The Colorado Avalanche are still looking for a 2C and dangling Casey Mittelstadt
The Fourth Period: The Colorado Avalanche are looking for a second-line center and are believed to be offering up Casey Mittelstadt.
The Avalanche, along with the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, and others, are believed to be interested in New York Islanders Brock Nelson if they decide to trade the pending UFA.
Reilly Smith is among the New York Rangers being discussed
The Fourth Period: The New York Rangers held forward Reilly Smith out of the lineup Sunday. He carries a $3.75 million cap hit and an eight-team no-trade list.
Rangers GM Chris Drury is working the phones with Mika Zibanejad, K’Andre Miller, and Chris Kreider are also reportedly in play.
Only a third of the league may be spending to the salary cap ceiling in two years
Sportsnet 590 The FAN: James Mirtle believes that in two years there may only be 10 teams that are spending to the salary cap ceiling. The Toronto Maple Leafs may be able to flex their financial muscle, something they haven’t been able to do in a while.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Mirtle: “People who say, you know, like, they can’t trade the pics and all this stuff. Like, by the, by the, by the time those picks are giving you anything, this is all going to be over.”
JD Bunkis: “I also think that there’s an advantage to trading the picks now, because if the cap does go up as much as we’re expecting it to, it’s like Toronto will once again be able to flex their financial might and use their muscle in a way that they haven’t been able to throughout this entire, you know, COVID, post COVID period.
Like for rebuilding their team through free agency, they will be a bigger threat than they have been in the years past, where it’s like, why would I go there? I’m getting taxed, and I can just go to Dallas. It’s like, No, you’re up back at the top.”
Mirtle: “Two years from now, I think there’s only going to be 10 teams that spend the cap. You know the caps up at $113 (million), the Leafs are going to have an advantage over, you know, two-thirds of the league, financially, that they haven’t had in the cap era at all.”
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