NHL Rumors: The Latest from the NHL Offseason

However, Devils President and GM Tom Fitzgerald is looking to clear cap space. Either Ondrej Palat or Dawson Mercer are the likely trade candidate to make room for Luke Hughes. Again, the Devils have time because Johnathan Kovacevic, with his $4 million AAV, will start the year on LTIR. As Full Press Hockey has written, the one player it will not be is Dougie Hamilton.

Hamilton is an essential piece to the Devils defense corps. And while he makes $9 million according to sources close to Full Press Hockey, no trade talks about the right-handed shooting defenseman have occurred. But what people forget is the Devils can go over the salary cap in the summer, so signing Luke Hughes to a $7-$7.5 million a season contract over six to eight years doesn’t matter until Game 1 of the season.

That is the number the Devils are looking to get him in at now that Bowen Byram signed his two-year $6.25 million contract. Luke Hughes will not get the Brock Faber $8.5 million AAV a season. The Devils want to get him locked in long-term, but with a rising salary cap, Luke Hughes could try to max out twice. Again, there is time, but this contract could be a fight similar to Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer.

Vancouver Canucks: Do The Vancouver Canucks Actually Have Plan or Direction?

NHL Insights: NHL Insights: New York Rangers and New York Islanders

New Jersey Devils: Sources: No Plans in the Works for the Devils to Trade Dougie Hamilton

What Will Happen with Mason McTavish and the Anaheim Ducks?

What are the Anaheim Ducks doing with Mason McTavish? This feels like another Trevor Zegras situation, and that McTavish is not a Pat Verbeek guy. Zegras was just recently traded after a tough negotiation a couple of off-seasons ago. McTavish, who is a restricted free agent, has yet to sign a new deal. And there are reports dating back as far as June that Verbeek and McTavish’s agent have yet to speak.

A big reason why Zegras was moved out was the play of McTavish, who has established himself as a top-six forward not only on the Anaheim Ducks but in the NHL. But it is taking a long time for a team that has cap space. McTavish is probably looking for a longer-term or mid-term deal, while Verbeek, who learned under Steve Yzerman, wants a bridge deal.

However, McTavish will be getting a raise from the $925,000 he made on his entry-level deal. Now the Ducks have the cap space, over $20 million, to match any offer sheet. And teams out there saw what happened when the Montreal Canadiens made an offer sheet to Sebastian Aho. Montreal did the work for the Hurricanes, and teams don’t want to help out Verbeek and negotiate on his behalf.

But Verbeek believes the Ducks are a playoff team next season. The only way they contend, because they are not a playoff team, is if McTavish is on the team. You know he will be looking to get in the $7 million range on the next deal. The team will want something in the $4 million range, and they will meet in the middle around $5-$6 million.

But teams like the Montreal Canadiens and others who need a second-line center are watching this negotiation closely.

Is Bowen Byram Still in Play for the Buffalo Sabres?

As previously mentioned, Bowen Byram signed a new two-year bridge deal with the Buffalo Sabres. However, that does not mean the turmoil in Buffalo has gone away. There is still a chance the Sabres and GM Kevyn Adams do trade him because at the end of this contract, Byram can walk right to free agency. Letting him go for nothing would be a bad look.

The issue before the deal was signed was the market. There wasn’t much out there, and Adams wasn’t getting what he wanted. With teams knowing what the deal is for Byram, who won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, it gives them an idea of what his value is on the trade market.

Teams like the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, and St. Louis Blues have an interest in him. There are other teams as well. But is Kevyn Adams willing to part with players to make the Sabres better? That is a question that keeps coming up, which is why Byram wasn’t traded yet and why it took so long for Dylan Cozens to be moved. But the drama is not over in Buffalo.

NHL Rumors: Other Nuggets

• Don’t expect Nazem Kadri to move anytime soon from the Calgary Flames. Despite reports, the Flames want to make the playoffs, and none of the teams have the packages Craig Conroy is looking for. His asking price is high to keep the Flames competitive.
• The Minnesota Wild are not close to a deal with Marco Rossi. The two sides, according to reports, have yet to speak about an extension. Rossi does not want a bridge deal and to be stuck playing fewer minutes, as he will not be able to showcase his talents to other teams. He is not a Bill Guerin guy, but Guerin has an asking price and teams aren’t there yet, and he won’t part with him for nothing.
• Speaking of the Wild, Kirill Kaprizov has yet to sign a new deal. Expectations are that he will get more than Leon Draisaitl‘s $14 million a season. Expect over $15 million as he is the best player in the Wild franchise history. But it will be a mid-term (four to five years) deal, even though Guerin will push for eight years.
• Expect Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers to agree on a new deal. It would be shocking if it were eight years, but never say never in this business. But expectations are that he will get $17-$18 million a season. The belief is he is signing a four-to-five-year deal and then hits it big again, similar to Evan Bouchard.
• The Montreal Canadiens can be patient with defenseman Lane Hutson. However, he could be the highest-paid defenseman on the Canadiens when he signs a long-term deal, making $10 million a season. In addition, they could try to work things out with Patrik Laine and Mike Matheson on team-friendly deals.

That does it for this edition of NHL Rumors. Stay tuned for more as the off-season continues.