NHL Rumors: Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils

Welcome to the Sunday edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The Stanley Cup Final is here and two powerful teams are competing for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Other clubs are always working to improve their rosters for next season. In this edition of NHL Rumors, we will take a look at the Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, and the New Jersey Devils.

Florida Panthers – Sergei Bobrovsky/Andrew Burnette

Rumor: Per – Nick Kypreos – sportsnet.ca/Sammi Silber – washingtonhockeynow.com/Frank Seravalli – dailyfaceoff.com. The Florida Panthers, due to a cap crunch, are so interested in moving goalie Sergei Bobrovsky that they are willing to retain 50 percent of his cap hit. Then, what’s the latest on the Panthers head coaching search? According to Seravalli, there are five other candidates besides Andrew Brunette being considered.

First, on Bobrovsky, the Panthers have over 10 free agents, including Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot to address and that may not leave room to keep ‘Bob’ in Florida. Silber discusses the potential of the Washington Capitals considering the goalie. But do the Caps want to take on even half of his $10 million contract through 2026? He is 33 years old.

Then, the Panthers who are really trying to regroup after their elimination in four games by the Tampa Bay Lightning still haven’t decided on a bench coach. Andrew Brunette collected an impressive 51-18-6 record leading to the President’s Trophy for the best league mark. Yet, according to Seravalli, the Florida club has interviewed Pete DeBoer, Travis Green, Rick Tocchet , Barry Trotz and potentially Paul Maurice.

Apparently, it takes quite a bit to impress Panthers’ general manager Bill Zito.

Ottawa Senators – 7th Overall Pick

Rumor: Per – Bruce Garrioch – ottawasun.com. Sens GM Pierre Dorion has been called inquiring about his #7 pick in next month’s NHL draft. Will he retain the pick, or trade down to get an established player instead?

Dorian stated, “If you’re going to trade a future piece you’ve got to make sure that player can help our team get to the next level. We’re going to weigh everything, whether it’s the pro scouts, amateur scouts, our management group or the coaches to see what decision is best for the Ottawa Senators. We’ll be ready for any eventuality.”

The timing of such a move can come on the draft floor, but Dorian is preparing ahead of that timeline.

“It doesn’t have to be a decision on the floor or a night before the draft decision,” said Dorion. “If we feel we’ve got an asset or a player that could help us immediately then we’ll pull the trigger before. Sometimes the best offers come right before the pick is made. They can also be made a week before the draft. We’ll just weigh those options before they come in.

“And there’s always the possibility we take the pick.”

The Sens have been making slow progress, but progress nonetheless in their rebuild. They finished the 2021-22 season winning five of six games, including two shootouts and one overtime win. That seventh pick could be just what they need to add an impact player to their young roster.

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New Jersey Devils – Jesper Bratt

Rumor: Per – Frank Seravalli – dailyfaceoff.com. Seravalli added Jesper Bratt in the #10 spot to his trade target list. According to GM Tom Fitzgerald, Bratt is a big part of the team’s future, yet he was available at the trade deadline for some reason. With no contract talks taking place, will Bratt be dealt?

Bratt led the lowly Devils in scoring with 26 goals, and 47 assists in 76 games. Fitzgerald can take his time negotiating with the 23-year-old Swede, but he must keep in mind that Bratt has arbitration rights. It may cost Fitzgerald, but Bratt deserves a raise. Here’s what he could earn. Going into the year, Evolving-Hockey’s model projected Bratt for a three-year extension carrying a $3.3 million cap hit. A lengthier term only boosts that average annual value.

Now, whether you want to trade your highest scorer is something Fitzgerald will stay awake late at night determining. Bratt has the skills and has shown he belongs in the NHL. Now, it’s just the contract talks which need to be done to keep the winger in a Devils jersey. For what he accomplished, going from 0.65 points a game to 0.96 has to hold some value. If I were Bratt’s agent, I would be certain he gets a contract worthy of his accomplishments.

The negotiation process takes time and despite reports of contract talks stalling, both the Devils and Bratt’s representation have been in contact to discuss his next deal. As previously mentioned it will all come down to term. Do the Devils give him another prove-it type deal or do they sign him long-term like Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes?

That wraps up another edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article on Wednesday so you keep up with the latest happenings in the NHL!