Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! With the holiday roster freeze complete, teams will begin to assess their needs and make deals. We are about 10 weeks away from the NHL’s trade deadline.
NHL rumors in this edition include:
Will the Utah Hockey Club acquire Taylor Hall before the deadline if they remain a playoff threat? The Ottawa Senators have a wishlist with a top-4 defenseman and a top-6 winger. General manager Bill Guerin of the Minnesota Wild said he’s not looking to trade the promising 23-year-old Marco Rossi after watching his performance on the Wild’s top line for most of this season.
Rumor: Per – Pierre LeBrun – nytimes.com. Will the Utah team become buyers and go after Taylor Hall? It could help their playoff aspirations.
Hall is an unrestricted free agent after the season, and his current Chicago Blackhawks team hasn’t committed to trading or keeping him yet. He has a $6 million cap hit, so it could happen if the Hawks were to retain some salary. The Utah team could use some additional offense to fight for a playoff spot. It could be a reunion of sorts for Hall. He played for the Arizona Coyotes for 35 games during the 2019-20 season, collecting 10 goals and 17 assists. While he may be slower, he could undoubtedly mentor some of the younger players in Utah.
Utah has the cap space to pay Hall, but his contract also has a modified no-trade clause. Will he want to go to a team with playoff possibilities compared to lingering in Chicago without much of a shot at being in the postseason?
Buffalo Sabres: NHL Rumors: When Will Dylan Cozens Get Traded?
Calgary Flames: Calgary Flames Weighing All Trade Options
Ottawa Senators – The Senators have a big wish list in the trade market, including adding a top-four defenseman and top-six scoring winger.
Rumor: Per – David Pagnotta – thefourthperiod.com. During Tuesday’s edition of “The Latest” on TFP, David Pagnotta reported that the Senators want to add at both ends of the ice, with the blueline seemingly a priority for strengthening this season.
“If they could keep this momentum going, they’re going to potentially push even further. Yes, as you mentioned, Kate, Staios would like to address a couple areas on his team,” Pagnotta said. “The defence, without question. If they could bring in somebody that has more of a stay-at-home, physical, defensive prowess kind of mentality, that’s what they would like to bring in Ottawa. They need somebody to kind of shut down and stabilize things on that backend. And if he could fit the top-four, that’s perfect for what they’re looking for.”
“In addition to that, they need another winger. They would like to bring in another offensive-scoring winger at some point this season. They’ve got a little bit of cap space to play with. Anything big would likely result in somebody coming out of the lineup. But Ottawa is looking at both ends.”
“They’re not pressing to make a deal now,“ Pagnotta said, “but if something falls into their lap later on, after the calendar year, perhaps after 4 Nations, it looks like that’s something that Staios would like to do.”
The Sens had won three straight and seven of their last ten games, placing them in a wild-card spot. They fell to the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 Saturday night but still retained their wild-card spot. When a team is playing well, it’s time to continue improving the roster to further its success. The Sens piece starts at the 5:06 mark.
Rumor: Per – Michael Russo – nytimes.com. Rossi’s name has blown wildly in trade circles since the offseason. Actually, to be honest, a couple of offseasons.
Asked point-blank last week if he’s talking to other teams about Rossi, Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin said sarcastically, “Not today.“ He then admitted, “No, I’m not looking to trade him. I’m very happy with Marco – oh my god, yeah,“ Guerin said. “Just his pace of play, his engagement every night, he has been one of our best players. I think the biggest thing, too — and I know this is the hardest thing for young players — is his consistency. We were commenting last game, he’s one of our better net-front presence guys. And he’s not the biggest guy, but he stands in there and that’s why he’s getting rewarded. All his goals are from 10 feet and less. He’s doing all the right stuff.”
And Guerin has every right to state that. Rossi has performed admirably and deserves to be dropped from NHL rumors and trade chatter. According to NHL Edge, nine of Rossi’s 12 goals are from high-danger areas. That’s the 95th percentile in the NHL.
Thirty-one of his 60 shots are from high-danger areas (91st percentile). For a guy who stands 5′-9″and 182 pounds, he stays right in there, fighting off opposing players in and around the crease. With 12 goals and 17 assists in 36 games, how can Guerin even consider losing him? He’s staying. He only earns $863,334 and is a restricted free agent. Losing him would be a huge mistake!
That concludes our NHL rumors for now. Be sure to catch our next article. Thanks for reading!
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? We are posting weekly podcasts, hot takes, and rumors from around the NHL. Come along for the ride.
This article first appeared on Full Press Hockey and was syndicated with permission.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
