Penguins On the Hunt

Perennial contenders Pittsburgh are looking to get themselves loaded for the playoffs. According to Pittsburgh Hockey Now they are targeting teams out West to deal with. At forward they are interested in Minnesota forward, Jason Zucker. They are interested in the UFA rental department, specifically Alec Martinez (1 year left), and Brenden Dillon. Additionally on Sportsnet, the Penguins were linked to Tyler Toffoli.

Alec Martinez Likely Next to Go

If I had to pick the next player to be traded, it would be Alec Martinez. Sounds like there are a number of suitors and Chris Johnston said on Sportsnet last night Winnipeg are in the mix. You can include the Leafs and Panthers in that mix as well.

Not Available Habs

Earlier in the week rumors surfaced that Tomas Tatar was available in Montreal. Well pump the brakes on that one.

Oilers Getting Slick

The Oilers will be buyers at the deadline, but I wouldn’t expect a major move like say Chris Kreider, although if they give up Jesse Puljujarvi and their 1st, it could happen (remember Kreider’s has a list and will he ok the deal?). It’s more likely that Edmonton will target guys like Ilya Kovalchuk and maybe Kyle Palmieri for the playoffs.

TSN’s Latest Trade Bait List

Here is TSN’s Top 20:

Latest Buzz

The Leafs are focused on a top 4 defenseman that can play the left side. They are loaded at forward and have made Kasperi Kapanen (RW) available. Well last night Kapanen was scratched according head coach Sheldon Keefe for “internal accountability” and it was a one time thing. We will see if that is the case, as he’s been attached to rumors for Minnesota’s Matt Dumba.

Montreal is said to be moving Ilya Kovalchuk (#3 on the list) for a 2nd round pick at the deadline. Boston is still interested in landing Chris Kreider (#1) but may not have what it takes to outbid Colorado or St. Louis so they and the Penguins are hard after Tyler Toffoli (#6).

Lastly, Winnipeg is also looking for a top 4 defenseman and may have the cap space to do it once Dustin Byfuglien makes it official he is not returning. That could make the market for defenseman even tougher and thus more costly.

Ilya Kovalchuk is on the outs in L.A.. He is no longer going to dress for the foreseeable future and it sounds like the Kings are working on his release.

That foreseeable future has an important date of December 15th. That is when he will receive a bonus, so you can expect the Kings to aggressively attempt to trade him. My thought is it will be no avail and L.A. is going to have to take the full financial hit.

L.A. Drama

Can the Kings trade him? It’s unlikely considering his salary and the fact he has a full no trade clause. That means he is either heading back to the KHL, which I feel is the likely conclusion, or sign with an NHL team.

Once Kovalchuk’s contract is terminated by the Kings, which will not offer Los Angeles cap relief as he’s signed to a 35-plus contract, he will be presented with several options: he could return to the KHL, but he will also be free to join another NHL organization, likely on a deal worth significantly less as a low-risk, high-reward option for an offensively starved team. 

THN

NY Pit-stop

Everyone still remembers that there were plenty of reports Kovalchuk would sign with the Rangers. The sides did talk, but Ilya’s $6M demand was not something Jeff Gorton was interested in. So what about a 1 year deal at $1-2M dollars sound? To be honest, pretty good.

Taking a risk on Kovalchuk to play on your third line and 2nd PP unit isn’t a terrible idea. Especially since Vitali Kravtsov opted to go back to the KHL this season. The move would add an offensive player to the team’s third line and bump McKegg or Smith off the 4th line and improve Lias Andersson’s wingers. David Quinn could even put Ilya on the 4th line to help see what you have in Andersson.

Bottom line is if he is released and a UFA who will take a short term – low money deal it may not be a bad idea. At the end of the day, I expect Kovalchuk will end his playing career in Russia.

Ilya Kovalchuk has agreed to sign with the L.A. Kings for a whopping $6.25M per season for the next 3 years.

KHL’s leading scorer and 2018 Olympic MVP Ilya Kovalchuk will join the LA Kings for the 2018-19 season after agreeing to terms on a 3-year contract.https://t.co/xp15gyuKBu

— LA Kings (@LAKings) June 23, 2018

Kovalchuk deal is three years with an AAV of $6.25M. Same as Patrick Marleau.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 23, 2018

Gorton Rightfully Passed

While the rumors had Kovalchuk going to the Rangers dating all the way back to last season, Gorton was right to pass on him at those numbers. The Rangers do have a lot of Russians projected to play a prominent role within the next 2 years and he would’ve have been a great mentor, but not at that price.

The story that Ilya wanted to win a Cup was also a ruse considering L.A. is not going into next season a Cup favorite. If he wanted a Cup above all else, Washington and Pittsburgh would have easily given him a one year deal for about $1-2 million.

Ultimately this was all about money and the Rangers have plenty, but it should be used on younger players. The Rangers have many RFA’s to sign and could use that money to sign John Carlson this summer.

As we head towards the NHL draft tonight, NY Post beat writer Larry Brooks took to twitter and posted this:

Kovalchuk

Remains unlikely given the state of the team, but told Kovalchuk still has eyes for Rangers.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) June 22, 2018

While the majority of reports from the insiders don’t mention the Rangers and Kovalchuk, Larry Brooks reaffirms what I have been hearing that he still remains interested in the Rangers, even if it may not be reciprocal.

Let’s get through the draft and see where Gorton and the Rangers are with Ilya before we say this one is through.

Calgary trade rumors Flame Out?

As reported here long ago, Rangers have no interest in Dougie Hamilton. Flames believed not to have made Adam Fox available but sure sounds like Travis Hamonic could be had.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) June 22, 2018

If this is the case, then I find it hard pressed for the Rangers to make any deal with the Flames involving Mats Zuccarello or Kevin Hayes.

If you’re a hockey fan, you are dead smack in the middle of summer hockey rumors season. The NHL draft marks the midway point of this crazy period in hockey that concludes once Free Agent Frenzy dies down. If you’re a Rangers fans, this silly season really hasn’t stopped since the moment the organization announced a commitment to rebuild.

There are many rumors and stories out there. So many in fact, that not only are Rangers fans confused, but so are many of the beat writers as well. This is simply my attempt to give some probability to each.

Tavares on Broadway

The Rangers were ready to make a big offer if Tavares decided to go to the Free Agent market. There is still a slim possibility he will at least talk to some teams before free agency opens but the Islanders have proven they want to win. The hiring of Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz should be enough to bring JT back home. That and the fact only the Islanders can give him an 8 year deal means he isn’t going anywhere.

Probability: Extremely Low

Trading for Karlsson

This one has been widely talked about over the last few days. If the Senators feel forced to move him, and Karlsson is only willing to talk to 1 or 2 teams about an extension prior to a trade maybe the Rangers can get him at a reasonable price. The truth is that the Sens aren’t forced and they also want to have a team take on Bobby Ryan’s contract too. It just doesn’t make sense for a rebuilding team.

Probability: Low

Zuccarello Staying or Going

A week ago, Larry Brooks was reporting that Zuccarello was going to be at camp unless something happened by the draft. Yesterday, we heard that Zuccarello was being talked about at the NHL Awards show. So what happened? I believe once the rumors of Tavares likely staying put gained steamed (Barry Trotz said he spoke with upon his hiring), the Rangers revisited the possibility of moving the veteran forward.

Probability: 50/50

Rangers Trade either Namestnikov or Spooner at the Draft

This has been talked about for weeks and if the Rangers want to move a few spots from #9 to say #5 or #26 into the teens, they could use either as a sweetener. Even if they don’t utilize either for that tonight, it’s possible they could trade one or both before July 1st in another deal.

Probability: Extremely High

Kevin Hayes Being Traded

This is one name that has been talked about a lot recently and if the deal is right, Hayes could be on the go. He certainly represents Jeff Gorton’s best chance to either a) move into the top 3 in the draft, or b) land a defenseman like Doug Hamilton in Calgary.

Probability: Low

Kovalchuk Signs with Rangers

What a long road Rangers fans have been on here. The latest rumors has an offer on the table from LA, with Boston, SJ, and Vegas also in the mix. Amazing how the Rangers have walked away from him, or have they? Gorton said he would revisit and I’ve yet to hear that has changed. So let’s just say that Kovalchuk may still have one more conversation with Gorton before going elsewhere.

Probability: 50/50

Rangers Stay the Course and select 9th

The Rangers aren’t likely to make all three picks in the 1st round. At least not all three picks in their current slots. However, it is very likely the Rangers would move either the 26th or 28th selection to move into the teens of this draft and nab another highly touted player in this deep pool.

Probability: Extremely High

Here are the latest rumblings around Rangerstown.

Salary Cap

The NHL announced that the salary cap for the 2018-19 season will be set at $79.5M, while the floor will be at $58.8M.

2018-19 Schedule

The schedule for the 2018-19 season was announced a few moments ago. It is still too early to give a prediction, but this will certainly be an exciting season!

Ilya Kovalchuk Latest

The Ilya Kovalchuk discussions are heating up, and Darren Dreger reports that most of the teams interested in the veteran winger are out west. However, that doesn’t mean the Rangers should be counted out just yet.

Kovalchuk and the Rangers

From what I’ve learned, seen, read, and heard dating all the way back to last season, I don’t believe the Rangers are out of the mix. I even tweeted this out earlier today:

Kovalchuk wants to play for the #NYR. The #NYR would like to have him. He wants 3 years and 6M. They don’t want to pay that. He’s using other teams to help him drive up his value. He will take offers to Gorton and if he signs with the #NYR it will likely be for a little less.

— Forever Blueshirts (@4EverBlueshirts) June 20, 2018

At this point, Kovalchuk and the Rangers are playing out like a soap opera. Reporters out of Russia claimed in April he had a deal with the Rangers but couldn’t sign it to July 1st. Then Kovalchuk stated that he never spoke to the Rangers and this was all made up before flying over and then having conversations with the Rangers.

Still, the most revealing and important piece of information in this whole entire drama came directly from the mouth of Jeff Gorton at the NHL Draft Lottery. He said, “It’s fair to say that’s something we’re going to look at again further and see what’s going on.”  So why are we to disregard months of info and a quote from Gorton only to assume the Rangers are out on Kovalchuk? Simply put, no one should.

The draft is this Friday, and the Rangers must focus on that for sure. However, I don’t think we have heard the last of Kovalchuk and the Rangers yet.

The NHL draft is this Friday night and the Rangers have 3 selections in the first round plus plenty of cap space to make things interesting. Rumors were buzzing before Larry Brooks’ latest edition of Slap Shots and things are only likely to heat up from here on out.

Trade Possibilities

For weeks insiders have been speculating that it is highly improbable that the Rangers will retain all of their RFA’s. The focus and rightly so are on the Big Five, namely Kevin Hayes, Brady Skjei, Jimmy Vesey, Vlad Namestnikov, and Ryan Spooner. The main line of thought is that either Namestnikov or Spooner would be the odd man out.

Now, it sounds like all the buzz is that Kevin Hayes will be used to either land a defenseman like Dougie Hamilton in Calgary or as a centerpiece to move up in the draft. While that seems plausible, the Rangers could be using Hayes to draw more interest from teams to raise someone else’s value like the often mentioned Namestnikov or Spooner.

Of all the names mentioned above, I can not see Brady Skjei being moved unless it is in a blockbuster deal for a superstar defenseman like Erik Karlsson or a superstar forward who may become available at the draft.

Draft Possibilities

The Rangers have basically stated they will select the best player available. However, they want a legit top 6 forward with their first pick. Many experts are out there doing their mock drafts. One even had Filip Zadina falling to #9, which I think is crazy and beyond unlikely. Of course, the possibility of Oliver Wahlstrom, Jesperi Kotkaniemi or even Brady Tkachuk falling to nine would indicate to me no need for the Rangers to make a trade to move up.

However, if Carolina is serious about moving the #2 pick and the Rangers could use it to draft Andrei Svechnikov, then this must be explored. Even if it means packaging Kevin Hayes, Brady Skjei and another player with the #9 pick for maybe Jeff Skinner and the #2 selection.

The Rangers simply do not have a top line scoring superstar in their system and the only forward in this draft that seems to be a surefire one is Svechnikov. It would be a steep price and a bold move for sure.

Ilya Kovalchuk

This is going to be a big week for the Ilya Kovalchuk camp. They are out there talking to a lot of teams and I expect that he and Jeff Gorton will touch base before the draft. While Kovalchuk wants to win a Cup, it doesn’t mean he needs to win it this season. If that were the case he’d take a 1 year deal at 1 million and sign with Washington or Pittsburgh.

The fact is he wants his money more and that’s why if the plan looks decent, he will sign with the Rangers. It isn’t a sure thing but that seems to be what most believe and the odds makers in Vegas have the Rangers as favorites.

Larry Brooks packed a ton of information in his latest edition of Slap Shots this Sunday. I urge everyone to give it a read here, but I will break it down with my perspective below.

Leon Draisaitl to NY

First off….YES! Secondly, highly unlikely!

Larry Brooks wrote that the Rangers might consider taking on all of Milan Lucic’s awful and long contract if Edmonton were to add Leon Draisaitl. Consider? I don’t know if Brooks is joking here or what, but Jeff Gorton would jump all over that!

Well, here’s how Edmonton writers responded.

It’s laughable that anybody thinks Draisaitl is available. No way, no how. Not even for Karlsson.

— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) June 17, 2018

It’s that time of year where New York and Toronto hockey speculators come up with laughable trade rumours that undervalue #Oilers players.

The latest silly speculation?

Leon Draisaitl & Milan Lucic for Brady Skjei, say NYPost.

I kid you not.https://t.co/Fuf2EnCftj pic.twitter.com/nic3yS83Xm

— David Staples (@dstaples) June 17, 2018

RFA’s Qualified

We’ve been talking about the Rangers RFA’s for awhile now. Brooks informs us that they have been qualified but the likelihood of them all being on the ice for training camp is zero. That’s a big statement to make but coincides with the rumor buzz that one of either Jimmy Vesey, Vlad Namestnikov, Ryan Spooner, Brady Skjei, or Kevin Hayes will be moved.

High Interest in Kevin Hayes

According to Brooks, lots of interest in Hayes. This is a bit of a stunner because Hayes is a big versatile forward who can play center or the wing. But the Blueshirts have plenty of those players stockpiled in Lias Andersson, Vlad Namestnikov, etc…

In truth, of all the RFA’s the Rangers have Kevin Hayes could bring back a big defenseman or help move up in the draft. Hayes’ good buddy and old college teammate Johnny Gaudreau is in Calgary and a potential swap for defenseman, Dougie Hamilton might make some sense. Also, if the Rangers can feature Hayes and the #9 pick with some sweetners to Carolina for the #2 pick, they can get the highly coveted Andrei Svechnikov.

Keeping Zuccarello

Per Brooks, he feels that Mats Zuccarello will be reporting to camp this summer. There is also some hedging in his article that if Gorton has a change of heart at the draft he could be moved.

My take on Zuccarello this whole time is that the Rangers will keep him and possibly name him captain. He’s the perfect player to help lead these kids too.

Latest on Kovalchuk

Ilya is on the East coast talking with teams about coming back. We know for certain he met with Boston this weekend but Brooks is saying that Ilya still remains interested in the Rangers. He adds the caveat that Ilya wants the Rangers to go out and add more pieces to entice him to come though.

I’m still of the mindset that if the Rangers give Kovalchuk either 6 million for 2 years or goes 5 million for 3 years, he will come to NY. On a side note, throw in the St. Louis Blues as a team with keen interest in him too.

The Ilya Kovalchuk interest is starting to build with the @StLouisBlues. https://t.co/bXaEPs0WRf

— NHL (@NHL) June 16, 2018