The Edmonton Oilers shook up their bench on Sunday with the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft and hiring of Kris Knoblauch as his replacement, but the club isn’t the only struggling Pacific Division franchise to make headlines over the weekend.
Calgary’s struggles have also been on full display so far this year, and that’s got speculation swirling about how the team will approach a trio of unrestricted free agents.
With a massive assist from the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, here’s a collection of rumours and reports from around the NHL right now.
What’s next for Flames, Zadorov?
Calgary Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov delivered a statement hit on Tyler Bertuzzi Friday night in Toronto, but that was nothing compared to the message agent Dan Milstein sent later that evening with a post on X confirming his client’s desire to be traded and suggesting Toronto as a destination.
In a subsequent post responding to another user, Milstein took issue with Zadorov’s ice time — which, at 15:33 Friday night, hit a season-low and continued a trend of sub-20-minute outings this year amid Calgary’s struggles.
As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported during Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, the Maple Leafs and Canucks are believed to be interested in Zadorov and Chris Tanev — both of whom are on expiring deals. He added that by making public Zadorov’s trade request, Milstein has opened the door for more teams to inquire.
Friedman shared more insights on the Zadorov situation during Monday’s edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, stating that Calgary intends to operate on its own timeline. He also shared an interesting interaction that reportedly took place on the ice Friday night in Toronto:
“The word going around on Sunday night is that a Maple Leaf player said to Zadorov on the ice, ‘You’re exactly what we need,’” Friedman said.
There’s no word on which player, exactly, was the one doing the recruiting.
Sitting at 4-8-2 with just 10 points through their first 14 games, the Flames have a lot of decisions to make in the months ahead — particularly on the blue line, where all but two skaters (MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson) are pending UFAs. Noah Hanifin, whose name has been widely circulated in rumour mills, and Tanev both have modified no-trade clauses in their expiring deals.
Panthers GM Bill Zito aggressively pursuing Kane
After sprinting to the Stanley Cup Final last spring, the Florida Panthers were expected to open 2023-24 at a much slower pace with its top two defencemen on injured reserve following off-season surgeries. But 14 games into the campaign, last year’s runners-up sit second in the Atlantic despite being without Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour — and GM Bill Zito is hoping a certain high-profile free agent is taking note.
Former Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, who’s coming off a summer surgery of his own, is nearing his return to NHL ice and according to Friedman, Zito has been aggressive in pitching Kane on the Panthers.
“We’re starting to get closer to the Patrick Kane decision. I think this week he’s going to start talking to some teams. Bill Zito, the GM of Florida, has been one of the most aggressive general managers when it comes to Kane,” Friedman said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts. “They don’t have a ton of money, they can’t offer him the most money. They can probably offer him only a one-year deal — I’m not 100 per cent sure on that, but I know they can’t offer him a ton of money this year.”
The Panthers are tight to the cap, with no space to spare. It’s unclear what Kane’s asking price would be, but previous reports have suggested the three-time Stanley Cup champion is seeking a one-year deal before pursuing something more long-term next summer when he can focus on hockey, and not worry about his health.
Friedman indicated Zito’s pitch is all about the opportunity to win.
“I heard he’s been very aggressive with Kane: ‘Come here, we can’t give you the most money, but we can give you a chance to win,’” Friedman explained. “I don’t know if Kane’s going to end up there, but Florida incredibly — and maybe unbelievably — has made its case early in the year with how they’ve played.”
Montreal seeking answers in net with potential Montembeault extension
The Montreal Canadiens’ crease has seen a trio of goaltenders suit up early this season, with Sam Montembeault, Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau all seeing starts. Of the three, only Montembeault is without a deal for 2024-25, but that could change soon.
“One thing I think Montreal would like to do is, I think they would like to solve this three-goalie issue. And one of the ways they feel they can proceed about solving it is, is Montembeault staying?” explained Friedman via the podcast.
Montembeault, 27, has a 3-2-1 record through six starts this season with a 2.89 goals against average and .905 save percentage. Signing Montembeault would bring a little certainty to Montreal’s situation in net, opening the door for the team to then make decisions about Allen and Primeau.
“I think they’re trying to get some certainty on Montembeault, and we’ll see what the answer is,” Friedman said.
Will Boston lock up its tandem?
Montreal’s not the only Atlantic team that could be looking to secure its crease. Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman, one half of the club’s league-best duo, signed a one-year deal post-arbitration on Aug. 1 worth $3.475 million and is extension-eligible as of Jan. 1.
Friedman said he “wouldn’t be surprised at all” if Boston tries to get that deal done early.
Swayman, 24, will once again be a restricted free agent next summer if left unextended. His goalie partner, starter Linus Ullmark, is signed through 2024-25 with an AAV of $5 million.
