There's still hockey left to be played, but the rumour mill is kicking into overdrive as the offseason draws closer.
- Expect the trade market to get going early this offseason with major decisions needing to be made ahead of the June 17th expansion draft deadline. That's now just three weeks away. It's go-time.
- A number teams are believed to be fielding calls on their defensemen. Carolina, Minnesota and Anaheim have surpluses that have to be dealt with, lest they expose a good player to Vegas in the expansion draft. Among the names in the rumour mill from Anaheim are Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Shea Theodore, Brandon Montour and Jacob Larsson. In Carolina, speculation points to Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin and Ryan Murphy as potentially available. The Wild have fielded calls on Jonas Brodin in the past, but are more likely to entertain offers on Marco Scandella and Matt Dumba.
- Several teams are closely watching what Edmonton decides to do with forwards Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Among the teams kicking tires on Eberle are the Islanders and Blues. The Nuge seems less likely to move, but the Wild an Hurricanes have shown interest in the past.
- The goalie market is piping hot as always. The dam may break as soon as the playoffs end - Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury is a big domino in all of this. The futures of Brian Elliott, Jaroslav Halak, Steve Mason, Ryan Miller, Eddie Lack and many others are very much up in the air. Big decisions need to be made in Philadelphia, Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Long Island.
- Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog are still very much on the market, but the Avalanche have to find their next GM before any deal gets done. Many teams, including the Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Senators, Ducks, Canadiens, Islanders, Predators, Blackhawks, Leafs, Blues and Penguins have expressed interest in Duchene. Landeskog has likewise gained huge interest, with the Canadiens, Bruins, Jets, Kings, Penguins, Blackhawks, Ducks, Senators and Leafs making inquiries.
- There's still a belief the Lightning may look to trade RFA winger Jonathan Drouin this summer. There's a long backstory which you can read about here. Many teams expressed interest in Drouin last season, including the Blues, Stars, Senators, Canadiens, Ducks, Wild and Hurricanes.
- The Jacob Trouba rumours are sure to ramp up again as we get closer to the draft. The Jets defenseman asked for a trade last fall, before eventually signing a short term deal. There's still a sense he would like a trade to an American team. The Red Wings, Bruins and Islanders are rumoured destinations.
- Lots of other names circulating in the rumour mill. You can expect big names such as Ryan Spooner, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Evander Kane to figure heavily into rumour buzz this offseason. Lots more on the Trade Rumour Board and Free Agency Rumour Board!
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