In today’s NHL rumors rundown, how close are the Vancouver Canucks to getting a deal done with Bo Horvat? Meanwhile, could the Detroit Red Wings be facing a similar situation to the one the Calgary Flames dealt with this summer? The Montreal Canadiens might be close to getting a deal done with Kirby Dach, while showing interest in another young forward and the Carolina Hurricanes got some unfortunate injury news. Finally, the Nazem Kadri rumors that he’s signed with the New York Islanders are still just rumors.
Horvat Deal Close?
As per a report quoting Satiar Shah on Sportsnet 650 on Vancouver Canucks on Bo Horvat: “Everything I hear on Bo is it’s still on track to get done…sense is Bo will be signed before the NHL season begins.” This is good news for Canucks fans, but it wasn’t reported exactly what the dollar figure per season would be.
Red Wings Could Have a Problem
Max Bultman of The Athletic writes that the Red Wings should be slightly concerned if they don’t get Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi signed to contract extensions before the start of the season. Technically it isn’t a must, but GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t want to be looking at a similar situation the Calgary Flames had to this summer with Johnny Gaudreau and Mathew Tkachuk.
Bultman writes:
Of course, if you asked Steve Yzerman, he’d probably tell you the Red Wings don’t need to get either done this summer. This is the same GM who got Steven Stamkos’ contract in Tampa Bay done at the 11th hour back in 2016, after all, and he’s not going to want to move up the hard deadlines any sooner than he has to.
source – ‘What is Red Wings’ path to avoid the ‘mushy middle’? Mailbag part 1’ – Max Bultman – The Athletic – 08/08/2022
Both Larkin and Bertuzzi are eligible to become unrestricted free agents after the season and if they aren’t signed and the Red Wings aren’t in the playoff race, one has to wonder if the team considers trying to trade one or both. Larkin has a no-trade clause and he could come in between $8 and $9 million on a long-term extension.
Canadiens to Sign Kirby Dach, Interested in Puljujarvi
As per independent hockey journalist Patrick Lortie: “Feeling around the #NHL is that the #GoHabsGo will likely wait until Paul Byron is placed on the LTIR before announcing Kirby Dach extension. Of course, things could change in the next few weeks if salary can be moved. Execs very slowly starting to trickle back from vacation.”
Related: NHL Rumors: Oilers, Rangers, Islanders, Red Wings
Obviously, this won’t happen right away most teams wait until the off-season is over to put their players on LTIR so they don’t have to re-calculate the 10% cap cushion that teams are allowed to pass. Things could change if the Canadiens can move some salary out. The expectation is that Dach will sign for somewhere around $3 million per season.
In other Canadiens news, Montreal Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy believes the team is still showing interest in Jesse Puljujarvi from the Edmonton Oilers. He thinks the Habs would be able to acquire the forward for little return if they remain patient throughout the summer as the Oilers are facing a salary cap situation.
Murphy reports that the Canadiens were among the teams talking to the Edmonton Oilers about Puljujarvi around the 2022 NHL Draft.
Pacioretty Out for 6 Months
The Carolina Hurricanes announced that forward Max Pacioretty will require surgery to repair a torn Achilles and will be out for six months. This news comes as a bit of a surprise for fans who saw Pacioretty skating around last week. What’s interesting about this is that Carolina now has some cap options at a time when about half the league is stuck in salary cap purgatory. Whether they use it considering they’ll want to have room later in the season to bring Pacioretty back is unclear.
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Kadri to Islanders Premature
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes that recent reports suggesting Nazem Kadri has a deal essentially done with the New York Islanders as “premature to say.” He does think the Islanders are among the teams that the Kadri camp continues to engage with in contract talks, but this is not a deal that one can consider finalized.
There is talk that the Isles might have tabled an offer of seven years times $7 million per season. Seravalli says he’s heard this from other teams, meaning that is potentially the impression that is out there in the marketplace.
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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