NHL Rumours: Dahlin, Sabres, Rempe, Rangers, Canadiens

Friedman continued his report on the Sabres by saying that the players, including Dahlin, understood why they traded center Dylan Cozens, and that it needed to happen. Cozens has points in all four games with the Ottawa Senators since the deal at the trade deadline, and Josh Norris, who they got in return, is out with what appears to be an injury that has been lingering.

Winning fixes all problems. With the roster and prospect pool, the Sabres are close to being able to compete for a playoff spot, but everything needs to click, and it hasn’t. With Dahlin walking away from the meeting satisfied, there is likely a clear plan for the offseason and finding improvements during the summer. Last offseason, the Sabres added Jason Zucker, Beck Malenstyn, Ryan MacLeod, and other depth pieces. They need to do more than that this offseason and make more significant improvements.

Rempe Frustrated with Officiating

Since entering the league, Rempe has had plenty of lengthy suspensions, as well as minor and major penalties. With the kind of playstyle he has, and the dangerous hits he throws, referees certainly have their eyes on him at all times.

There are a number of people online who defend Rempe by stating that he is just bigger than others, he is being unfairly targeted, and others. Some of that may be fair, some not, but over the last few games, there have been some very questionable calls against him. One of them, the more egregious one, was an interference call where Rempe was just skating, and Minnesota Wild forward Devin Shore just ran into the side of him. Sometimes interference is called because of a player running into another player “accidentally” but on purpose. This was not the case here, and Rempe spoke about it in a post-game interview.

“It’s frustrating, for sure. I don’t agree with the calls on that. That one last night, the guy just ran into me…I know I’m a big guy who plays a physical game and stuff, it’s unfortunate… I’m just trying to play my game, I think I’m playing really well… I’m not going to let it deter me.”

Another case was against the Winnipeg Jets, and Morgan Barron pushed Rempe into goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and was called for goaltender interference. Rempe is being given penalties unfairly, and this could be a trend we start seeing after two of these calls in less than a week.

Canadiens Looking for Center Help in Offseason

While seeing Scott Laughton, Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle and other impactful centermen go for high prices at the NHL Trade Deadline, general manager Kent Hughes opted to stick with what the Canadiens already had, including Jake Evans, who was signed to an extension.

Marco D’Amico of RG reports that the Canadiens were unwilling to use picks and prospects to make big improvements to their roster, which, at this point of the rebuild, could be a controversial decision. A pro scout told D’Amico “From what I’m hearing, the Canadiens feel like that’s the missing piece to get them to the playoffs. Much easier to acquire a top-6 center with term in the offseason than in February or March, especially when you’re mostly offering futures.”.

With Kirby Dach struggling since joining the Canadiens, both in productivity and staying healthy, adding a top-six center is becoming crucial if they want to take the next step. They tried with Dach, Alex Newhook, and Owen Beck, who has spent time in that role, but it seems as if the Canadiens are going to look at free agency for an upgrade in that position.