NHL Rumors: Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Arizona Coyotes

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The NHL Draft is history, and every team has high hopes for the prospects they added. Now, with free agency moves mostly done, rumors are still around. Clubs are always working to improve their rosters for next season. Some teams are having difficulty creating enough cap space to make moves. Others are experiencing severe injuries to star players. In this Sunday edition of NHL Rumors, we will take a look at the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Arizona Coyotes.

Vegas Golden Knights – Robin Lehner Out

Rumor: Per – Jesse Granger – theathletic.com. Who will Golden Knights turn to with Robin Lehner out for season? Exploring the options.

With the news that starting goalie Robin Lehner will be out for the season after hip surgery, the Golden Knights need to address who can replace him. Placing him on long-term injury reserve will afford the Vegas team about $7 million in cap space to address the issue. The bench looks like they could promote promising Logan Thompson as their starter backed up by Laurent Brossoit or Michael Hutchinson. That may not be ideal, especially for a club that wants to get to relevance after a disappointing 2021-22 season where they missed the playoffs.

Braden Holtby and Cory Schneider are both unsigned and could be possibilities. The thing is Holtby’s career is about done and Schneider’s last decent season was back in 2017-18. A more realistic option according to Granger may be Semyon Varlamov. Of course, they could always attempt to sign Jake Oettinger to an offer sheet.

Other possibilities with the additional cap space, would be to supplement the front lines. Paul Stastny, Sonny Milano or Phil Kessel may be able to help out with that.

Carolina Hurricanes – Max Pacioretty Out

Rumor: Per – Shane Seney – nhltraderumors.me. With Pacioretty out for at least six months, some NHL rumors for candidates to replace him are popping up.

Injuries seem to be debilitating the Hurricanes as well. Just after stealing Pacioretty from the Golden Knights, we learned that he will be out for about six months with a torn Achilles. Tough break. Here’s three possible players who could fill in during his absence.

1. Paul Stastny –  Even at 36 years old, Stastny tallied 21 goals, 24 assists in 71 games last season with the Winnipeg Jets. What’s nice about him is he can play the wing or center. He made $3.75 million last year, and that may not happen if offered a deal with the Canes. If Pacioretty goes in LTIR, they will be able to use his $7 million cap hit. Stastny would definitely be able to help out in the meantime.
2. Sonny Milano –  He looks to be a player who could fit in nicely with head coach Rod Brind’Amour‘s coaching philosophy. He’s tough, fast and skillful. If he were willing to accept a $1 million contract, he may be employed next season in Carolina. His 34 points in 66 games last season will help the offense.
3. Phil Kessel – While he’s not a left wing, Kessel can still turn on the red light. He had just eight goals, but 44 assists in 82 games last season in Arizona. Don’t forget, Phil shows up for every game and can still compete. He’s still looking for another Cup and Carolina has a good chance of getting there. He’d love the warm weather and golf courses, so it’s a no-brainer to add him.

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Arizona Coyotes – Jakob Chychrun/Jake Allen

Rumor: Per –Shawn Simpson – TSN.com/Jimmy Murphy montrealhockeynnow.com. With the NHL rumors continuing for Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun, are the Ottawa Senators making a push to acquire him? And, what about the empty goaltending spot for the Arizona team? Could Jake Allen be a fit?

Lots to unpack here. Chychrun has been in the NHL trade rumors for about a year now, and so far no team has been able to meet general manager Bill Armstrong‘s return demands. One thing is certain, Armstrong wants more draft picks and a prospect or two. It’s debatable if he requires an NHL-caliber player in addition, but it could sweeten a potential deal. Chychrun has that affordable $4.6 million contract good through 2024-25. To add him to the already grossly improved Ottawa Senators team may just thrust them into a playoff spot, and perhaps more. They have the prospects to make things work but GM Pierre Dorian is being patient hoping that the asking price will decrease.

Another possibility that’s floating around again is moving Chychrun to the Toronto Maple Leafs for William Nylander and perhaps a good prospect like Matthew Knies, who is from Phoenix. He was the Leafs’ 57th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Knies is playing for the University of Minnesota where he will team with Logan Cooley whom the Coyotes drafted third overall this summer. He tallied 15 goals and 18 assists in 33 games for U of M last season. It’s very intriguing to think that both of these talented forwards could be playing in Arizona if Knies gets dealt.

On the goalie front, the Yotes only have netminder Karel Vejmelka signed as of now. Jake Allen would be a good addition. They have inquired about Allen in the past, so who knows? Most will depend on the status of Carey Price for the Habs. If he’s ready to go, Allen could be expendable. His 168-126-35 career record with a .911 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against-average are enticing. His $2.875 million contract expires after this next season, and the Coyotes will always accept draft picks to seal the deal.

That concludes this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article!