In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Los Angeles Kings are hiring Jim Hiller to be their full-time head coach. Meanwhile, there has been no trade talk yet involving Mitch Marner and the Nashville Predators say any link to their team is just a rumor. Does the Ryan McDonagh trade in Tampa mean anything when it comes to negotiations between the Lightning and Steven Stamkos? Finally, what happened with Elias Pettersson in the playoffs and are the Canucks already regretting signing him to a massive deal?
Kings Hiring Hiller
According to Kevin Weekes, “I’m told the @LAKings have removed the interim tag , and signed Jim Hiller to a multi-year Yr Contract Extension as HC.” Pierre LeBrun retweeted the report and added, “Not quite 100 percent done yet but the Kings hope to finalize this by the end of today if all goes well.”
Predators Denying Any Link to Mitch Marner
Despite the trade rumors already starting and some insiders wondering if the Nashville Predators would be a good fit for Mitch Marner, LeBrun is reporting that the Maple Leafs have not had any trade conversations with anyone. The Predators are also saying that any link to them is nothing more than a rumor. Barry Trotz noted when asked about Marner, “I don’t think he’s a free agent.”
LeBrun wrote:
Just FYI, it’s my understanding as of this moment that the Maple Leafs have not spoken to a single team about Mitch Marner. The Leafs were focused on the coaching situation which they’ve handled now. But there hasn’t been any trade conversations regarding Marner. Obviously we’ll…
Lightning Acquire McDonagh… More to Come?
After the Tampa Bay Lightning traded for Ryan McDonagh on Tuesday, there was talk about what might come next for both the Lightning and the Predators. Some wondered if the Predators were clearing cap space to make another move. Trotz said it was more about doing right by the player than it was about the salary cap. McDonagh apparently asked the Predators to look at trading him in his exit interview at the end of the season.
Related: Will the Failed Chris Tanev Trade Hurt or Help the Oilers?
Meanwhile, in Tampa, this move shows that the team isn’t closing the door on trying to win. McDonagh played well last season but he’s not young. If this is the kind of player Tampa wants, they’re trying to make a run and that leads to questions about the status of Steven Stamkos.
GM Julien BriseBois said, “We still have some cap space. Steven Stamkos isn’t signed yet. That’s ongoing.” He added, “We’re still able, in my mind, to get something done that makes sense for the organization with Steven, even after acquiring Ryan McDonagh.” He also said:
“I don’t think anything’s changed. Steven was upfront saying he wanted to stay. That’s his strong preference. I’ve mentioned that’s our strong preference as well. Now, we’re still working on how we make this happen for it to make sense for both sides.”
Did the Canucks and Pettersson Sign a Huge Deal Too Soon?
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff took a look at how surprising the poor performance of Elias Pettersson was in this season’s playoffs and asked if the Canucks might regret signing the forward to a huge long-term extension.
It felt like Pettersson wilted under pressure and played scared, shovelling the puck off his stick at times to clearly avoid contract. That’s highly concerning – and also very unlike him. This is the same player the Canucks signed to an eight-year, $92.8 million extension on March 2. He is due a $12 million signing bonus on July 1. Something is off. He had just 14 points in 20 games after inking the new deal. No one signs for $93 million under duress, but did Pettersson actually want to be in Vancouver? Or did the Canucks threatening to trade him as a way to induce the signing backfire in spectacular fashion?
If the Canucks got Pettersson to sign his extension before he was ready because they put it out there that they would be willing to trade him, one has to wonder how this affects their relationship moving forward. That this postseason was the first test and it was a failure is not a good sign.
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