Penguins/NHL
Latest NHL Buzz
The New York Rangers are expected to ask Rick Nash for his 12-team list this week and the Rangers are certain the list will include a couple teams in the Metropolitan Division, based on their preliminary discussions with the Nash camp so far.
Early indications are the Rangers are willing to trade Nash inside the division.
Nash and his representatives already have a tentative list in place and the Penguins are expected to be one of the 12 teams on Nash’s list , league sources told TIOPS last week.
That will make the Penguins a team to watch as Nash has long been a favorite of Penguins [hide] GM Jim Rutherford.
Other news to emerge on Nash in the last 24 hours is that New York could be headed to a win-win scenario with Nash and Michael Grabner as both could be traded and then resign with the Rangers this summer, per Elliotte Friedman.
“I think when it comes to Nash, I think that’s coming any day now, where the Rangers go to him officially and say, ‘Rick, we want your list,’ Elliotte Friedman said on Sportsnet’s Headlines segment. “One of the story lines that is developing is there are some teams out there who believe that Rick Nash and Grabner could get traded and then go back to New York next season. They both really like it there,” added Friedman.[/hide]
In what has been an expected development, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports the Rangers are likely to pick up 50% of Nash’s remaining cap hit, something that has to be a must if the Rangers want to get full value for Nash.
From Larry Brooks of NY Post: [“The Blueshirts are also likely to pick up 50 percent of the remainder of premier rental property Rick Nash’s full-season $7.8 million cap hit, with Nashville, Columbus, Dallas, St. Louis, San Jose and perhaps Pittsburgh as relevant parties of the other part”]
Some chatter around the league is we could see blockbuster between the Rangers and Lightning that see’s Ryan McDonagh and Nash end up in Tampa Bay. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
— The prices remain significantly high on two of the top players that have been on the market for a while now, namely Evander Kane and Max Pacioretty.
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“Some teams are telling me as many as four pieces: a first-rounder, a second-rounder, a warm roster body, and a top prospect. That is a non-starter for a lot of teams,” Sportsnet’s Nick Kyperos reported Saturday night.
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The Penguins, sources say, have been To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
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[/hide]– A lot of eyes on Columbus, a club that is trending down and looks to have lost their identity a bit. John Tortorella did a phenomenal job last season in getting the Blue Jackets to overachieve and Tortorella, the reigning NHL coach of the year, had earned great praise from the hockey world of how he adapted and let the Blue Jackets play a much more freely brand of offensive hockey than he is normally accustomed to. It led to great success last season.
Now Tortorella has put the shackles back on the Blue Jackets skilled players and some around the league are wondering what happens next in Columbus.
The Blue Jackets need a boost to their lineup in a big way before it’s too late. Although they badly need a top-6 center, Columbus has been linked to the likes of Rick Nash and Mike Hoffman.
— Industry chatter is scouts, executives around the league like former Penguins top pick Kasperi Kapanen a lot more than the Maple Leafs do and Kapanen is seen as a pretty big trade asset for the Leafs entering the deadline. Lots of interest in him as the Leafs pursue upgrades. Many feel Kapanen should be a regular and playing a bigger role.
— Trade inquiries seem to be picking up on Penguins defenseman Ian Cole who has dressed in four straight games. Two Western Conference teams made specific requests To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
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