In today’s NHL Rumor Roundup, the Calgary Flames have been informed that Matthew Tkachuk will not sign a long-term extension. What’s next and which teams did Tkachuk say he’d like to go to? Meanwhile, are the Edmonton Oilers interested in Patrick Kane?
His name has been linked to the organization in recent days. Doesn’t it look like the Colorado Avalanche are going all out to sign Nazem Kadri and how serious are the Ottawa Senators about adding a defenseman?
The Flames reported that Tkachuk was not signed long-term
According to Hailey Salvian and Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, Matthew Tkachuk has indeed informed the Calgary Flames that he has no intention of re-signing a long-term deal with the organization. He has presented a list of teams he would consider signing a long-term deal with, and the Flames are believed to have already begun working on the process of trading the player to one of those teams.
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
There are some mixed reports on which teams are on Tkachuk’s roster. The article suggests that there are St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars. That said, Nashville just signed Nino Niederreiter and Vegas doesn’t have the cap space to make that kind of move. New Jersey and the New York Rangers are also among the other teams that have shown interest. What seems to be a consensus thought is that the Flames would like to do it before the arbitration hearing that was officially scheduled for August 11th. They don’t have to move the player by then, as they would have the entire season to make a deal, but Calgary wants to do it as soon as possible if there is a return.
Oilers not interested in Patrick Kane
While sports betting site Sportsbetting.ag has the Oilers ahead of Colorado in the odds of landing Patrick Kane in a trade, TSN’s Tom Gazzola and the OilStream Podcast say there is no interest right now Kane from the Oilers perspective. He says he checked out the rumors and was told directly by sources close to Ken Holland that the buzz is not accurate.
Patrick Kane, right wing of the Chicago Blackhawks (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
“It’s something that came up in the last hockey operations meeting and was shut down by everyone at the top, starting with Ken Holland. This is just a rumor, this is stirring it up, this is click bait” , Gazzola said.He said the issue of Kane was discussed, but there are no rumors that there is a plan to pursue the player.
The Avalanche are unlikely to trade Girard to make cap space
As time goes on, it seems less and less likely that the Colorado Avalanche will make a move to bring Nazem Kadri back to the team as a free agent. According to Adrian Dater, he certainly doesn’t think the Avs will trade defenseman Sam Girard to make room. He tweeted: “Putting my thinking cap on, I doubt Sam Girard will be traded. Only 24, plenty of time left, very good player. No sense moving him on the cheap.”
Related: NHL Rumors: Ducks, Canucks, Bruins, Flames, Blues
There’s a sense from Dater that Kadri might be growing frustrated with the lack of big deals like he expected there to be. Some believe that as this process progresses, the Kadri question will drop and more teams will enter the mix when that happens.
Senators linked to Defenseman
TSN’s Travis Yost writes that the Ottawa Senators are being linked to a pair of defensemen as they look to improve their blue line. Among the names connected are Florida Panthers MacKenzie Weegar and Arizona Coyotes Jakob Chychrun. The question some are asking right now is how aggressive will the senators be? They have a good top six forward group and could be on the verge of competing for a playoff spot.
Although Thomas Chabot is a stud, his top six draft defense currently includes Travis Hamonic, Nikita Zaitsev and Nick Holden. They need an update.
Jim Parsons is a THW freelance writer, part-time reporter and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps and breathes NHL news and rumors while writing articles about the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted source for more than five years at The Hockey Writers, but more than that, he’s on a mission to keep readers up to date on the latest NHL rumors and trade talk. Jim is a daily necessity for readers who want to be “in the know.”
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