NHL Rumors: Latest on Marian Hossa, Ryan O'Reilly Trades, Penguins' Plans

If the NHL rumor mill is any indication, we could be set for an entertaining July. Yes, the market has been slow to develop, but a handful of dominoes will fall once free agency opens Sunday.

John Tavares' decision about where to sign is the first—and largest—factor that has prevented the trade market from taking off, but once he makes his choice, we could see numerous moves occur.

Several players who are supposedly available are also due big bonuses Sunday. After those are paid, we may see a handful of trades take place involving those individuals.

The draft didn't feature as many fireworks as anticipated, but who knows what kind of groundwork was laid during the two-day event. Sometimes trades take a bit of time to come together, but as we all know, general managers don't take July and August off.

Everyone is always working to improve their respective teams, and the right move can push a team over the hump or revitalize careers.

Chicago Blackhawks Have Renewed Effort to Trade Marian Hossa's Contract

The Chicago Blackhawks missed the playoffs in 2017-18, and you can bet that they will do whatever they can to get back to the dance this year. With Jonathan Toews recently turning 30 and Patrick Kane set to do the same in November, general manager Stan Bowman knows his team's Stanley Cup window is starting to creak shut.

Elite players like Toews and Kane age better than bottom-six forwards, but they hit the salary cap for a combined $21 million, leaving Chicago with little room to work with as it tries to beef up the roster.

That is why it should come as no surprise that Bowman is reportedly trying to trade Marian Hossa's dead cap space once again.

His cap hit is $5.275 million, but his actual salary is only $1 million, so a team that is looking to get to the cap floor without spending real dollars could be interested in acquiring Hossa—plus a sweetener or two—in the coming weeks.

That would free up the Blackhawks to chase after the top-four defenseman they reportedly covet, according to Jimmy Greenfield of The Chicago Tribune.

Pittsburgh Penguins May Not Be Done Dealing

Jim Rutherford has never been shy when it comes to making big trades. The Pittsburgh Penguins general manager always seems to have several irons in the fire, and that seems to be the case now.

He recently moved Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick to the Buffalo Sabres in what amounts to a salary dump ($5.25 million in savings), but he might not be done. With that cap space in hand and some holes on the roster to fill, the Penguins could look to move 23-year-old goaltender Tristan Jarry.

Darren Dreger appeared on Montreal's TSN 690 and dropped this little tidbit during the show (h/t Chris Nichols of FRS Hockey): 

"I don't know that the Penguins are done yet, to be fair. I had someone tell me yesterday that maybe—maybe—they'd consider trading Tristan Jarry. The only reason they would be because someone is in a full panic mode. Like the Islanders need a goaltender, the Hurricanes need a goaltender. Tristan Jarry is going to be a good goaltender, he's just not going to get that starting opportunity, I don't think, with Matt Murray in Pittsburgh. So I don't know that Rutherford is done yet and maybe he's got something else up his sleeve beyond say Jack Johnson."

There aren't any runaway No. 1 goalies available in free agency this season, and with so many teams looking for help in the crease, it might be the right time to strike for Rutherford as he tries to retool to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

Asking Price for Ryan O'Reilly Revealed

That info on the Penguins wasn't the only noteworthy morsel that Dreger mentioned during his time on TSN 690.

Ryan O'Reilly has been a staple of the league's rumor mill since the Buffalo Sabres cleaned out their lockers at the end of the season, and we now have a clearer idea of what the team is looking for in return for the center.

This also according to Dreger (h/t Chris Nichols of FRS Hockey for the transcription):

"The deal that it sounds like Buffalo is looking for is a first-round pick, a real good prospect—a top prospect, in fact—and then a second-round pick. My understanding is that's the deal that Buffalo is looking for AND that's before July 1. So the team that acquires him has to pay the $7.5 million bonus. If Buffalo pays the 7.5, then I think that the expectation of return after July 1 goes up even higher because of that financial penalty. So as of an hour ago, I was told it's split right now—50-50—as to whether or not O'Reilly gets traded."

That's a high cost to pay, both in terms of assets and in cash, so it will be interesting to see whether any contenders pony up for O'Reilly.

Teams that are close to contending for the Stanley Cup aren't usually drafting particularly high, so they might not have the kind of prospect the Sabres are looking to acquire.

And convincing an owner to shell out $7.5 million for a player before he's played a single game in his new uniform can't be an easy sell. O'Reilly is a strong center, but there have to be some questions about whether he moves the needle enough to make trading three good futures and paying $7.5 million up front worth it.