UPDATE:
Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 said that for mid-market teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues, they would have to overpay to re-sign/sign Artemi Panarin as geography will matter.
“So I’m looking at the Islanders – I think Panarin would love to play with Mat Barzal. I’m looking at even the Philadelphia Flyers, depending on what happens. I didn’t know this, maybe you guys did and it slipped under my radar – apparently Philadelphia came real close to acquiring Panarin at the draft last year.
TSN: Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 said that if the Toronto Maple Leafs make another trade that it would like have to be a money in, money out type of trade. This doesn’t mean they will close up shop.
The Maple Leafs were watching the Carolina Hurricanes and had focused on right-handed defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce.
“I think when push came to shove in the end, the problem was that Don Waddell and Carolina Hurricanes had to have a key roster player from the Toronto Maple Leafs to make the deal work. Is that Kasperi Kapanen? Is it (Andreas) Johnsson? What other pieces are we talking about? We don’t know – at least we don’t know yet.”
Frank Seravalli: Craig Button thinks that Philadelphia Flyers Wayne Simmonds or Carolina Hurricanes Micheal Ferland would be good “heavy” options for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
A lower-priority for the Maple Leafs heading to the deadline is a right-handed defenseman.
If money is coming in, the Leafs will likely have to move money out.
TSN: Bob McKenzie was asked about Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and if he could be traded. They don’t have to trade him, but they are willing to listen to trade offers on just about any player.
“But Gostisbehere is a real good young defenceman who hasn’t played to his potential with the Philadelphia Flyers recently, and you’ve got to be careful to give those guys away. They’ve got a lot of really young defencemen that are not NHL-proven there. They’re looking for a veteran goaltender to mentor Carter Hart and insulate him a little bit in his development. They’re looking for a veteran Top-4 defenceman to insulate some of their younger players and they’re looking for a veteran forward up front.”
They will either re-sign Wayne Simmonds or trade him at the deadline – he’ll more than likely be dealt.
Gostisbehere’s name has been out there if for the right price he could moved.
POSTED Jan 31, 2019 @ 09:13
“… I don’t know what the components were, but I know that Philadelphia felt like they were pretty close to getting Panarin at the draft.”
Now, Chuck Fletcher is the new GM in Philadelphia, but he has the assets and they could still be a possible landing spot.
Even though the New York Rangers are still building, they would still be in the mix.
The San Jose Sharks could be a maybe and the Los Angeles Kings may be a stretch according to Dreger.
“Oh, in the East I forgot Florida… So maybe it’s the Islanders, the Flyers, Florida in the East.
“The point being Artemi Panarin is going to have his pick of the litter, and I think they’re going to steal a page from the Maple Leafs. I think he’s going to get that seven-year term and $11 million AAV.”
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Derick Brassard knows his name is in the rumor mill. He tries to avoid it and focus just on playing.
“I don’t read much. I don’t read the papers or anything that’s going on but I follow sports like ESPN and the main stuff like that,” said Brassard as he grew uneasy with the question. “It is hard mentally sometimes to hear your name out there and not know what is going to happen.”
Dennis Bernstein: Blake on the Muzzin trade: “We’re at the bottom of the league. We made this deal for the future of team. The 1st round pick was key. We’re looking at a lot of different options, there are active calls around the league.”
John Hoven: Can expect that defenseman Alec Martinez will be traded at the trade deadline or at the draft. The return will likely be a second-round pick and either a third-round pick or a prospect.
NHL Prospects Watcher: Pierre McGuire last night on Toronto Maple Leafs pending restricted free agents Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner: “If they don’t have those guys signed by a certain period of time, there will be offer sheets. There will be offer sheets.”
Michael Traikos of the Toronto Sun: Toronto Maple Leafs pending RFA Auston Matthews worrying about getting his next contract signed quickly. The sides have been talking.
“I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s a relief,” Matthews said of wanting to get the contract signed. “I would say it’s just another step. For me, it’s not something I think about much. When it happens and it gets done, it gets done.”
Mitch Marner’s camp said they will wait until after the season.
Marner and Matthews don’t talk about their pending free agency when they are together.
“It’s not really something that comes up, I guess,” said Matthews. “If we do talk, it’s not really hockey-related, it’s really just anything. I think it’s just a big distraction as far as with the media and Toronto and the way they play it out and everything. But I don’t think it’s something that either of us stresses about too much in our minds. I just think we want to go out and play hockey and have fun.
“That’s why you have agents that take care of this stuff.”
Maple Leafs Hot Stove: Bob McKenzie was on TSN 1050 talking about Auston Matthews and his contract negotiations with the Maple Leafs. GM Kyle Dubas is only saying there is “healthy dialogue” but gets the sense that there is a chance a contract extension is in place before the trade deadline.
“I think there is a chance it could get done sooner rather than later is I think they’ve gotten off the… It is much, much, much less likely now that it will be a seven- or eight-year deal. I think the problem with an eight-year deal, even though I think Matthews initially wanted an eight-year deal, is that the number would just be so large.
All of these agents with players like this work with percentage of cap, and if you take Connor McDavid’s percentage of cap at the time he signed versus what the cap is going to be this year, you are looking at probably over $13 million a year for Auston Matthews. That starts to make the cookie jar a little too full for everyone else.
Now, I think it is much more likely to be a five-year deal or a six-year deal and the numbers would come down appropriately.”
McKenzie adds that the money could be in the $11.5 million range, with a $500,000 swing in either direction. Structure and signing bonuses would need to be figured out.
If the Maple Leafs hadn’t signed John Tavares this past offseason, believes Matthews would be getting an eight-year deal around $13 to $13.5 million a season.
“The one thing you can’t do, in my mind, is give Marner and Matthews the exact same term because you don’t want this situation happening again. You want to stagger it one way or the other. But that’s just me talking. I am no Kyle Dubas.”