It’s time once again for another edition of NHL rumours. The NHL trade deadline is coming this Friday and things are getting hectic. General managers are looking to make some big moves to shore up their lineups for a Stanley Cup Playoff push. In contrast, there are plenty of executives trying to make moves to ensure future success. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators.
All NHL Rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on Friday’s 32 Thoughts podcast talked about if the Leafs will be looking to add more defensive help. A name that came up in the conversation was David Savard of the Montreal Canadiens.
Analysis: Leafs General Manger Brad Treliving has already made a move in getting back Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks. However, the veteran blueliner left Saturday night’s game against the New York Rangers. Marek did mention that there is still some room for moves before the March 8 deadline.
Friedman stated that the Maple Leafs did ask the rival Canadiens about the availability of Savard. However, those talks broke off and nothing came of it. Montreal does hold the hammer in the fact that it doesn’t have to deal the veteran blueliner. Savard makes $3.5 million and has another year after the end of this season. It’s a similar situation to that of veteran goalie Jake Allen. Both could help out a contending team, but Habs General Manager Kent Hughes can be picky on a trade offer. Hughes can make any suitor come back with a better offer if he doesn’t like it.
Toronto may have to move down the list and ask about Nick Jensen and/or Mario Ferraro if the Canadiens aren’t willing to deal Savard. The Maple Leafs want to shore up that one part of the lineup that there has been some questions about.
Nashville Predators
Rumour: Let’s stick with Friedman, but move onto Saturday night’s Headlines segment. The Sportsnet insider mentioned the Predators and Tommy Novak are working on a contract extension.
Analysis: Novak was a name that came up in trade conversations when there was uncertainty about the Predators post-season status. However, Nashville has gone on an eight-game winning streak and it seems the team might actually buy or at least stand pat. According to the Daily Faceoff, Predators General Manager Barry Trotz stated that the team has earned a right to stay together and likely won’t sell at the deadline.
Novak is currently making $800,000 and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The Predators currently have around $8 million in cap space. Conversely, the team has a number of free agent decisions to make. This means that Trotz has to be smart about how he spends. Moreover, Friedman mentioned that Novak isn’t currently on the market and work is being done on an extension. Nashville looks like it will keep the 26-year-old forward and that will disappoint a number of teams. Trotz did admit he may have to deal Novak if a contract wasn’t signed.
Nashville had to deal a young forward in Tanner Jeannot to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the last trade deadline. He was similar to Novak in that he was young forward that was giving the Predators great value. However, Nashville is in a decent playoff position. The Predators don’t look like they’ll have to make a deal to acquire assets.
Things have gone better since Andrew Brunette cancelled the team’s trip to see U2 in Las Vegas. However, the job isn’t done yet in clinching a post-season spot. Nashville has a realistic shot of making it back.
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