In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is some thought that the Carolina Hurricanes might have interest in Robin Lehner, the Washington Capitals might be willing to walk away from Braden Holtby and the Chicago Blackhawks willing to trade Dylan Strome.
The Toronto Maple Leafs get their guy and the Boston Bruins could be losing one of their best defensemen.
Hurricanes and Robin Lehner a Fit?
Josh Wegman of The Score recently looked at what some NHL Metropolitan Division teams might do and specifically wondered how the Carolina Hurricanes will approach their goaltending situation.
Wegman wondered if the Hurricanes might attempt to sign Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner via free agency. He’ll be among the most interesting names in the pool of netminders to watch and the dollar figure he’s interested in getting may be one of the storylines of the summer considering his recent contract history and an uncertain salary cap.
The Hurricanes’ current goalie tandem of James Reimer and Petr Mrazek is under contract for one more season, but wasn’t exactly the shining spot for the organization. GM Don Waddell would need to move a goalie to sign Lehner and there’s the question of what Waddell plans to do about replacing players like Justin Williams, Sami Vatanen, Joel Edmundson, and Trevor van Riemsdyk.
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Capitals to Let Holtby Walk
Wegman also notes that it’s possible the Washington Capitals are comfortable with Ilya Samsonov taking over as their full-time starting goalie and potentially signing an inexpensive backup. That would likely mean letting Braden Holtby simply walk away in free agency.
The money the Capitals would then save not re-signing Holtby could be used to make a bit of a splash in the free-agent market on a one-year contract.
Maple Leafs Sign Barabanov
After a couple of weeks or rumors, the Toronto Maple Leafs have finally signed a KHL player they were heavily in on. They landed forward Alexander Barabanov.
Beating out other teams like the Arizona Coyoties, the Maple Leafs announced a one-year entry-level contract which kicks in for the 2020-21 season.
Dylan Strome Available in Trade
Elliotte Friedman said on WGR 550 radio last Thursday that the Chicago Blackhawks have made forward Dylan Strome available in a trade. “I don’t think the cost is particularly prohibitive,” he added.
Strome came over from the Arizona Coyotes and did extremely well upon his arrival, Unfortunately, this season was not as strong as the previous one as he scored 13 fewer points in the same amount of games. Strome is a pending restricted free agent at the end of the season.
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Bill Peters Heading to KHL?
Igor Eronko reports that former Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters is one of four candidates for the head coaching vacancy with Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist of the KHL. Likely out of consideration for any future jobs in the NHL, Peters would have needed to look internationally for work.
Did Krug Hint His Time as a Bruin Is Over?
One of the questions this summer surrounding the Boston Bruins will be whether or not they are able to re-sign blue liner Torey Krug. Krug himself seems to be wondering that too as he spoke on this NHL pause and what it might mean for his future in Boston.
“For me personally, I really hope I did not play my last game as a Boston Bruin,” Krug said on a conference call, per Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston . “It’s been a special place for me and my family to grow. My love for the game and playing in front of these fans has been very special to me. But (this situation) hasn’t given me any clarity.”
“Things are going to look different from a salary-cap perspective next season,” Krug said. “Team structures as well are going to be affected by it, but I have no clarity about it. … It’s just the reality of the situation.”
The comments seemed to suggest he’s got a certain number in mind for what he believes he’s worth and isn’t sure the Bruins can afford it.
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