Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! Teams are always looking to improve, and the excitement of another NHL season is upon us. The rumors are hot and heavy, with the March 8th trade deadline just five days away!
In this Sunday edition of NHL Rumors, we’ll examine the Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
NHL rumors in this edition include:
Can the Canucks pull off a massive trade for Jake Guentzel? Will the Panthers reunite with Anthony Duclair? Who is interested in adding defenseman Ivan Provorov?
Vancouver Canucks – Jake Guentzel
Rumor: Per – Shane Seney – nhltraderumors.me. Can this mock trade happen? It would make the Canucks a powerhouse going into the postseason.
The Canucks are already leading the Western Conference with 83 points through 62 games. They just re-signed their big free agent, Elias Pettersson, to an eight-year $92.8 million contract. That computes to an $11.6 million AAV. So, why would they want to add another high-scoring forward like Guentzel? Because he is the number-one player on the top of every trade deadline list. He had 22 goals and 30 assists through 50 games this season before he was injured on February 14th. He is expected to be out for up to four weeks and could return soon after the trade deadline on March 8th.
Now, according to nhltraderumors.me, they put together a very intriguing mock trade.
NHL Mock Trade: Penguins trade Guentzel (50% retained) to the Canucks for Conor Garland, Arshdeep Bains, Aatu Raty & conditional 2025 first-round pick. The first issue with any trade is whether the salary cap restrictions work. In this case, Bains, Raty, and Garland’s combined salary cap hits equal $6.6 million. Guentzel has a current contract of $6 million.
The next concern is whether both teams are getting what they want from the deal. That requirement is met for the Penguins, who yearn to get younger. Bains is 23, Raty is 21, and Garland is 27.
The conditional first-round draft pick going back to Pittsburgh only happens if Guentzel re-signs with the Canucks. Of course, he will require quite a hefty contract increase from his present earnings. According to projections from theathletic.com, if Guentzel were to sign an extension this summer, he could start making $9.2 million annually beginning in 2024-25. Considering that the Canucks just invested $11.6 million to re-sign Pettersson, will they have enough to re-sign Guentzel if he joins the Vancouver club?
Don’t forget, the Canucks need to consider that Elias Lindholm will need a new contract after this season too. The team will have $24.8 million in cap space for the 2024-25 season, with nine unrestricted free agents and one restricted free agent to consider. Still, if this trade goes down, look for the dominance of the Canucks to be very evident in the future.
Florida Panthers – Anthony Duclair
Rumor: Per – theathletic.com. A reunion of Duclair re-joining the Panthers has its merits.
Duclair would help the secondary scoring on the Panther’s squad. While Duclair’s numbers this season are not especially appealing, remember that he plays for the lowly San Jose Sharks. They are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the worst record in the NHL, with only 35 points.
The Panthers need third-line scoring with Eetu Luostarinen (16 points in 55 games) and Anton Lundell (23 points in 51 games). They could also move Nick Cousins, who’s scored just six points in 43 games, down to a fourth-line role. The Panthers are due to have $5.7 million in cap space, and Duclair only demands a $3 million cap hit. He would be the ideal rental, and he could even find himself getting re-signed by Florida.
Researching Duclair’s prior success in Florida makes it a good move for the Panthers. He had 43 goals and 56 assists in 137 games as a Panther. He knows their offensive system more than anyone, and his style of play matches what the Panthers execute. It is a no-brainer.
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Columbus Blue Jackets – Ivan Provorov
Rumor: Per – James Wilson – nhltraderumors.me. The Blue Jackets are in selling mode, and Provorov could be dealt with under the right conditions.
The Columbus club sits fourth from the bottom of the NHL standings. Provorov is signed through the 2024-25 season at a reasonable $4.725 million. He does not possess any no-trade clauses, so he has no say in if he is to be dealt.
Ivan Provorov wires Roslovic’s feed past Quick on the rush, Jackets lead by 2!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/RhQ9gIXJKW
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 26, 2024
Two teams that could be interested in Provorov are the Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers. The Lightning have lost their star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to a severe lower-body injury and need a replacement. Provorov would do nicely. With Sergachev’s $8.5 million cap hit listed under long-term injury reserve, they will have $7.39 million in cap space to pay Provorov.
The Oilers have been all over the possibilities to improve their blueline. They only carry about $2.37 million in cap space but could move Cody Ceci and his $3.25 million contract to make room for Provorov.
Another fit (according to this writer) could be the Arizona Coyotes. They have the cap space and the draft picks, which could interest the Columbus club. The Coyotes have all seven starting blueliners about to head into free agency. They may only retain three at most, so Provorov could upgrade their blueline and augment their rebuild. Are you listening Bill Armstrong?
That concludes this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to pay close attention right here since the next few days could have explosive trades go down. Thanks for reading!