Check out the latest on the Oilers, Panthers and Hurricanes in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
HOW WILL THE OILERS IMPROVE THEIR BLUELINE?
THE ATHLETIC: Allan Mitchell cited Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman saying he’d like to add a defenseman later this season during a recent interview with Daniel Nugent-Bowman.
Mitchell suggested Henri Jokiharju of the Buffalo Sabres and J.J. Moser of the Tampa Bay Lightning as trade options.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jokiharju might be available if the Sabres are out of playoff contention at the March 7 trade deadline. He’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
Moser isn’t going anywhere. He’s signed through next season with an average annual value of $3.375 million and currently skates alongside Victor Hedman on the Lightning’s top defense pairing.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: A reader asked Jim Matheson if there was anything to the speculation suggesting Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard could land with the Oilers by the trade deadline.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (NHL Images).
Matheson believes the Oilers would prefer Savard’s teammate Mike Matheson, provided the Canadiens retained part of his $4.875 million AAV because he’s a better puckmover.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Matheson has surfaced in the rumor mill as the Canadiens are once again among the bottom feeders in the standings. Habs GM Kent Hughes will want a a first-round pick or a top prospect as part of a package deal, especially if the inquiring team wants him to retain part of Matheson’s salary.
DAILY FACEOFF: Jason Gregor noted that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has frequently popped up in trade rumors. However, he’s torn on the big Finn because of his consistency with his decision-making. Gregor also mentioned Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames, but considers the odds of the Oilers landing him are “pretty much zero.”
UPDATES ON THE PANTHERS AND HURRICANES
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reports the Florida Panthers have had internal discussions about tweaking their blueline between now and the March 7 trade deadline. “They don’t have much cap space, so they’ll have to be creative.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Puckpedia shows the Panthers with $1.69 million in current cap space but could have over $5.4 million by March 7. That should provide sufficient wiggle room for GM Bill Zito to get creative in the trade market.
LeBrun reports the Carolina Hurricanes signing Dustin Tokarski on Monday doesn’t take them out of the goalie market. He believes they could act at any time if a goalie becomes available who slots ahead of Spencer Martin and Tokarski. They’ll also want to see how Frederik Andersen performs when he returns from his recent knee procedure.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There aren’t many options currently available which explains the signing of Tokarski. They’re fine with Pyotr Kochetkov as their starter but want to ensure they’ve got sufficient depth in case injuries strike again.