In today’s NHL rumors rundown, who are some of the names the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers looking at when it comes to taking on executive roles with their respective teams? Meanwhile, could the Penguins shake things up and go full rebuild? What is the latest on Thatcher Demko and his status with the Vancouver Canucks? Finally, is Alex DeBrincat being truthful when he says he’s open to a long-term deal in Ottawa?
Rey Shero Getting Early Nod as Candidate With Flyers and Penguins
Elliotte Friedman noted on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast that both the Flyers and Penguins might have Rey Shero on their radar when it comes to taking on a role as the teams look to hire a GM and President. Specifically, Shero is on the Flyers’ radar for the President role, and in Pittsburgh, there is some talk about bringing someone in that has a history with the team.
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Shero was the general manager of the Penguins from 2006 to 2014. Jason Botterill was another name mentioned in association with the vacant positions in Pittsburgh.
Could Penguins Move Franchise Faces?
During the discussion, Jeff Marek talked about the game plan for whoever does get hired and whether the Penguins will try to load up around the core pieces and take one more run at this or if the Penguins will consider a rebuild. If the latter, the question becomes whether names like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang will want to be part of that. Friedman noted that Fenway Sports makes quick decisions when they’ve decided to go in a certain direction. If the Penguins’ plan is to rebuild, everyone will know immediately.
Marek threw a figurative bomb out in the world when he suggested we might be seeing Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon both shooting their Tim Hortons commercials out of Denver. The suggestion here, of course, would be that Crosby might want to play with his good friend and go to a team that gives him one more shot at winning a Stanley Cup. Crosby has two more seasons on his deal at a cost of $8.7 million per season.
In fairness, both the Penguins and Crosby shot down any interest in parting ways when he was asked about being a Penguin for life and he responded that he would love for that to be the case.
Canucks No Longer Thinking About a Demko Trade
Friedman also said that fans can take probably remove goaltender Thatcher Demko from their trade watch list as the Canucks are no longer considering dealing the netminder. Friedman explained there was a time this year when it looked like Demko might get dealt — as things in Vancouver were anything but stable — but he now believes any potential trade is off the table.
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Demko has returned from injury and was a solid performer as the Canucks played stretches of better hockey under new head coach Rick Tocchet. This is not a rebuilding team and the only way to stay competitive is to have a legitimate starter in the net. In fact, Friedman believes the Canucks will add pieces this summer and they are looking for another center.
He mentioned the name Ross Colton and said that considering Tampa’s salary cap situation, it could be difficult for the Lightning to keep him. Colton is 26 years old and is a pending RFA with arbitration rights.
DeBrincat ‘Has no Inclination of Signing’ in Ottawa
The Ottawa Senators said they would qualify Alex DeBrincat on a one-year deal at $9 million if the team couldn’t come to terms on a long-term deal. Following that news, DeBrincat said he would be open to talking about a long-term extension but DeBrincat wanted time to talk with his family and his agent before having those conversations.
Bruce Garrioch said that what DeBrincat is saying is mostly lip service. Garrioch said that his feeling is that DeBrincat has no inclination to sign. “There have been no substantive discussions” and Garrioch said there was a high probability that DeBrincat is moved at this summer’s NHL Entry Draft.
