rumor: Per – Michael Traikos – torontosun.com. Would the Leafs ever bring back James van Riemsdyk for another playoff run?

As a pending free agent, van Riemsdyk knows the trade deadline is approaching and he could be disrupting his family and moving. “When you’re in the last year of your contract, you know these things can happen. I’m aware of all that,” he said. “The human side of it, having two kids now and stuff like that, you realize that things don’t necessarily just affect you. But I really enjoyed my experience when I played here. It definitely holds a special spot for me.”

The Leafs seem to be more interested in solving their needs on defense than adding a power forward like van Riemsdyk. He played with the Toronto club and gathered 294 points in 413 games. His $7 million cap hit could be a deterrent to adding him to the Leafs’ arsenal.

van Riemsdyk remembers his best season in 2017-18 when he had Mitch Marner as a linemate and tallied 36 goals. He’d have no problem going back to Toronto.

Edmonton Oilers – Jesse Puljujarvi

Rumor: Per – David Pagnotta – thefourthperood.com. If the Edmonton Oilers are going to trade forward Jesse Puljujarvi they would like to get a forward in return to replace him.

The Oilers would rather fix their blueline needs, but if Puljujarvi is traded they need a replacement to keep their top-nine going. Could he be part of a bigger trade? Of course. Both the team and the player agree that it’s time to get something done. And, now with the trade freeze ending, the momentum towards a deal could be accelerated.

The Oilers would love to rid themselves of his $3 million cap hit and replace it with a smaller output. What could happen is the Oilers move defenseman Tyson Barrie and his $4.5 million contract along with Puljujarvi. That would free up cap space to make a trade possible. Of course, they must take into consideration that Evander Kane could be coming back and his $5.125 million cap hit must be addressed as well.

Ken Holland has his work cut out.

Around Full Press Hockey

NHL: Paul Maurice: “It’s A Special Place And You Could Feel It”

NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings

NHL: NHL Power Rankings: Devils Holding Onto The Top Spot

NFL: Remembering John Hadl: “A Great Player, A Great Athlete

Full Press Bets: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored

PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly Ep 38: NHL Season Preview: Golden Knights, Maple Leafs, Johnny Gaudreau

Dallas Stars – Joe Pavelski

Rumor: Per – Adam Gretz – bleacherreport.com. Joe Pavelski might be one of the most underappreciated players of this era, and he is still going strong for the Dallas Stars.

At 38 years old, Pavelski is still scoring at a 0.94 points-per-game clip. The Stars are playing well, and keeping Pavelski may not be possible due to cap restraints. He carries a $5.5 million cap hit and still deserves that level of pay with his performances.

He still has a shot at scoring 500 goals (has 432) and 1,000 points (has 957). Some playoff team would find him an invaluable rental player to get them through the playoffs. He’s still a fierce competitor and his age doesn’t seem to be slowing him down.

With many NHL teams in cap trouble, adding Pavelski’s cap hit may not make a deal feasible.

That concludes this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article, and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!