In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Anaheim Ducks have an offseason plan and their GM isn’t afraid to share that plan. Meanwhile, William Nylander is practicing again for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Will he play in Game 3? And, are the rumors of disciplinary action against Nylander true? The St. Louis Blues intend to extend Pavel Buchnevich, and will the Montreal Canadiens take a big swing at forward?
Ducks Going Shopping in the Summer
According to the official X.com account for the Anaheim Ducks, “Ducks GM Pat Verbeek in a season-ending media session says the team is pursuing both a top-six right shot forward and a top-four right shot defenseman this offseason.” That leaves open several options that the Ducks could target, but it does suggest they intend to make a push this offseason to be a more competitive team.
Did the Maple Leafs Sit Nylander for Disciplinary Reasons?
Elliotte Friedman was a guest on the Pat McAfee Show and when asked if Nylander was missing games due to off-ice issues or an injury, Friedman said he didn’t believe it was off-ice issues. Friedman said he heard the narrative that disciplinary issues might have been involved with whatever is going on between Nylander and the Leafs so he looked into it. The people he spoke with “have furiously denied it.”
He added that there’s still no detail on what the injury is, but he believes it is a legitimate injury. He explains:
“I think those rumors are out there because nature abhors a vacuum… I just think that he got hurt late in the regular season. The Maple Leafs were resting all their injured guys, they had a bunch of guys who didn’t play late in the year, I don’t believe for a second if they knew there was anything wrong with him they would have allowed him to chase 100 points. I think he got hurt in one of the last two games of the season but didn’t really notice an issue until the day after, last Thursday, and now, you know, he’s day to day. We’ll see.”
Chris Johnston posted that Nylander was expected to take the morning skate on Wednesday ahead of Game 3. He was among the first players on the ice. Sheldon Keefe says “there’s a chance” Nylander plays tonight. Keefe notes, “Will depend on how he responds to extra work this morning.” Auston Matthews is good to go tonight, but he took practice off to rest.
Blues Want to Extend Buchnevich
As per Elliotte Friedman in his 32 Thoughts column, St. Louis Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong is looking to hold onto Pavel Buchnevich despite the talk surrounding the forward at the NHL Trade Deadline this season. Friedman writes:
“Armstrong is not afraid to discuss trades, but it’s been hard for him to consummate because of a) protection players have and b) he’s careful about trading players after down years. They are expected to try and extend Pavel Buchnevich.”
Canadiens to Take a “Big Swing Up Front”
Friedman also notes that the Canadiens are looking to round out their forward core with a mix of players they have and at least one player they don’t. He writes, “I would expect the Canadiens to try to extend both [Juraj] Slafkovsky and Kaiden Guhle. In a small sample size, Lane Hutson showed why everyone’s so excited. The Canadiens have a lot of young defencemen, so they’ll see what’s out there. I think they’ll also weigh a big swing up front.”
Slafkovsky scored 20 goals this season and has another year at $900K on his contract before becoming an RFA. Don’t be surprised if the Canadiens try to lock him up to a long-term deal and buy a good chunk of his UFA years.
As for who the Habs might be looking at in trade or free agency, Trevor Zegras’ name has been out there in the past, but it’s not clear the Ducks are keen to move him.
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