In today’s NHL rumors rundown, there is some injury news when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Ottawa Senators have spoken to goaltender Matt Murray and it sounds like he’ll be back with the team at some point. There are updates when it comes to a Joonas Korpisalo trade and which Montreal Canadiens players who have long-term contracts could wind up being traded?
Updates on Marner and Sandin for Leafs
According to Nick Kypreos, “Sounding like Marner could be out of the @Leafs line up longer than expected.” Both Marner and defenseman Rasmus Sandin have been added to injured reserve. The team has called up Alex Steeves, Kristiāns Rubīns, and Alex Biega from the Marlies.
Forward Joey Anderson has been loaned to the Marlies.
Forward Mitch Marner & defenceman Rasmus Sandin have been added to injured reserve.
Some reports suggest that Marner could be out for another week or two while the news on Sandin is that he could be out two or three weeks.
As for Jason Spezza’s fate, his hearing for his kneeing hit on Neal Pionk is scheduled for 1 pm today, and the Leafs will have to assume he’s not available tonight.
Murray Will Be Back With Senators This Season
As per a report by Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion talked to goaltender Matt Murray and his agent Rob Hooper over the phone on Friday. While Dorion wouldn’t talk about the details of that conversation, he did say that Murray would eventually be back with the Senators at some point this season.
Blue Jackets Speaking to Teams About Korpisalo
NHL insider Frank Seravalli has Joonas Korpisalo at the top of his trade bait board and writes with Elvis Merzlikins on a five-year contract extension, it’s just a matter of time before Korpisalo is moved. Seravalli adds the Blue Jackets have spoken with teams in the past couple of weeks.
Related: Penguins News & Rumors: Guentzel, Goalie Trade & Familiar Faces
Emily Kaplan of ESPN is also of the belief he will be moved and says the expectation is that Korpisalo will be traded by the NHL trade deadline.
Canadiens Who Could be Traded
At the end of this season, the Montreal Canadiens will have 10 players as part of the roster who will have contracts that are valid for at least three more seasons. According to Jonathan Bernier of TVA Sports, those are the players to watch if the Canadiens choose to undergo a rebuild.
Those players are Carey Price, Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, Brendan Gallagher, Nick Suzuki, Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia, Jake Evans and David Savard. Bernier writes Price is not expected to join the lineup before the new year. “The organization wants to take its time with Carey to give him the chance to get back on the ice at the appropriate time.”
As for Shea Weber, the expectation is that he’ll never play in the NHL again and because he won’t announce his official retirement, his contract could be traded. A team that is high up against the salary cap ceiling could use the allowance to go over the cap by Weber’s amount while on LTIR.
It is not expected that Jeff Petry will want to go through a rebuild. “When you’re further in your career, like I am, time becomes an issue,” he said. Bernier writes that a proposal to look elsewhere could certainly come from him but he’s having a difficult season and is becoming much less attractive on the trade market with his current salary.
The new GM won’t be as close to Brendan Gallagher as Marc Bergevin was and may recognize the player’s best years are behind him, while Joel Armia could be an interesting option for teams looking to add depth and size to their training in preparation for the playoffs.
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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