Golden Knights, Canucks, Oilers, Bruins
In today’s NHL rumor recap, what are the Vegas Golden Knights doing now that Mark Stone is out indefinitely? Most insiders expect a deal, but who is Vegas looking to? Meanwhile, which shoe drops next for the Vancouver Canucks? All roads in Edmonton seem to lead to a Jesse Puljujarvi trade and what are the Boston Bruins looking for in the trade market? Perhaps more importantly, what aren’t they willing to do to get what they need?
Golden Knights Lose Mark Stone, Trade Happens?
The Golden Knights received a blow when they learned that Mark Stone would be out indefinitely after undergoing a second surgery on Tuesday. He’s the one stirring the drink in Vegas, and the team is expected to quickly begin looking for plays that could help replace his production with the committee. It hasn’t been determined if he’ll miss the rest of the season, but if he moves to the LTIR, the Golden Knights have more than $12 million in cap space to make a move.
Explore all things hockey with THW’s Hockeypedia pages.
Names like Timo Meier, Vladimir Tarasenko and other big names will now logically be connected to Vegas in trade negotiations.
What’s next for the Canucks?
After moving Bo Horvat, what other dominoes will fall in Vancouver? Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic writes: “The Canucks kicked off the trade season with Monday’s blockbuster deal sending captain Bo Horvat to the Islanders. But they are probably not finished.
Luke Schenn, Vancouver Canucks (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Who goes to Vancouver next will be a fascinating story to watch. Excerpts from LeBrun’s article are below. He writes:
Defender Luke Schenn is a UFA pending and will be in demand until March 3. Suitors love adding physical and veteran defensemen… I understand some suitors have reached out to the Canucks to check on Schenn, including the Bruins and Lightning.
source – ‘LeBrun: Why Canucks Acted Early on Bo Horvat Trade, and More Blockbusters Coming?’ – Pierre LeBrun – Athletics – 02/01/2023
The other obvious player to watch in trade talks is Brock Boeser. Unlike the Horvat deal, the Canucks gave the other teams an opportunity to discuss a trade with Boeser before the deadline. He still has two years left on his contract after this season with a cap of $6.65 million.
As for why the Canucks traded Horvat well before the deadline, Patrik Allvin said the team liked the offer and didn’t want to risk a player injury that would jeopardize the deal.
Puljujarvi’s run with the Oilers is coming to an end
According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, “Puljujarvi’s time in Edmonton is coming to an end one way or another. A split is not only in his best interest, but it would help the Oilers free up space to meet needs elsewhere. The NHL insider dove deep into what the Oilers will need to do to comply with the cap, and in most scenarios, Puljujarvi’s name stands out.
Latest news and highlights
As for potential adjustments, he names the Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning or teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, Coyotes of Arizona, the Montreal Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who might be willing to take on his salary.
Bruins don’t want to give up major assets in trade
Emily Kaplan noted during an interview on NHL @ ESPN, that the Bruins want to be active in the trade market but are looking for players who don’t require the organization to give up a ton of assets. She notes that the Bruins have been burned in the past when adding rentals and want to prevent that from happening again.
They are looking for depth forwards, ideally players who still have time on their contracts for cost certainty. “Another thing I heard they were looking for is for a deep defender.”
Jim Parsons is a THW senior freelance writer, part-time journalist, and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes NHL news and gossip, while reporting on the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted source for more than five years at The Hockey Writers, but more than that, he’s on a mission to keep readers up to date on the latest NHL rumors and trade talks. Jim is a daily staple for readers who want to be “in the know”.
Other content contributions include: NHLtradetalk.com, The Sportster and hosting weekly video streams, THW News and Rumors Rundown, and Oilers Overtime.
For interview requests or to provide content information, follow Jim on Twitter or his social media accounts. They appear under his picture on articles like this.