We’ve got another fresh edition of NHL rumours waiting for you. The 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are now down to the last four, but the chatter focuses on team’s already in offseason mode. There are players to be re-signed while there are others that could be dealt to remake a roster. Teams want to get to the post-season and that means some tough choices. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Detroit Red Wings
Rumour: We continue on with Luke Fox of Sportsnet and his list of the top 12 restricted free agents in the coming offseason. Today we focus on the third-ranked player on the list. This is young Detroit forward Lucas Raymond.
NHL's Top 12 RFAs of 2024: Latest buzz on their next deals https://t.co/DcwuO4kFkb pic.twitter.com/kyWcPsw6sV
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) May 18, 2024
Analysis: The young Swede and teammate Moritz Seider are both restricted free agents (RFAs) needing new deals this offseason. Seider appears second on Fox’s list of top RFAs, so trying to get both under contract will be a priority.
Raymond is 22 years old and can play on both wings for Detroit. The former fourth overall selection in 2020 is currently making $925,000, but is seeking a raise along with Seider. Raymond is a two-time 20-goal scorer and a 57-point forward that looks to be a cornerstone of a Red Wings team looking to finally take the next step. Detroit has some solid young forwards, but it’s all a matter of putting it all together.
General Manager Steve Yzerman doesn’t have a set pattern for giving out contracts. However, we can go off what he’s done with players in the past. Alex DeBrincat got a deal of $7.875 million per season at four years. It seems that Yzerman wants to give mid-range deals to his young players. It seems that Detroit’s GM wants to mitigate risk by not being locked into a long-term deal. Conversely, it could be different for Raymond or Seider this time around. We’ll find out more as we approach the offseason.
Winnipeg Jets
Rumour: The Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck looked at what the Jets might do in the offseason to land a top-four defenceman with Nikolaj Ehlers as a trade chip.
Analysis: We’ve talked about the Danish forward in previous edition of NHL rumours. Ehlers is in heading into the final year of his deal that sees him make $6 million. The veteran forward also has a 10-team no-trade clause, so he does have some control on where he can go.
Ehlers seems to be looking a new opportunity due to his lack of ice time in some situations. He is still a talented forward and could be beneficial for a club needing some scoring pop. Jets General Manger Kevin Cheveldayoff will probably have some teams checking in on the scoring forward.
Billeck mentions that the Jets could go after a defenceman with Ehlers as a piece of a trade. The Jets scribe mentions Jakob Chychrun, Jaccob Slavin, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Shea Theodore as possible targets. Adding a solid blueliner could helps address a weakness of not having a puck-moving defenceman. Winnipeg could also recover some draft picks as part of an Ehlers trade. The Jets have been aggressive in recent deadlines and getting picks could help re-stock the pipeline.
Clearing out Ehlers salary also might allow the team to be active in the free agent market. Having an extra $6 million to play with could give the team a leg up in trying to land a defenceman as well. Billeck also tossed out the names of Brett Pesce, Brandon Montour, Brady Skjei, or Nikita Zadorov as possible targets. The Jets made gains last season, but need to bolster their roster with a new head coach coming in.
Main photo by: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
