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.
Jim Parsons is a senior THW freelance writer, part-time journalist and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps and breathes NHL news and rumors, while also writing features on the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted source for five-plus years at The Hockey Writers, but more than that, he’s on a mission to keep readers up to date with the latest NHL rumors and trade talk. Jim is a daily must for readers who want to be “in the know.”
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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
