Check out the latest on Leafs forward William Nylander, Sharks center Logan Couture and Senators center Shane Pinto in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
COULD NYLANDER HIT THE TRADE BLOCK?
NHL NETWORK: Steve Konroyd recently expressed his belief that the Toronto Maple Leafs will trade William Nylander at some point during this season. He doesn’t think the Leafs can afford to re-sign the 27-year-old forward, who could seek close to $10 million annually on his next contract.
Mike Rupp agreed with Konroyd, saying that Nylander has been underpaid for years. He believes there will be teams knocking on the door, including the Anaheim Ducks.
THE ATHLETIC: Jonas Siegel reports Nylander told his agent that he’s willing to negotiate with the Leafs during this season. However, he doesn’t want to hear about the status of those talks until the two sides have a deal in place.
Siegel thinks that this suggests Nylander has a clear number in mind for his next contract and won’t contemplate a deal unless the Leafs get there. General manager Brad Treliving could contemplate moving Nylander if a deal isn’t in place by the March 8 trade deadline.
However, Siegel doubts Treliving will peddle Nylander. He points out that clubs trying to win the Stanley Cup typically don’t trade away their best players even at the risk of their departure as free agents following the season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs could trade Nylander if this season goes off the rails by the trade deadline. Otherwise, I agree with Siegel that they’ll hang onto him for the playoffs if they feel they have a chance at winning the Stanley Cup.
If Nylander does hit the trade block perhaps the Ducks will have some interest. I agree with Rupp that he’d be a good fit in Anaheim given the experience and skills he’d bring to their rebuilding roster. They’d also have the cap space to sign him.
However, the Ducks could be on Nylander’s 10-team no-trade list for this season. It’s also possible that they don’t want to invest big money in expensive talent at this stage of their rebuild. If they are interested, they might prefer waiting for free agency on July 1 rather than giving up draft picks and promising young players to acquire him in a trade.
ARE COUTURE’S DAYS NUMBERED IN SAN JOSE?
DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli recently said he thinks that San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture could become a prime trade candidate.
He doesn’t think teams will be enamored with the 34-year-old center’s contract. However, he pointed out that the Sharks retained salary on Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns to facilitate trading those players.
Seravalli pointed out that the Sharks have one salary retention slot left. He thinks they could try to leverage that in order to generate trade interest in Couture.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Couture is signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $8 million and a three-team trade list. The Sharks almost certainly must retain a healthy chunk of his cap hit if they wish to move him.
Sharks GM Mike Grier recently said he’d be willing to entertain offers for Couture if he wanted to be traded. So far, there’s no indication that he wants out. We’ll see what happens as the season progresses.
THE LATEST ON THE PINTO SAGA
TSN: With the Ducks signing Jamie Drysdale on Thursday, Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto remains the last notable unsigned restricted free agent.
Chris Johnston reports the Senators continue working with Pinto’s agent to try and get a deal done before the upcoming start of the regular season. He noted that the 22-year-old center is two years away from arbitration eligibility. That makes it difficult to value what could be a second year in the deal, making a player less inclined to sign a one-year contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The ongoing uncertainty over Josh Norris’ health for this season also puts more urgency on the Senators to get Pinto under contract.