It’s time for another round of NHL rumours in the middle of your week. The March 8 trade deadline has passed, but there is still plenty to sort out. Teams that are likely missing the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs now shift their focus to the summer. General managers will have more moves to make, but who will be on the move? We also have to sort out who might be getting signed in the coming months. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Calgary Flames and the Buffalo Sabres.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Calgary Flames
Rumour: Sportsnet’s Eric Francis speculated on the future of forward Nazem Kadri after the Flames traded a number of players at the deadline.
Nazem Kadri didn’t sign up for this.
He wasn’t added to Calgary’s veteran core two summers ago only to see many of the pillars of the franchise traded away by this year’s deadline. The question is, what does he do about it?@EricFrancis
takes a look.https://t.co/SKlRD7JPmL— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) March 10, 2024
Analysis: Kadri did not sign up to be part of a rebuild when he inked his big-money contract. The veteran forward still has five years left on his seven-year, $49 million contract. Will Kadri ask for a trade or will he embrace his role as a veteran leader for a team that might have to do some retooling in the coming seasons?
The 33-year-old has helped newcomers Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil ease into the league. Kadri has 22 goals and 33 assists for 55 points this season. That total is just one point off what he got for the entire 2022-23 season. The London, Ontario native has done whatever he’s been asked for this season. Conversely, it’s hard to say if Kadri will want to stay on to be a mentor to the young group.
Kadri does carry a hefty $7 million cap hit and that could scare some teams off. However, the rising cap number could give clubs some space to take a chance on a proven goal-scorer. It’s likely that Kadri and General Manager Craig Conroy will sit down and discuss the future at the end of the season. On the other hand, it is hard to know if the veteran’s future is in Alberta.
Buffalo Sabres
Rumour: Pat Hamilton of WGR 550 said that the Sabres are looking to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent Zemgus Girgensons to a new deal in the offseason.
Analysis: Some thought the veteran from Latvia would be one of the numerous Sabres to leave Western New York at the deadline. However, nothing came to pass last Friday. General Manager Kevyn Adams did state that he talked to teams about dealing Girgensons, but nothing materialized. The Sabres did make three trades involving Kyle Okposo, Erik Johnson, and Casey Mittelstadt. One plus was that Buffalo did not have to retain any salary in these trade. Buffalo also got Bowen Byram in the deal with the Colorado Avalanche.
Adams did tell Hamilton that extension talks with Girgensons will likely start up at some point. The 30-year-old is in the final year of his deal that sees him make $2.5 million. He’s only played for the Sabres during his 10-year NHL career. He doesn’t put up a lot of points, but he’s been useful on the penalty kill and takes care of things on his own end of the ice. Adams has raved about how Girgensons is important to the fabric of the team and wanted to do right by him. However, Adams was only going to make the move if it was right for the team.
Buffalo is likely to miss the post-season barring a serious charge. Moreover, there are some good young players that are itching to get a chance in the Queen City. The team is going to need some veterans to guide those youngsters. It seems that Girgensons will be one of those players that will be tasked to make that happen.
Main photo by: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
