In today’s NHL rumors rundown, there is talk that the Buffalo Sabres are playing the long-term game and setting up the franchise to go after some big-name free agents in a couple of years time. Meanwhile, there’s talk the Carolina Hurricanes might be close on an 8-Year extension with Andrei Svechnikov. The St. Louis Blues may not get access to Zdeno Chara, but could they be trying to trade for a defenseman out of the New York Islanders organization? Finally, what will the Arizona Coyotes for the 2022-23 season without the Glendale Arena to play out of?
Sabres Big-Game Hunting Between 2022-25
According to John Vogl of The Athletic, general manager Kevyn Adams of the Buffalo Sabres is setting up the organization to be in a position to target big-time UFAs and when the young core of the team is ready to work alongside those big names. Vogl writes:
General manager Kevyn Adams has made his ultimate goal very clear. Once the Sabres’ young core matures, Adams will surround it with established talent.
There’s a lot of talent scheduled to be on the market. The next four summers could feature Hall of Famers, franchise players and All-Stars finding new homes. While Buffalo is not on their radar now, it may be once their contracts are up.
source – ‘Sabres UFA future: Auston Matthews, Patrick Kane and other potential targets from 2022-25’ – John Vogl – The Athletic – 08/19/2021
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
Among the names Vogl mentions is Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews and Leon Draisaitl, who are all scheduled to be at the top of their free-agent classes. That doesn’t mean any of these players will want to leave their respective organizations or will have the Sabres on their radar if they do, only that there are some prized free agents worth chasing.
In other Sabres’ news, No. 1 overall draft pick Owen Power has elected to return to Michigan for another season instead of joining the NHL. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not this is the best decision for the player who is choosing another year of development over making millions in the NHL and making an impact right away.
Nikita Zadorov agrees to a one-year deal with Calgary at a cap hit of $3.75 million. Zadorov was acquired by the Flames via a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 28, 2021 for a 2022 third-round pick. He is a veteran of 411 NHL games split between Buffalo, Colorado, and Chicago.
Blues Interested in Islanders’ Mayfield?
As per The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, reports New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield has surfaced as a possible trade target for the St. Louis Blues. He writes:
The speculation surrounding any Blues’ trade targets on defense this summer has been limited, but one name that has surfaced is the New York Islanders’ Scott Mayfield, a St. Louis native. The 28-year-old is a right-shot defenseman who has played 285 regular-season games in the NHL and another 51 in the playoffs for the Isles, who advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in 2019-20 and the Stanley Cup semifinals in 2020-21, losing to the eventual champion Lightning both seasons.
source – ‘The offseason isn’t over, but is it time to be concerned about the Blues’ defense?’ – Jeremy Rutherford – The Athletic – 08/18/2021
Mayfield isn’t the perfect fit for the Blues and he might not directly replace Vince Dunn, but the blueliner did play around 19 minutes per game last season. There is a chance too that Mayfield would replace a player like Robert Bortuzzo who the Blues are apparently trying to find an upgrade for.
Hurricanes and Svechnikov to Sign 8-Year Deal?
According to Sports.Ru (requires translation to English), Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov is on the verge of agreeing to an eight-year contract with the team. Speculation is that the deal will be around $8.75 million per season.
Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
There have been no comments from the team or the player and no reputable insider NHL sources have discussed the pending deal, but the story has been picked up by a number of sources and made its way around social media this week.
Coyotes Arena Agreement Not Renewed By City of Glendale
The city of Glendale, Arizona, where the Arizona Coyotes play, has decided to not renew the operating agreement for Gila River Arena after the 2021-22 season. That means, the Coyotes will need to find another place to play after this following season as they are essentially being booted from their home rink.
Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps said this was a decision that was made with careful consideration and attributed it to large debts the team has owed but not paid the city.
The team says they are committed to finding a long-term home somewhere in Arizona before exploring the idea of having to move the franchise.
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TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
