In today’s NHL rumors rundown, does Jack Eichel changing agents alter the odds the Boston Bruins might be in the discussion to land the unhappy center from the Sabres? Meanwhile, can the Dallas Stars really afford to give John Klingberg what he’s worth? What is the status of John Tavares when it comes to being ready for the 2021-22 NHL season and is Darryl Sutter really on the coaching hot seat in Calgary?
Are Bruins Less Likely to Acquire Eichel Now?
Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now wonders if Eichel’s decision to change agents hurts the Bruins chances of trading for the center. They were still rumored to be among the several clubs with an interest and talks were expected to intensify over the coming weeks.
Murphy isn’t sure the change benefits the Bruins who had a good relationship with Eichel’s former agents and now that he’s represented by Pat Brisson — who has a strong relationship with a number of teams — the Bruins could be on the outside looking in. Specifically, Brisson has a close relationship with Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and Eichel was linked to the Habs at one point.
Klingberg’s Deal a Tricky One for Stars
We mentioned a couple of weeks back that the Stars were talking with Klingberg about a potential contract extension now that Miro Heiskanen’s deal is done. It was mentioned that there could be complications based on how much he might command and what the Stars can afford. Mike Heika of the Stars‘ official website has an update.
He notes that, “Both sides are trying to get an extension done, but Klingberg has placed himself statistically in a very high dollar range while at the same time getting to an age where a long-term deal might not be best for the team.” His contract will be unique from the standpoint that the Stars might not want to give max term to the player, but he’s earned max dollars, so term might be the only way to keep the AAV down.
Heika adds:
Klingberg will be 30 when his new deal starts, and if he wants an eight-year contract, that means he might have to give a little on AAV. Add to that the fact the Stars are already committed to Heiskanen ($8.45 million) for eight years, Esa Lindell ($5.8 million) for four years and Ryan Suter ($3.65 million) for four years, that makes this negotiation pretty tricky.
Tavares to Be Ready for Training Camp
After news that Carey Price would be good to go for the Canadiens, it sounds like another big name player whose status for the start of the season was uncertain will be ready to rock as well. Tavares said during an interview with NHL.com that he expects to be healthy and cleared to play for the team’s training camp, which starts in mid-September.
Tavares was unable to finish this past season after colliding with Corey Perry during Game 1 of the team’s First Round series against Montreal. It was a nasty injury that left a lot of people worried about what it might mean for Tavares long-term. He’s back on the ice, cleared and working hard to be ready for the upcoming season. He said: “For me, it was nice to just kind of get back out and work on some things I wanted to work on, come off the injury and be on the ice a lot, get a good feel for my game and build from there with a good group of guys.”
Meanwhile, Auston Matthews, will likely miss the start of camp should be ready for the season opener on October 13th.
Sutter On the Hot Seat? Probably Not…
The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau recently looked at five NHL head coaches who could be on the hot seat this season and mentioned Flames’ bench boss Darryl Sutter was in that mix. Something would have to go incredibly wrong for this to be accurate. If the Flames come out cold to start the season, expect trades before a coaching change.
When Sutter was hired, GM Brad Treliving made it clear that this was a hire that was meant to signal the team had its new leader and the players were now the ones responsible to turn things around with this new coach. In other words, Calgary wasn’t going to move the coach, they’d move players first.
At this point, Treliving has likely already made his bed with Sutter and if he’s fired, that won’t save the GM’s job. The last card Treliving has left to play is moving core pieces off the roster.
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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