BS Meter on the Latest NHL Trade and Free Agency Rumors for the Offseason
With the calendar flipped to April, the end of the NHL's regular season and the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs are fast approaching.
The media rumor mill may be churning slower after the trade deadline, but it is still turning out speculation regarding possible offseason moves. We can expect this chatter to increase in the coming weeks regarding the 16 clubs that failed to qualify for the postseason and those that are eliminated from the playoffs.
Some of the current talk involves possible moves by non-contenders such as the Columbus Blue Jackets. Other speculation involves clubs headed into the playoffs such as the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Which of these trade and free-agent rumors will pass our BS meter?
Will the Buffalo Sabres Shop for a Goaltender?
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Playing meaningful hockey in April for the first time in years, the Buffalo Sabres improved considerably this season thanks to a goals-per-game average (3.55) that sits third-best among all NHL clubs. However, they're poised to miss the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season because their 3.62 goals-against per game is the seventh-worst.
Goaltending was the Sabres' Achilles heel. On March 23, The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn suggested they seek a veteran netminder on a short-term contract in the offseason to replace 41-year-old Craig Anderson.
The Sabres have a promising young goalie in Devon Levi, who got the start in two recent games. Assuming Levi's part of their tandem next season, Fairburn believes he'd benefit from having a more experienced partner to mentor him.
Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen have also shared the goalie duties with Anderson, who could retire following this season. Neither one, however, has shown sufficient consistency to handle the starter's job. Fairburn believes going into next season with those two as the Sabres tandem means a repeat of this season's issues between the pipes.
BS Meter: Not BS
Levi and Luukkonen have potential as starters, while Comrie seems best suited for backup duty. Nevertheless, the Sabres need a more experienced goaltender still in his prime to become serious playoff contenders next season. Expect them to shop for help via trade or free agency this summer, with Comrie or perhaps Luukkonen becoming a trade candidate.
Could the Edmonton Oilers Make Some Cost-Cutting Moves?
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Salary-cap space was an issue for the Edmonton Oilers throughout this season, and they sit with a projected cap hit of $90.9 million. If not for placing the combined annual average salaries of Oscar Klefbom, Mike Smith and Ryan Murray on long-term injured reserve, they would've had little cap flexibility.
Oilers general manager Ken Holland still had to ship out Jesse Puljujärvi to the Carolina Hurricanes to make room for their acquisition of Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators before the trade deadline. That deal also involved sending Tyson Barrie to Nashville with the Predators retaining $250,000 of Ekholm's $6.25 million average annual salary.
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard and forwards Klim Kostin and Ryan McLeod will be restricted free agents seeking raises this summer. With just $8.5 million in projected cap space for 2023-24 and 15 roster players under contract, Holland could end up shedding more salary in the offseason.
Last week, The Athletic's Allan Mitchell noted the Oilers' need to re-sign those restricted free agents. He speculated they could shuffle out a winger such as Warren Foegele or Kailer Yamamoto. Mitchell also suggested a defenseman such as Cody Ceci or Brett Kulak could be shopped to clear cap space.
BS Meter: It's not BS
Ceci's annual cap hit is $3.25 million through 2024-25, while Kulak's is $2.75 million through 2025-26. Yamamoto will be a restricted free agent after next season and carries a $3.1 million cap hit while Foegele ($2.75 million) will be an unrestricted free agent after next season. At least one of them could be on the move to clear cap space to sign this summer's RFAs.
Will the Columbus Blue Jackets Peddle Jack Roslovic?
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Two years ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired center Jack Roslovic as part of the return when they sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Winnipeg Jets for Patrik Laine. According to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline, the 26-year-old, who hails from Columbus, could be on the move again.
In his March 25 mailbag, Portzline was asked if the Blue Jackets might trade Roslovic even if the return wasn't appealing. He considered it a realistic possibility, noting the Jackets' center position could look different this summer with the influx of centers in the draft and with Dmitry Voronkov coming from the KHL.
Roslovic's inconsistent play and defensive lapses seem to be part of this game. Portzline also speculated the Jackets played Laine at center before his recent triceps injury in a possible attempt to showcase Roslovic on the wing to prospective trade partners.
Roslovic has put up decent numbers with 45 points in 82 games last season as well as 44 points in 72 games this year. He's signed through next season and carries a $4 million cap hit, lacks no-trade protection and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
BS Meter: Not BS
The Blue Jackets could consider shopping Roslovic if they feel he no longer fits into their long-term plans. Despite his shortcomings, he could still have value for a club seeking a middle-six center with a decent scoring touch.
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Is Another Goalie Trade Possible for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
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The Toronto Maple Leafs spent the last two offseasons trying to improve their goaltending. In 2021, they signed Petr Mrazek to a three-year contract to back up then-starter Jack Campbell. Last summer, they let Campbell depart via free agency, traded Mrazek to Chicago, acquired Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators and signed free agent Ilya Samsonov.
Murray has been in and out of the Leafs lineup this season because of injuries. With Samsonov and third-stringer Joseph Woll playing well as a tandem, perhaps another shake-up between the pipes is in order this summer.
Sportsnet's Luke Fox was asked that question during his mailbag Tuesday. He didn't dismiss the possibility of the Leafs peddling Murray to a club trying to reach the salary-cap floor for next season. He also didn't rule out a contract buyout, which would cost $687,500 against their cap next season and $2 million in 2024-25.
Moving Murray would sort out the Leafs' goaltending situation and free up valuable cap space. With $8.4 million in projected space next season and 14 roster players under contract, they must find room to re-sign Samsonov, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, as well as re-sign or replace unrestricted free agents such as Michael Bunting and Alex Kerfoot.
BS Meter: It's not BS
The Leafs could still get some salary-cap flexibility next season if Jake Muzzin ($5.6 million AAV) remains on long-term injured reserve. Nevertheless, Murray's injury history and the need to clear cap room could make him a prime summer trade candidate.
Could the Winnipeg Jets Shake Things Up This Summer?
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The Winnipeg Jets have been in decline since reaching the 2018 Western Conference Finals. They missed the playoffs last season and are clinging to the final wild-card berth as this season winds down. Assuming they qualify, they could end up eliminated from the opening round.
On March 26, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press observed Mark Scheifele's offensive struggles in recent weeks contributed to the Jets' slide in the standings following a solid start to this season. He noted that Scheifele's inconsistency was also an issue in 2018-19 and last season in which the Jets also faded following a promising start.
McIntyre indicated that Scheifele's play is one reason behind rumblings around the league that big changes could be coming to the Jets roster as early as this summer. He also pointed out that Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Connor Hellebuyck and Pierre-Luc Dubois will all be a year away from unrestricted free agency.
Unless Schefiele and those other core players step up, McIntyre feels the Jets won't go very far. He felt that perhaps a major shake-up might be for the best.
BS Meter: Not BS
Another disappointing finish or first-round playoff exit could force management to shake things up. Keeping those core players McIntyre mentioned comes with the risk of losing them for nothing to free agency next summer. It might be best to shop some of them this offseason for returns that enable the Jets to retool or rebuild around younger talent.
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