It’s time once again for another round of NHL rumours. We’re one week away from the big day on March 8. Things are already starting to get interesting with the number of deals that have already happened. However, business is going to pick up in the next few days. We may have an arms race between competing teams in the next week. Today’s NHL rumours is a West Coast bias edition. We focus on the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
San Jose Sharks
Rumours: Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News talked about how Mikael Granlund could be a tradeable asset at the upcoming deadline. The Sharks writer added Granlund could be the biggest chip for the club.
Analysis: Granlund makes $5 million per season for this one and the next. He’s been one of the team’s best players during the 2023-24 season. The 32-year-old has seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points. He currently makes $5 million per season and the next.
San Jose General Manager Mike Grier knows that he could get a decent return for the Finnish veteran. However, he can wait for the right deal to come along. He can be choosy since some teams might be scared off by the price tag and the fact Granlund has another year on his deal.
An off-season deal could be more likely since Granlund would only have one year left on his deal. That $5 million hit may also be easier to digest if it’s just for one year. It also helps that the salary cap should be going up more than it normally has in the past couple of seasons.
Grier probably wants a first-round pick or a quality prospect or a young NHLer. However, Granlund might stay in the Bay Area at the deadline if there isn’t a trade that wows the Sharks management.
Vegas Golden Knights
Rumour: During the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Darren Dreger said that the Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers could be in a bidding war for the same type of players at the deadline.
INSIDER TRADING…
– Oilers, VGK aggressively in market for forward
– Fallout, market watch after Chris Tanev trade
– Where do the Leafs turn next?
– Flames’ focus now on Hanifin
– Latest on Canucks/PetterssonMORE: https://t.co/1OJB44KnKj pic.twitter.com/DosO4PuW5D
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) February 29, 2024
Analysis: A number of names came up during Dreger’s report. Players such as Tyler Toffoli, Jordan Eberle and Pavel Buchnevich were mentioned as targets for both teams. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon and Edmonton GM Ken Holland are likely going to battle it out for some of the same players at the upcoming deadline.
The Golden Knights did not get good news when it comes to that on team captain Mark Stone. He’s out for the rest of the regular season and questionable for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. McCrimmon is going to use Stone’s cap hit to get some reinforcements. Vegas has over $6 million of deadline cap space that it can utilize to get another forward.
This extra space might give the Golden Knights an advantage over their potential first-round opponents. The Oilers currently have just over $500,000 in salary cap space. This means Edmonton might have to use some sweeteners or a third-party broker in order to make a deal happen. The Oilers also may have to trade a roster player to make something happen.
Jack Campbell‘s contract of $3.85 million is currently buried in AHL Bakersfield. That deal seems to be a massive albatross and the Oilers would likely have to entice another team with draft picks and other things to find a taker for Campbell.
The Pacific Division and the rest of the league are loading up for an arms race. Who will get the biggest weapon in the race to get their hands on Lord Stanley’s Cup?
Main photo by: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
