Are changes in store for the Kings following another first-round playoff exit? Would Leon Draisaitl be interested in joining the Bruins? What’s the latest on the Penguins? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT NEXT FOR THE KINGS?
ESPN.COM: Ryan S. Clark looks at what might be in store for the Los Angeles Kings following another first-round elimination at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
Clark pointed out the Kings had this season’s second-best penalty-killing stats but that turned into a weakness against the Oilers’ offense.
There could be a big turnover in goal this summer. Cam Talbot, David Rittich and Pheonix Copley are slated to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Trevor Lewis and defensemen Matt Roy are also UFA-eligible this summer.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was rumored the Kings attempted to acquire Linus Ullmark before the trade deadline but the Boston Bruins goalie used his no-trade clause to nix the deal. General manager Rob Blake could attempt to add a starter such as Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom or Nashville’s Juuse Saros this summer with Rittich retained as their backup.
Arvidsson’s injury history could lead to his departure via free agency. The 37-year-old Lewis probably won’t be back. Roy could be let go if Jordan Spence replaces him on the second-pairing and if Brandt Clarke is ready for full-time NHL duty next season.
THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens is critical of Blake’s management, pointing to his acquisition and signing of underachieving center Pierre-Luc Dubois. That move was among several questionable deals that left the Kings with insufficient salary-cap space to improve their roster at the March trade deadline.
Los Angeles Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois (NHL Images)
With the Kings facing continued mediocrity, Stephens suggests a shift in course with someone other than Blake as general manager. He pointed to Blake’s inability to address his club’s goaltending after Cal Petersen failed to seize the starter’s job in 2021-22, leaving the Kings scrambling to find a suitable replacement.
Dubois hasn’t come close to unseating Anze Kopitar or Phillip Danault among their top two centers. He has seven more seasons left on his contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million.
Buying out Dubois would count against the Kings’ salary cap for the next 14 years. A trade would mean retaining half of his AAV.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stephens cited the positive things Blake had done (drafting and developing young talent like Quinton Byfield and acquiring Kevin Fiala) but the goaltending and the Dubois contract are the major blunders he believes have hamstrung the Kings. It remains to be seen if the Kings ownership shares his belief that a management change is necessary.
COULD DRAISAITL SIGN WITH THE BRUINS NEXT SUMMER?
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy cited Georges Laraque telling a Montreal sports radio show that Leon Draisaitl is interested in joining the Boston Bruins if he doesn’t re-sign with the Edmonton Oilers.
Draisaitl is slated to become a UFA next July. Laraque cited someone “well-placed within the Oilers organization” claiming the high-scoring forward could leave the club next summer if they don’t go deep in the playoffs, adding “he’d prefer to be a first-line center in Boston.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Draisaitl will become a hot topic in the rumor mill if he doesn’t sign a contract extension before next season. Nevertheless, he could be keen to stick around with Connor McDavid beyond next season. His future in Edmonton could come down to how much of a raise he’s seeking over his current $8.5 million AAV.
Assuming Draisaitl is interested in playing for the Bruins, they’d have to wait until next summer to get him as a free agent. They reportedly lacked sufficient depth in tradeable assets to acquire Elias Lindholm or Noah Hanifin before the trade deadline. They won’t have enough to get one of the NHL’s high-scoring superstars this summer or next season.
The Bruins have nearly $45 million invested in seven players for 2025-26. The salary cap could rise to over $92 million for that season. There would be plenty of room to sign Draisaitl for a long-term deal worth $15 million annually.
Oh, you thought it would be much less than that? Think again. Draisaitl has been underpaid for years. He will seek a new contract befitting one of the NHL’s leading superstars.
Still, that looks like plenty of cap space to accommodate Draisaitl, right? Wrong.
Team captain Brad Marchand will need a contract extension. They must sign goaltender Jeremy Swayman to a new contract (probably between $6 million and $7 million annually given his arbitration status), re-sign or replace Jake DeBrusk, and fill out the rest of the roster. Rumor has it they could pursue a center who can play on their top-two lines plus a top-four defenseman via free agency in July. They won’t come cheap.
Even if the Bruins could do all that with some cap room to spare, they won’t have enough for Draisaitl without shedding sufficient space to ensure they can win a bidding war for his services.
I’m not saying the Bruins can’t sign Draisaitl if he wants to come to Boston. However, it’ll take a hell of a lot of work to free up the cap space to make it happen without significantly weakening their roster depth in the process.
LATEST ON THE PENGUINS
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: Jason Mackey suggested how Penguins GM Kyle Dubas can improve his club for next season and beyond.
One option is exploring the possibility of trading Erik Karlsson to the Ottawa Senators if they’re interested in reacquiring their former captain. Karlsson denied rumors of returning to Ottawa in March but Mackey didn’t believe him.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maybe Karlsson would agree to return to the Senators but I don’t believe their new ownership and management want to bring him back. Even if Dubas agreed to retain half of the $10 million of his $11.5 million AAV that the Penguins currently carry, the Senators are likely looking at younger, more affordable right-shot options for their blueline.
Mackey also suggested Dubas attempt to find a trade partner to take goaltender Tristan Jarry and his $5.375 million cap hit for the next four years off his hands. Another option is shopping a winger such as Reilly Smith or Rickard Rakell.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dubas seems intent on sticking with Jarry and call up promising Joel Blomqvist as his understudy next season. Trading Smith or Rakell seems a more likely option.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski believes Ryan Graves’ contract would be a major sticking point in any attempt to trade the 28-year-old defenseman this summer. He’s signed for five more years with an annual cap hit of $4.5 million.
Graves’ struggles in his first season with the Penguins damaged his trade value. Their best bet is to hope he regains his former next season.