Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumblings! It is everyone’s favorite time of the year as the NHL Trade Deadline is Approaching. We are two weeks away from the March 8th Trade Deadline, and things are really heating up around the League. However, there has not been much action since Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan were traded. That does not mean names are not out there for teams to grab to improve their clubs for the stretch run.
In this edition of NHL Rumblings, we take a look at the Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, and New Jersey Devils
Is Sean Walker Still A Trade Candidate, Or Will the Flyers Re-Sign Him?
The Philadelphia Flyers have been a surprising team this season as we begin NHL Rumblings. Even without star goalie Carter Hart, Philadelphia remains third in the Metro Division. Samuel Ersson shouldered the load as head coach John Tortorella pushed the right buttons. Some of those buttons include on the backend with Nick Seeler and Sean Walker. Walker was acquired from Los Angeles and has been a steady player for the Flyers, being paired with Seeler.
With the addition of Jamie Drysdale, who is now hurt, along with Rasmus Ristolainen still being injured, there was talk of Walker being shipped out. And that still might be the case as the Flyers stick to their plan, but could they also re-sign him?
Russ Cohen on the Full Press NHL Podcast: I guess anything’s possible. I don’t see why they would give Walker an extension, though, unless they were to get rid of Risto, and I don’t know if they could do that. So they can get rid of him with Ristolainen getting, then maybe that would make sense. This is a career year for Walker. We have to look at that. It’s been a really good year. He’s a good skater, and he always was, but they’re letting him be more offensive now, and that’s fine. But that’s not always going to be the case. You know, Ronnie Attard is going to come up, and he’s going to suck up a lot of those good offensive minutes. He probably should be doing it now. But he’s not, so they’re going to determine when he’s ready
. And so, where does that leave Walker? Maybe back down on the third pairing, and that’s fine. But if I’m giving Sean Walker an extension, I can’t give him more than two years. Because I just haven’t seen enough of what he is like. 27? Yeah, so I would say that’s not on the wouldn’t be on my list. I think. I think Seeler would get extended before Walker because he’s at least proved it for a couple of years. And, but again, you can’t sign him long-term either, like he’s just a plug until these other guys are ready. I think there still has to be that mentality. I think they need as many assets as they can get in this draft. And even the next two drafts. That’s me; I don’t know if they will act that way.
As Russ Cohen notes, the Flyers should move Walker, stick to the plan, and see what they can get for their players.
Could Tony DeAngelo Be On the Move From Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes are next up in our NHL Rumblings post. Initially, they needed goaltending, but with the way Pytor Kochetkov is playing and with the addition of Frederik Andersen back to go with Antti Raanta, it appears the Hurricanes will be focusing their attention on the offence. As their GM stated, Don Waddell, they will try to move one of their goalies at the deadline. But what if their goalies can’t generate enough to acquire someone on the offensive side of things? Could they move a piece on the back end like Tony DeAngelo?
Dave Pagnotta on the Full Press NHL Podcast (December 2023): They’ve been trying to train him since the start of the season. You just wait. Our trade watch list usually comes up right at the beginning of January. I went through the preliminary list yesterday he’s on there because they’re still trying to trade him. They’d like to move him, but I mean, there’s nothing close.
You know, his cap hit is not overly significant, A couple of million bucks, but you know teams are gonna look elsewhere to see what other alternative options they have before committing to 2 million. Carolina is not going to retain on that as of now. Whether that changes down the road, we’ll obviously have to wait and see, but they’re looking to move him. If they can find a taker, they do it tomorrow.
So he is a piece the Hurricanes could move to upgrade their offense.
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Devils Remain in the Hunt in the Goalie Market
The New Jersey Devils are a team that is looking to add goaltending as NHlL Rumblings roll on. It was an area that Tom Fitzgerald had an opportunity to address in the summer and did not. The asking price as part of trade packages has been Dawson Mercer. That has been a Hard No from the Devil’s side of things.
As reported on Full Press Hockey, according to multiple sources, Predators GM Barry Trotz asked Devils President of Hockey and GM Tom Fitzgerald to include Mercer as part of a package for Juuse Saros. That deal was declined. The Devils are high on Mercer and see him as part of the core moving forward.
In addition, Mercer’s name was part of a deal that would have seen Connor Hellebuyck come to the Devils in the summer. But again, the Devils say No to Mercer being part of a deal. So if Mercer is off the table, who could the Devils move to acquire a goalie as time is running out before the trade deadline?
Well, Alexander Holtz‘s name remains out there as he has been linked to the Calgary Flames. The Flames and GM Craig Conroy like the player, and he would be a part of the deal for the Devils to acquire Jacob Markstrom. However, that deal was pulled back at the last minute over the retention cost. The Devils and Flames are circling back on this deal to work something out.
The Devils will try to work out something with Nashville, but with the Flames and Predators playing, upgrading might seem like a moot point as neither team will sell, but Tom Fitzgerald will work his magic. If not, it is going to wait until the off-season.
That does for this edition of NHL Rumblings. Stay tuned for another real soon.