It’s time for another round of NHL rumours as we close in on Easter weekend. The 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will be upon us soon, but some teams are already thinking about the offseason. There are some big unrestricted and restricted free agents that will hit the market as 2024 NHL free agency begins on July 1. Some clubs also having to think about the future when it comes to some of their players. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Detroit Red Wings
Rumour: Luke Fox of Sportsnet released his list of the top 12 NHL RFAs this coming offseason. Detroit defenceman Moritz Seider appeared second on the list after the Vancouver Canucks blueliner and former teammate Filip Horek tops the list.
NHL's Top 12 RFAs of 2024: Rankings and rumours on their next contract https://t.co/DcwuO4kFkb pic.twitter.com/kG9Cs8HCYC
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) March 21, 2024
Analysis: Seider has become a rock on the back-end for the Red Wings. Some questioned General Manager Steve Yzerman decision at sixth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. However, the German has been really strong on the blueline for Detroit.
The big defender is an RFA at the end of the season. He currently earns $863,333 incentivized with some performance bonuses. However, the soon-to-be 23-year-old is probably going to earn himself a nice raise. He can run a penalty kill and a power play and is useful in a multitude of situations. The 2022 Calder Trophy winner leads his team in time on ice with a mark of 22:09. Seider also won silver at the 2023 IIHF World Championship and is seemingly the face of German hockey.
Fox points out that rebuilding teams rarely mess around when it comes to keeping their quality defencemen. The Sportsnet writer uses the example of Jake Sanderson with the Ottawa Senators and how quickly Sanderson was signed. Yzerman is probably going to do all he can to make sure a deal is done sooner rather than later.
One thing that works in the Wings favour is that Seider is not eligible for arbitration. Detroit could play hardball if it wants to, but Yzerman probably wants to make sure one of his first Red Wings draft choices is taken care of respectably. Fox predicts a cap hit of around $8.6 million, which would put him just under team captain Dylan Larkin.
Calgary Flames
Rumour: The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said that goalie Jacob Markstrom will sit down with Flames General Manager Craig Conroy after the season to discuss the future.
Analysis: Markstrom was rumoured to be traded at the March 8 deadline. However, a deal did not materialize and that could have left a sour taste in the Swedish goalie’s mouth. The 34-year-old goalie vented his frustration at the process while his future was being decided. However, Markstom made it a point to mention Conroy wasn’t the target of his annoyance. The veteran netminder was more annoyed with team president Don Maloney.
Calgary may still deal Markstrom in the summer to finally answer the question once and for all. Markstrom has two years left on his contract and has a full no-move clause that allows him to decide his next destination.
Conroy has stressed that he wants the Flames to be a contender. The Potsdam, NY native is set to lay out his plan for the team in the offseason to Markstrom. It’s hard to say if Markstrom wants to go to a team that’s closer to contention.
One thing that’s complicating things is the goalie of the future, Dustin Wolf. The 22-year-old has been crushing it in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers. He’s a two-time AHL Goalie of the Year, has a .931 save percentage in four starts in March since Markstrom went down with injury. Conroy could use Markstrom as a trade chip to make improvements in other areas with Wolf and Daniel Vladar as the two goalies for the Flames. The future is murky at the moment, but Conroy and Markstrom are trying to clear things up.
Main photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
