In today’s NHL rumors rundown, NHL fans are a bit unsettled by the fact Patrick Kane was voted the best player in the NHL by the ESPY’s on Saturday night. How did this happen? Meanwhile, it doesn’t sound like the Philadelphia Flyers are going to be one of the final teams in on a Seth Jones trade. Did Kirill Kaprizov turn down an incredible offer from the Minnesota Wild? Finally, are the Edmonton Oilers more likely to buy out James Neal or Mikko Koskinen?
Flyers Out of the Running for Seth Jones?
For now Jones to the Flyers seems off as the team isn’t getting strong vibes there’s a commitment there in order to make the deal. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman commented on the Jones to Flyers chatter and believes this trade isn’t likely to happen.
“I’m not so sure if Philly is going to be able to pull off a Seth Jones deal,” Friedman said. “I think there’s a couple of places he would consider signing long-term now, but I’m not sure Philly’s one.” Because Jones might not be willing to discuss a contract discussion, the Flyers don’t want to risk giving up assets for a one-year rental. “I just heard that the big question would be would Jones sign in Philly, and I don’t think Philly’s that interested in doing this if they don’t think he will, or if he won’t commit to it now.”
Sharks Looking to Be Active in Trade Market
According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the San Jose Sharks may be among the busier teams this offseason when it comes to trades and players leaving an organization. He noted that a number of players are being shopped. He writes:
Names that have been dangled as potential bait include Kevin Labanc, Radim Simek and Dylan Gambrell. The club would prefer to make a so-called “hockey deal,” a trade that involves established NHL players on both sides, but is also hoping to gain more picks in the upcoming draft — something that general manager Doug Wilson has already said he expects to achieve.
source – ‘Sources: Sharks ‘open for business’ when it comes to trade talks with teams’ – Kevin Kurz – The Athletic – 07/10/021
Kane Named Best Player in NHL by EPSY’s
The ESPY’s have named Patrick Kane the NHL’s best player for 2021. No, that’s not a typo, and yes, fans are poking fun at ESPN and Turner Sports who are moving forward as one of the NHL’s major television network partners.
This is not to suggest that Kane is a bad player. He’s still incredibly gifted and was in the NHL’s Top 10 for scoring. But, that he won the award over some obviously more deserving candidates like Connor McDavid — who earned 105 points in 56 games — is not a great reflection on where NHL coverage might be going in the United States.
Winners for each award were determined by fan vote on ESPN’s app and website, so it shouldn’t come as a total shock the vote turned out this way. If you’re putting this kind of result in the hands of U.S.- based fans on a U.S.- based network, it makes sense a U.S.-born player on a U.S.-based team would win.
Related: Blackhawks 2021 First Round Draft Targets: Defensemen
Kaprizov Rejects Massive Offer From Wild
Minnesota Wild insider Mike Russo was a guest on the Daily Face Off podcast and reports that the negotiations between the Wild and Kirill Karpizov have gotten very interesting and taken an unexpected turn. Russo reports that GM Bill Guerin already made a very significant offer, in fact, multiple offers that Kaprizov has rejected.
With just 55 career games on his NHL resume, Russo said that the two sides are likely to settle on a four or five-year deal. The Wild don’t want to sign three years or less and walk him into free agency where the belief is he might bolt. Kaprizovi’s side doesn’t want to sign a long-term deal because they believe he could be a $10 or $11 million player down the road.
“My gut says they were offering around $9 million on an 8 year deal and probably $8.5 [million] or $8 [million] on a 7 year deal. Right now that has not only not been accepted but its been pretty much rejected from Kaprizov’s camp. So this is like one of the first negotiations I have ever covered where the team is throwing the world at a player that has played 55 games and he’s like ‘No I want a lot less money and a lot less term.’”
Oilers to Buy Out Koskinen?
TSN 1260’s Jason Gregor said via Twitter that the Oilers could view goaltender Mikko Koskinen lesser of a two evils when it comes to a buy out. He writes, “Makes more sense for EDM to buyout Koskinen than Neal. Only one year of dead cap space and still saves $3m in cap space ($3.8m for Neal).”
Most insiders seem to think Neal is the obvious choice here but Gregor argues that Neal could still pot the Oilers 15-18 goals and Edmonton might be focused on adding a different netminder.
Jim Parsons is a senior THW freelance writer, part-time journalist and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps and breathes NHL news and rumors, while also writing features on the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted source for five-plus years at The Hockey Writers, but more than that, he’s on a mission to keep readers up to date with the latest NHL rumors and trade talk. Jim is a daily must for readers who want to be “in the know.”
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