NHL Rumour Roundup: Latest buzz on Myers, Trocheck, Bobrovsky and more

One week away from the NHL trade deadline, the rumour mill is working overtime. With the Olympic break freezing rosters until earlier this week, teams around the league have had plenty of time to mull their options, fine-tune their plans, and prepare for the hectic final dash to March 6.

On Tuesday, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos laid out a number of names who could be moved over the coming week. As the fog clears and the home stretch of the campaign comes into focus, here’s a look at the latest trade chatter across the league.

Canucks working with Myers, listening on everyone else

It’s no mystery that the Vancouver Canucks are open for business. It’s been a disastrous campaign for the Canadian club, and after dealing star defender Quinn Hughes earlier this season, everything else appears to be on the table.

In the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canucks are listening on all names aside from young players and veteran defender Filip Hronek. The next domino to fall seems set to be fellow blue-liner Tyler Myers, though there’s still much to determine regarding the 36-year-old’s next club.

“Myers found out Tuesday morning that Detroit had an offer for him that Vancouver wanted to consider. Wednesday night, when he sat out the game, I had a couple people tell me that it didn’t look like he was going to accept it,” Friedman said. “I don’t know where that stands as of the time we recorded this, but I do think what it does is, it opens up other possibilities for Myers. Other teams might come into it.”

Friedman noted that Myers’ full trade protection ends on July 1 — the veteran is in Year 2 of a three-year, $9-million deal, with a full no-move clause this season, but a modified clause next season. Meaning, if the Canucks are looking to move him, the blue-liner will have more control over the process now than if he pushes the decision to the off-season.

“I think they’re working together. I think the Canucks understand that he won’t want to rush,” Friedman continued. “One way or the other, it does look like, whether it’s now or later, Myers knows Vancouver’s prepared to move on. So, I think the effort now is to try to put him into a situation he’s comfortable with.”

Elsewhere in Vancouver, Friedman reported that all seems quiet regarding a potential Elias Pettersson deal at the moment, as the centreman’s contract — six more years at $11.6 million per season — remains a sticking point.

“I don’t think the Canucks are eager to retain (salary) — it’s a long time to retain for,” Friedman said. “I think some teams have tried to ask them if they’d consider it. I don’t think it’s something they’re very interested in doing.”

Prices for Thomas and Co. remain sky high

Another Western club fielding a slew of offers, the St. Louis Blues have been a focal point of the trade chatter for months. A number of Blues names were dotted among Kypreos’s latest trade board: forwards Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn, defender Justin Faulk, and netminder Jordan Binnington. But as Friedman reported, the prices on the Blues’ collection of gems remain steep.

“Everybody knows they’ve been out there for a while. But the prices are big,” Friedman said. “The price for Thomas is very high — either another young player who’s a younger player than Thomas, who’s a potential 1C, or a Quinn Hughes-type deal.”

Hughes was dealt by Vancouver to Minnesota in December for a four-piece package that included forward Marco Rossi, promising young defender Zeev Buium, prospect Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick.

“I think the price on Kyrou is high. The price on Faulk, I’ve said before, is the Rasmus Andersson trade,” Friedman continued. Andersson was dealt from Calgary to Vegas for defenceman Zach Whitecloud, blue-line prospect Abram Wiebe, and a pair of picks. “There’s been talk about Binnington — I think they would consider just about anything, but the price is high.”

Wild, Kings, Penguins in on Rangers‘ Trocheck

In the East, it’s been another disappointing year for the New York Rangers, who continue their slide from their 2024 Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign. After dealing away star forward Artemi Panarin earlier this month, the next name in play appears to be centreman Vincent Trocheck.

“Trocheck is the big one,” Friedman said, noting the 32-year-old’s play for Team USA at the Olympics added to his value. “In the biggest moments of that gold-medal game, on a five-on-three, he played unbelievable. He accepted a role that was not going to be the biggest role, and he did it without complaint. That did not go unnoticed.”

A number of clubs appear to be in on the veteran pivot, who has 37 points through 44 games this year. The Pittsburgh native has three years left on a seven-year, $39.4-million pact.

“Everybody’s tied Minnesota to him — I think that one’s obvious. I think L.A. really likes him,” Friedman said. “He’s stated that his preference is the East. … I know there are teams who suspect Colorado. I just don’t know, after what they did last year to get (Brock) Nelson, Colorado has a lot they can do. Although there’s been some talk about Ross Colton and his fit there. 

“I heard some teams said that they suspected Pittsburgh could be around Trocheck. He’s obviously from there. I think he’d be a great roster fit there. I just don’t know that the Penguins, where they are, are going to be making the kind of trade it would take to get him. … I’ve always kept an eye on Detroit, because they tried so hard to get him when he was a UFA a couple years ago.”

Interesting situation brewing between Panthers, Bobrovsky

On Tuesday, veteran insider Kevin Weekes reported that something might be coming with Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. After leading the Cats to two straight Stanley Cups — playing a crucial role in both championship runs — the 37-year-old remains without a new deal, his pact set to expire at the end of this season.

It’s a complicated situation. Bobrovsky is coming off a monster seven-year, $70-million deal that looked dicey in its early days but seemed to be great value amid the Cats’ recent success. But he’s also mired in one of the worst seasons of his career, the veteran sitting with an .874 save percentage and a 3.23 goals-against average, while the Panthers sit well out of the playoffs. Per Friedman, the recent slate of signings from GM Bill Zito complicates things further.

“I think the challenge there is that Bobrovsky saw a lot of guys get paid last year,” Friedman said. “(Aaron) Ekblad got a big extension — he’s 30. (Sam) Bennett got a big extension — he’s 29. But the other guy who got a big extension: (Brad) Marchand at 37. Bobrovsky is 37. And even though he’s had a tough year at times this year, he’s still a future Hall of Famer who was the backbone of a two-time defending Stanley Cup champion. The Panthers, I would suspect they have a limit of where they’re willing to go, but it’s not always easy when a player who’s a key player on a team like that sees other guys get paid — especially one player who’s right around his age — and they say, ‘Well, we may not be able to do that for you.’ 

“Florida gets things done when they want to get things done, they’ve proven that to us. Don’t doubt them. … But, clearly, they haven’t gotten to a zone yet that Bobrovsky is comfortable with.”

Oilers have real interest in Leafs‘ Ekman-Larsson 

The Toronto Maple Leafs sit level with the Florida Panthers at the moment, both clubs well out of the playoff race, with time running out to turn the season around. And although some among the Maple Leafs faithful believe the comeback will come, the belief is that internally the organization has already decided to sell before next week’s deadline, per Friedman. The question now is just how much they lean into that route.

Among the intriguing options in blue and white is veteran rearguard Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has been a rare bright spot on the Maple Leafs’ blue line this season, and is only a couple years removed from lifting the Cup with Florida. It appears another team with championship aspirations is mulling a move for his services — Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers.

“There’s a lot of defencemen out there, and you’ve got to be careful about how you handle things, in case (an interested team) says, ‘This is too much, I want to go somewhere else.’ But I do think the interest in Ekman-Larsson is real. I do think Edmonton’s interest in Ekman-Larsson is real,” Friedman said. “I think it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with him in particular, because I think that they could do that if they wanted to.”

Winger Bobby McMann remains the Leafs’ other prime trade chip, the 29-year-old having emerged as a quick-footed, big-bodied 20-goal talent who could be an excellent complementary piece on a number of rosters. That said, Friedman reported he’s been told there is a path to an extension with McMann, though the two sides are not ready to put pen to paper yet.

As for Scott Laughton, also a pending UFA, there appears to be a wider gulf between the two sides regarding a potential extension at this point, meaning a deal for the veteran centre may be more likely.

Sabres seemingly set on keeping Tuch

After a decade-and-a-half outside the playoff picture, the Buffalo Sabres are knocking on the door. The club sits in the first wild-card spot as of Friday, with a realistic chance at finally ending its drought. That leaves the Sabres in an interesting situation regarding the trade deadline — they are in the rare position of not needing to sell, but they also have a prime asset in pending UFA Alex Tuch.

“Buffalo is not a seller. They’re going for it,” Friedman said. “The betting on Tuch is that he stays in Buffalo next week, whether there’s an extension or not. Even if they don’t sign him — and I would expect at this point in time, they’re not — I think he stays.”

Key to consider is GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s history in such situations — the former Columbus manager notably held on to pending UFAs Panarin and Bobrovsky back in 2018-19, when his Blue Jackets found themselves in a similar spot.

“Don’t forget that Jarmo Kekalainen has been in this position before. When Columbus won their first-ever playoff series, beating Tampa, they had some UFAs and Jarmo was in the position where he just said, ‘You know what, Columbus has never won a series — we’re going for it. And if we lose guys, we lose guys,’” said Friedman. “And that’s what they did. So, he understands this, he knows how to handle it. And I think that’s the way he will do it in Buffalo.”

Canadiens interested in O’Reilly, grant Laine permission to seek move

Farther up the standings in the East, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves well-positioned heading toward the deadline. They have the assets to get deals done, and seem set to build on the progress they found last year. It’s simply a matter of picking their target.

“We all know about their interest in a centre. I’ve heard they’ve poked around (Ryan) O’Reilly,” Friedman said. “I just don’t know how feasible that is. … I see them as waiting in the weeds: ‘We’ve got things people want.’ And they like to be stealth.”

Friedman reported that the club is also considering a number of defencemen on the market as it looks to bolster its group before the deadline, and that winger Patrik Laine’s representatives have been granted permission to speak with other teams about a potential move.

Flames content to stay patient

The Calgary Flames have already dealt one star defenceman this season, and the club appears to have a couple more it could move. After acquiring Whitecloud in the deal that sent Andersson to Vegas, some speculated the Flames could flip the blue-liner for more assets. But it appears he could be sticking with the Albertan club.

“Another team told me that they heard Whitecloud is not in a hurry to get out of there. … That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get traded. It just means that the Flames are happy to have players who are happy there, and they’re not motivated to move him,” Friedman said. “If they get a great offer, look out.”

There’s also blue-liner MacKenzie Weegar for GM Craig Conroy to consider. And up front, proven veterans Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman. The issue, per Friedman, is the number of similar options on the market.

“I think people love Kadri the player — I’m not sure they’re crazy about the term. Also, there are other centres. There’s Trocheck, there’s O’Reilly, there’s other centres available. So, while I do think people like Kadri the player, between the age and the term, I think that’s the challenge that the Flames are going to have,” he said. “People like Coleman, people like Weegar, but there are other players around them. 

“Conroy has shown he’s not afraid to be patient. And if you look at some of the deals he’s made to get younger, when he has had some leverage to wait, he’s done a pretty good job using that.”