Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The focus has shifted toward the new season. Teams are always looking to improve, and the excitement of a new NHL season is upon us.
In this Wednesday edition of NHL Rumors, we’ll examine the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Philadelphia Flyers.
NHL rumors in this edition include:
Will the Oilers complete a blockbuster trade for Jack Campbell? Is Patrik Laine about to be traded? What NHL team might go after Sean Walker?
Edmonton Oilers – Jack Campbell
Rumor: Per – Rob Ellis – nhltraderumor.com. Are the Oilers contemplating a huge trade involving Jack Campbell to the Arizona Coyotes?
Jack Campbell signed a five-year $25 million contract with Edmonton on July 13, 2022. Since then, Campbell has been anything but inspiring. He has accumulated a 22-13-4 record with a .886 save percentage and a 3.53 GAA. This season has been a nightmare for him. He is 1-4 with a 4.50 GAA and a .876 SV%. He was sent down to the AHL Bakersfield Condors, where he has not done much better. With a 0-3 record and a .819 SV%, and a dismal 4.36 GAA, the Oilers may be giving up on him. That, of course, fuels trade rumors. Rob Ellis has had some incredible blockbuster trade rumors, but this one defeats them all.
He has written that such a trade rumor between the Coyotes and Oilers exists. It involves Jack Campbell, along with a 2024 1st-round pick, Philip Broberg, and Xavier Bourgault to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for defenseman Matt Dumba. The Oilers intended to be Stanley Cup contenders this season, and thus far, that isn’t happening. They are 5-11-1 so far this season, ranking them 30th in the NHL standings. Something needs to be done. Whether this proposed trade is the solution or not, we will need to wait to see.
Salary cap concerns have hampered the Oilers, who have just $1.15 million currently. The proposed trade would allow the Oilers to reduce their cap hit by $2.1 million. It would increase the Coyotes’ cap by that same amount.
Here’s the thing… the Coyotes are NOT going to get two young players plus a ’24 first-rounder just for giving up Dumba. They would almost certainly need to trade either Karel Vejmelka or Connor Ingram also. With Stuart Skinner as the starter and either Vejmelka or Ingram as a backup, the Oilers’ problems in goal would be reduced. Vejmelka’s cap hit is $2.75 million through the 2024-25 season, while Ingram has a $1.95 million deal through 2025-26. This would make the trade fairly equal with the salaries.
The proposed trade would help the Oilers address their glaring issue in net, while for the Coyotes, it would allow them to add to their treasure chest of young players and draft picks.
Columbus Blue Jackets – Patrik Laine
Rumor: Per – Michael DeRosa – nhltraderumors.me. Patrik Laine’s days in Columbus could be in jeopardy, as he is clearly in head coach Pascal Vincent’s dog house.
This would not be the first time that Laine has not pleased his head coach. Back when John Tortorella was the man behind the bench, he also benched Laine for a period to get his attention. Being held out of an entire game while healthy did not set well with the Finnish forward.
#CBJ Patrik Laine on his healthy scratch vs. Philadelphia on Sunday:
“Over my career, it’s probably the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to me. I’m not happy about that. They know that. It is what it is. It’s over and done.”
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) November 21, 2023
“I know what he can do on the ice,” Vincent said. “I know his potential. He’s not happy about the decision, don’t get me wrong. But right now, I think Patty needs to take a deep breath. Go back to the working lab and get his touches back, get his shot back, get his confidence back, so he can be the Laine we all know he can be.
“It was a hard conversation, but nobody is bigger than the Blue Jackets.”
Now, as far as if Laine were traded, where might he land? The Anaheim Ducks certainly can absorb his $8.7 million contract through the 2025-26 season. They could use help on the wing, and Laine could step right into the top-six role on the young team. Don’t forget Laine is only 25-years-old. Another team that may be interested in his services could be the Carolina Hurricanes. He would certainly help the Canes’ scoring possibilities. They rank 16th in the NHL right now in goals scored. Laine may just fit in much better with a team that can compete for a Cup and has numerous other Finnish players on their roster.
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Philadelphia Flyers – Sean Walker
Rumor: Per – Jonathan Bailey – phillyhockeynow.com. Sean Walker has been the most pleasant of surprises for the Philadelphia Flyers in this 2023-24 campaign so far, and other NHL teams are noticing.
Walker was more of a throw-in on the Ivan Provorov trade, and so far, he has performed way above expectations. He has three goals and seven assists in 18 games. Remember, he only had three goals and 10 assists in 70 games last season with the Los Angeles Kings. His $2.65 million contract expires at the end of this season. The Flyers may not have enough cap space to reward Walker for his excellent play. They still have to pay Rasmus Ristolainen‘s $5.1M cap hit when he comes off of LTIR. Then, Ryan Ellis has a $6.25M cap hit through 2026-27.
Walker could become an attractive trade candidate as the deadline approaches.
“I think [the Flyers] have kind of recognized ‘Wow, we didn’t realize what we had here’, and now the question’s gonna be: do you keep him, or do you move him,” Friedman postulated. “He’s a UFA, and because teams are starting to watch him a bit and say, ‘Ok, if we’re looking to add something, we better take a look at what we’re getting here’.”
That concludes this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article, and thanks for reading!
Whomever writes this shit….sure isnt smarter than a 5th grader thats for sure