Should the Avalanche attempt to reacquire Nazem Kadri? Who could the Canucks pursue at the trade deadline? Which players should the Jets target in the trade market? Find out in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.
SHOULD THE AVALANCHE BRING BACK KADRI?
THE DENVER POST: Sean Keeler makes the case for the Colorado Avalanche to reacquire Nazem Kadri, who signed a long-term contract in 2022 as a free agent with the Calgary Flames.
Keeler believes the Avs can no longer count on winger Valeri Nichushkin, who’s taken his second extended leave of absence from the club, this time to enter the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He doesn’t want to see the club waste another season of Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen while they’re still in their playing prime.
The Avalanche have been linked to Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm but he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Instead, Keeler believes bringing back Kadri would be a better option given his style of play and his previous tenure in Colorado.
Keeler acknowledged Kadri is on the wrong side of 30 (33) and has five more years remaining on his contract with an AAV of $7 million. However, he’s also expressed his reluctance to play for a rebuilding club if the Flames decide to go down that path.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Keeler admits this is wishful thinking on his part (“let’s get wacky”) though ESPN’s Kevin Weekes shares his opinion about bringing back Kadri, especially with the salary cap going up next season.
Nevertheless, there are too many hurdles to clear for the Avs. The biggest is their lack of cap space for this season unless they send the Flames a good young player like Samuel Girard or Bowen Byram as part of the return. I don’t see the Flames retaining a significant chunk of Kadri’s cap hit given how many years remain on his contract.
As for next season, the Avalanche currently have $84.8 million invested in 12 active roster players for 2024-25. They’ll get $7 million in cap relief if Gabriel Landeskog remains on long-term injury reserve as he has since last season. If he returns to action, however, they can’t afford to take on Kadri even with the cap going up without shedding considerable cap space in the process.
CANUCKS TO EXTEND ALLVIN’S CONTRACT, SEEK A TOP-SIX FORWARD
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Vancouver Canucks intend to extend general manager Patrik Allvin’s contract by this week. They signed president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford to a three-year extension last week.
Friedman also indicated they’re “looking hard” for a top-six forward. The word is they’re looking at about four or five different players.
One of their targets could be Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel. Another could be Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That need for a top-six forward is due in part to the ongoing struggles of Andrei Kuzmenko. Following a 39-goal, 71-point performance in 2022-23, the 27-year-old winger has just eight goals and 19 points in 40 games. He’s been a healthy scratch five times and seen limited playing time as head coach Rick Tocchet attempts to improve his overall performance.
That’s led to speculation suggesting Kuzmenko could become a trade candidate. He’s signed through next season with a $5.5 million average annual value and a 12-team no-trade clause. Perhaps he’ll become part of a trade package if the Canucks pursue a rental player such as Guentzel or Lindholm, provided either one is available by the March 8 trade deadline.
FIVE PROPOSED TRADE TARGETS FOR THE JETS
THE ATHLETIC: Murat Ates recently listed five players that he believes the Winnipeg Jets should target leading up to the March 8 trade deadline.
The Jets could use depth at center and among their right-shot defensemen. Ates proposed Calgary’s Elias Lindholm, the Montreal Canadiens’ Sean Monahan and the Anaheim Ducks’ Adam Henrique to address the centerman role. Calgary’s Chris Tanev and the Philadelphia Flyers’ Sean Walker are his suggested blueline options.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lindholm would be the best option in terms of skills but the asking price could be too expensive for the Jets. Other clubs will also be interested as the Flames will try to get a bidding war going to ensure a better return.
Henrique carries a $5.825 million AAV and at 33 has slowed but he still has good hockey sense and two-way skills. He’d be more affordable than Lindholm in terms of asking price but his cap hit is a concern. The Ducks could retain half of that hit but that will cost extra to convince them. That’s assuming, of course, that the Jets aren’t on his 10-team no-trade list.
Monahan could be the best option here. He lacks no-trade protection and has an affordable $1.985 million cap hit. The 29-year-old won’t cost as much as Lindholm and Henrique to acquire, perhaps a second-round pick.
Tanev could also prove difficult to land as there will be several clubs that could get into the bidding. He also carries a 10-team no-trade clause. Walker lacks no-trade protection, carries an affordable $2.65 million AAV and shouldn’t cost as much to acquire as Tanev. However, he might not be available with the Flyers holding second place in the Metropolitan Division.