In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the news starts with three big retirement announcements. P.K. Subban, Keith Yandle, and Zdeno Chara have decided to call it a career. Meanwhile, there’s injury news coming out of Toronto as a couple of players will be missing time at training camp. Finally, the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers made a trade.
Subban Retires After 13 Seasons
After 834 NHL games, P.K. Subban has announced that he will be hanging up the skates. Subban’s agent noted there was time this summer before a decision needed to be made and that interest was out there, but reports surfaced recently that Subban might be leaning more towards not coming back to the NHL and that he had other options on the table. He’s officially decided that Hhe’ll move onto the next chapter of his career.
Subban released a statement in a long Twitter post and in it he wrote, “I look forward to the road ahead, and the many exciting opportunities to come. I’m excited to share what those are with all of you when the time comes.”
Chara Calls is a Career
Zdeno Chara has also announced his retirement. He took to social media and said that after an incredible career and stints with the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders, he’ll return to TD Garden today to sign a one-day deal that allows him to finish his career with the Boston Bruins.
In a post on Instagram, he wrote the following:
After 25 seasons of professional hockey 1,680 NHL regular season games, 200 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and hundreds of international games I am proud to announce my decision to retire from the National Hockey League. In doing so, I am honored to return to TD Garden today to sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins and officially finish my career with the team that has meant so much to me and my family.
There are so many people that have helped contribute to my success, including all of you, and I look forward to properly thanking everyone this afternoon.
Keith Yandle Announced His Retirement
The third big-name defenseman of the offseason retired when Keith Yandle told listeners of the Spitten’ Chiclets podcast that he is “literally taking his talents to South Beach and doing nothing.” He noted that it was something he’d been thinking about for a while and is really at ease with his decision.
Related: NHL Rumors: Oilers, Flames, Islanders, Penguins, Canucks
He retires with the longest “Ironman” streak in NHL history after skating in 989 consecutive games from March 26, 2009, to March 29, 2022.
Two Players to Miss Maple Leafs Training Camp
Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff are reporting that Timothy Liljegren and Pierre Engvall will miss parts of training camp for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is expected that Liljegren could miss all of training camp and the team will address the situation with the media tomorrow. Seravalli reports that Engvall will miss the start of camp, and is waiting for another evaluation.
No official timeline was given for either player but it sounds like both will be out for a little while. If Liljegren is out for an extended period of time, it will be intriguing to see how this affects (if at all) negotiations with Rasmus Sandin. The Leafs have had trouble finding common ground with Sandin on an extension, but Elliotte Friedman recently reported that he doesn’t think Toronto is remotely interested in trading the player.
Johnston writes, “Now this doesn’t have any direct bearing on the Rasmus Sandin contract stalemate — he and Liljegren play opposite sides — but it leaves the team in an interesting spot entering camp.”
Stars Trade For Nils Lundkvist
Both the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars announced on Monday that a trade between the two teams that would see the Stars acquire Nils Lundkvist had been finalized. The Rangers revealed that they acquired a conditional first-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft from Dallas in the deal.
Most are calling this a big win for the Rangers and suggesting that his ability to get a first-round pick in the trade was a solid move.
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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