Only one Ranger has won the King Clancy Award

If Henrik Lundqvist would’ve won, he’d be only the second Blueshirt to win it. Adam Graves is the only New York Ranger to win the award. He did this in the Blueshirts Cup winning season of 1994.

Check out my East Final predictions here

Wild in Minnesota

Bruce Boudreau has been dismissed as the Wild head coach leading to more speculation that an overhaul of the roster is inevitable. The reason for that thinking is because the Wild were making a playoff push and were only three points out of a wildcard spot. It’s basically a signal that management has made a decision to start looking to next season already.

Everyone knows that the two biggest names they have to move are Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin. Both are young blue liners with term that teams like Carolina, Winnipeg, and Toronto are looking for. Still, GM Bill Guerin has plenty of other assets he can move. One such player is Eric Staal who has only one year left on his deal at a reasonable 3.25M AAV. A team like the Islanders would jump at him in a heartbeat.

Waving Goodbye?

There are several aging veterans with No Move Clauses that will be of serious interest if they opt to waive them. The three big names are Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith, and Henrik Lundqvist. If any of them do decide they’d like to go to a contender for one final playoff run, it would certainly change the dynamic of the deadline.

We’ve talked about Joe Thornton in our daily NHL rumor mill several times, but Duncan Keith is a new entrant to our daily espousing of trade talk. The 36 year old defenseman still has 3 years left on a deal that comes with a cap hit of $5.5M. If he does decide to waive, the Hawks will need to likely eat half that salary for the remaining term.

Henrik Lundqvist who only has one more year left is the least likely to waive. The 37 year old has not started for the Rangers since February 3rd, in a loss to Dallas where he was pulled. That’s 6 games without a start, and was just passed over in back to backs last night with Alexandar Georgiev starting both. A showcase for the young Bulgarian goalie, or the start of Hank’s long goodbye? We will soon find out.

Canes Ready to Deal

Pierre Lebrun recently reported that Carolina will trade one of their 2 first round picks for either Matt Dumba, Damon Severson, Rasmus Ristolainen, or Brandon Montour.

Will Kreider Be Moved?

You have to wonder how the latest news that the Rangers and Chris Kreider have started negotiations impacts some teams like Boston and St. Louis? Will they just play it safe and focus their attention on Tyler Toffoli who will cost them significantly less?

“I think I’d be disingenuous to try to embody how someone else went about this situation, so I’m just trying to be myself every day,” Kreider said. “I feel like my name’s been out there for the last seven years. It’s just the nature of the beast.”

CBC

Here’s the important thing for everyone to understand, while the two sides are talking the Rangers have not stopped listening to offers. Ultimately the Rangers are going to have to look at where they are, look at the cap, and realize thar package is going to go a long way to get to Cup contention.

Wild in Minny?

Wild GM, Bill Guerin told reporters after moving Jason Zucker not to assume more trades are coming, but he also didn’t say they wouldn’t. Like I said, lots of teams are dealing with injuries and need a defenseman that isn’t a rental. Carolina being one of those teams with a 1st round pick to spare for Matt Dumba.

Guerin wouldn’t discuss specifics, but, according to industry buzz, the most asked-about player on his roster is Jonas Brodin, followed by Mathew Dumba. (I’d bet there’s a bit for Marcus Foligno, too.) I don’t get the sense he’s inclined to do anything with either, unless it involves an elite centre, or maybe a No. 2 centre, providing that includes something extra — like a couple of first-rounders or something along those lines.

31 Thoughts

Columbus on the hunt

There’s no doubt that Columbus is in the market for a defenseman. I expect them to make a strong push for Martinez from LA immediately. Also note that they lost Cam Atkinson is also sidelined for 3 weeks, so how about Toffoli too?

Trading Taylor Hall again?

Let’s make it quick because this rumor has surfaced since Hall is still set to be a UFA this summer. Last night, Pierre Lebrun basically laughed it off on TSN’s Insider Trading stating that both sides recently had dinner in Montreal and they should get something done this summer.

Lightning and Bruins Looking For Jumbo Joe

According to Frank Seravalli, the Lightning and Bruins have talked about adding Joe Thornton…if he decides to waive his clause and be traded.

Canes Looking for D

Last night on Insider Trading they also noted Carolina will trade one of their 2 first rounders for a defenseman with term. Could Minnesota trade Matt Dumba or Jonas Brodin tomCarolina? While a first round pick is a start, Canes better be ready to offer more.

Canucks Looking to Beef Up

The NJ Devils will be sellers at the deadline, and one player drawing interest is power forward Wayne Simmonds. The 31 year old UFA rental has respectable numbers with 5 goals and 19 points on a downright awful hockey club this season. He’d be a perfect fit in Vancouver who are looking to beef up for the playoffs. The Devils can’t expect more than a 2nd round pick in return, but that franchise is thinking about building around Jack Hughes now for the foreseeable future. Pierre Lebrun recently noted that the Canucks were considering signing him this summer before NJ did.

P.K. Subban Traded Again?

I am hearing some rumblings out of NJ that after this disastrous season the Devils may consider trading Subban for a monster package of picks, prospects or young NHL players. The future in NJ is all around Jack Hughes and keeping the 30 year old Subban isn’t a bad idea, but the return could be immense. And while he comes with a 9M cap hit, his base salary next season is just $2M (+6M signing bonus) which means it could open him up to a number of small market teams as well.

Leafs targeting Dumba and Manson

With Morgan Rielly and now Cody Ceci out with injury the Leafs are scouring the market for a defenseman. The Toronto Sun is speculating that either Minnesota’s Matt Dumba or Anaheim’s Josh Manson are possible targets. After acquiring a cheap backup and a depth forward, Kyle Dubas could use Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen to make a deal work.

New York Nonsense

Pierre Lebrun reported yesterday that the Rangers and Chris Kreider are going to talk contract in the next coming days. I spoke with a team source and was told this is just part of the process and the first step of many. This happened with Kevin Hayes last year as well and the Rangers still moved him at the deadline. I do expect the same here, but I also expect an attempt to sign him in the offseason.

However, the biggest news coming out of NY is from Larry Brooks as he not only speculates about buying out Henrik Lundqvist but trading Jacob Trouba before his NMC kicks in. I wrote about the insanity of a buyout here and discussing Trouba makes no sense at all to me.

Last note out of NY is on RFA Tony DeAngelo who spoke with Lohud on his future. His responses were standard but in conclusion he felt pretty confident he would remain a Ranger this summer.

Matt Dumba

51 Games: 3G, 13A – 25 years old – $6M AAV – UFA 2023

The Wild are said to be ready to enter rebuild mode, which should be centered around a defenseman like Dumba. However, trading him before his modified NTC kicks in 2021 would make sense and also kick start the effort. Right handed first pair defenseman with 50 point ability is hard to come by.

Shayne Gostibehere

40 Games: 5G, 18A – 27 years old – $4.5M AAV – UFA 2023

So Ghost is struggling in Philly, of that there’s no doubt. He is still young and scored a whopping 65 points two seasons ago. The left handed defenseman can help many teams including the Winnipeg Jets. The Flyers could use some more offensive scoring up front, but moving him for prospects could help with their cap situation.

Sami Vatanen

47 Games: 5G, 13A – 28 years old – $4.85M AAV – UFA 2020

The Devils are going nowhere and Vatanen is likely not going to re-up with them this summer. He is an absolute rental and the type of defenseman teams look for to bolster the blueline for a playoff run. As a rental he could fetch NJ a conditional pick and a prospect.

Alec Martinez

35 Games: 1G, 7A – 32 years old – $4M AAV – UFA 2021

L.A. already tried moving him and rumor mill has him available again. The Kings may need to eat some of his salary in a deal with some contenders near the cap ceiling, but can expect at least a 2nd rounder for a solid defender with Stanley Cup winning experience.

Brenden Dillon

53 Games: 1G, 12A – 29 years old – $3.27M AAV – UFA 2020

Sharks are done and need to rebuild, end of story, Dillon is a big blue-liner who is a cheap rental and could fetch them a 3rd round draft pick. Teams that miss out on Vatanen and Martinez will look here for help.

What If?

There is one RFA on defense that could turn the market on its head if he was made available. Tony DeAngelo is on fire with 40 points in 51 games. Should the Rangers choose to take offers on him, they could get a windfall. Let’s just say that I doubt they will consider trading him, but concerns about what he will command this summer have raised the possibility.

Jets get needed cap space

TSN’s Frank Seravalli got the news the Jets and Dustin Byfuglien will part ways. That is going to give them over $7M in cap space to make a run at the trade deadline and address their biggest need for defense. The consensus is that GM, Kevin Cheveldayoff isn’t looking at a rental after being burned by Kevin Hayes this past summer and wants to make a hockey trade. This will make it even tougher for the Maple Leafs who are also in the market for a top four defenseman (left side).

Leafs goaltending situation gets worse

Last night the Leafs starting goaltender, Frederik Andersen left the game with an apparent head injury. Early reports look good but they called up Kasimir Kaskisuo just in case. So now what are the Leafs going to address first, defense or their glaring issues in net as their backups continue to struggle. Considering that more teams are in the market for blue-liners at the deadline, I expect GM Kyle Dubas to turn his eyes back to the goalie market and specifically the Rangers Alexander Georgiev.

The Blueshirts are still very interested in Kasperi Kapanen in order to ease prized prospect, Kaapo Kakko’s transition with a fellow countryman in the lineup. Jeff Gorton could possibly send Libor Hajek along in the deal to help the Leafs defensive concerns if Dubas will sweeten the pot with a future 1st round pick or another top prospect.

Trading Dumba

The Minnesota Wild are said to be sellers in the upcoming deadline and the biggest asset they may trade is defenseman Matt Dumba. At a $6M cap hit, the 25 year old defenseman is cost controlled until 2023. The Leafs are said to be interested but with Jets in the market for a top four blue liner with term and plenty of cap space, I expect them to go hard after and land him. The Jets also have the assets to get Matt Dumba in Winnipeg.

@NHLRumorsDaily here again, on one of the most exciting days of the NHL offseason; Draft Day! Many rumors are going to fly today, and I and the members of FullTiltNYR will do our best to keep you up to date on the latest involving the Blueshirts and the rest of the NHL on Twitter and on our website. The most “up-to-the-minute” info can be found on Twitter, @NHLRumorsDaily, however I will periodically provide exclusive updates throughout the day that you can only find here, at FullTiltNYR.com. Without further ado, let’s head to this morning’s update!

NYR Don’t See a Fit in the Desert?

One of the biggest rumors in Rangerstown has been the talk of a Derek Stepan trade to Arizona, but the latest from Larry Brooks shows that may not be the case.

Sources tell me that although Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has been taking calls on Stepan, there has yet to be a team involved that has the top-four defenseman that the Rangers desire. At this point, I know of two teams, Montreal and Arizona, who have expressed the most interest in Stepan.

NYR in on Evander Kane?

Although the focus for the Blueshirts has been finding a top-four defenseman, I still think the Rangers are in need of a goal scoring, top-6 winger and Evander Kane of the Buffalo Sabres still has the potential to be that player. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported this morning that the Rangers may be one of the teams that have spoken to the Sabres about the 25-year-old. Not much else is known at this time, but it is something to watch for as the day progresses.

Around The League

Quick hits from around the league this morning:

• TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the NJ Devils are a team to watch in the Alex Galchenyuk sweepstakes.
• Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the NY Islanders are seeking 2 1st round picks in return for Travis Hamonic; The Calgary Flames are most interested
• In addition to the Rangers, Dreger lists the Sharks and Ducks as teams that are interested in Evander Kane
• The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed D Kris Russell to a 4 year, 16 million dollar deal.
• Minnesota has been looking to trade one of their defensemen and it appears that Marco Scandella will be the odd man out, but there is equal interest in Matt Dumba. Sources tell me that Montreal and Boston have expressed the most interest in Scandella, and not to count out Dallas on Dumba.
• Arizona will definitely be a team to watch today. They’re looking for centers and goaltending, and are expected to be making a few trades.

That’s all I have for this morning, but for “up-to-the-minute” info, follow @NHLRumorsDaily and @FullTiltNYRBlog on twitter, and keep checking FullTiltNYR.com for any breaking news throughout the day. Cheers!

Late Wednesday night was a show for all NHL fans across the league, whether it was the Expansion Draft or the NHL Awards. This is also the night before the trade ban will be lifted. So with that being said, there is a lot of speculation flying around the league for every team.

Last night Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star-Tribune was told by Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher there absolutely could be a defenseman traded by the weekend. Now with that being said right before the Expansion Draft trade ban, the New York Rangers were dangling Derek Stepan out in the market looking for a partner for Ryan McDonagh.

Last summer Wild GM Fletcher had high hopes of landing Stepan, even though the Rangers were reluctant to move him. They later dealt Derick Brassard in a shocking midsummer trade with Ottawa, acquiring the younger and cheaper Mika Zibanejad.

The Wild have three good options for the Rangers to try and trade for; Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin, and Matt Dumba. While Scandella and Brodin are both solid defensemen in their own right, they aren’t as necessary for the Blueshirts to acquire. Dumba is a right-handed defenseman with a wicked slapshot, has the ability to rush the puck up the ice, and is very good in his own end. If I’m Jeff Gorton, going after Dumba makes the most sense. He has the speed to keep up with AV’s system, and he would definitely help out on the powerplay.

Chris Kreider has submitted what he is seeking in arbitration and the Rangers have countered. While Larry Brooks has indicated that the two sides are trying to work out a longterm deal, there is still much that could happen between now and tomorrow morning.

Per Aaron Ward, Chris Kreider submitted contract figure of $4.75 million for arbitration. Rangers in at $3.2 million.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) July 20, 2016

We know that it is highly unlikely to make it to the arbitrator, if it does a 1 year award around 3.8 to 4M will be the reward. That is not what the Rangers want because another 20 goal season or better will mean a much higher contract then what is currently being discussed.

[su_quote cite=”Per Larry Brooks” url=”https://nypost.com/2016/07/20/the-long-term-deal-gulf-facing-rangers-kreider-before-hearing/”]The parties are in ongoing negotiations concerning a four- or five-year deal that would buy out No. 20’s first two or three years of unrestricted free agency. It is believed the Rangers are offering in the neighborhood of $4.75 million per with Kreider seeking approximately $5.25 million per[/su_quote]

Should the Rangers and Kreider not find common ground by late this evening, the possibility of a trade increases exponentially.

Rangers and Minnesota Still Talking?

One team that seems to still get connected to the Rangers is Minnesota. The rumor mill continues to have Jeff Gorton interested in acquiring young defenseman Matt Dumba. The Wild are looking for more scoring up front and we could be seeing a swap of RFA’s soon.

The potential of a Kevin Hayes for Dumba swap might make sense for both sides as the Rangers are rich up front and in desperate need of help in the back. A larger deal centered around Chris Kreider for Dumba and more should not be considered out of the realm of possibility.

Read More

Rangers arbitration dates

Matt Dumba Rumors