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Rumour corner: the Hurricanes would like to reach an agreement with Guentzel before the draft

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 20: Jake Guentzel #59 of the Carolina Hurricanes warms up prior to Game One of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New York Islanders at PNC Arena on April 7, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

Eric Tulsky has two situations to deal with at the moment.

That of Martin Necas, and that of Jake Guentzel.

Will the Hurricanes’ new GM succeed in bringing one of them back to Carolina in the long term? It may be difficult… But last time I checked, that’s the goal.

At least, that’s what Elliotte Friedman said on the Jeff Marek show earlier today.

The Sportsnet tipster maintains that there is “momentum” in discussions between the Guentzel and Hurricanes clans…

And that the club would like to come to an agreement before the draft, which takes place tomorrow :

The Kings, Stars and Red Wings have also been named among the teams interested in the star forward’s services.

That said, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll sign a new deal in Carolina with everything that’s going on with the Hurricanes right now… But at this point, there’s nothing that surprises me in the NHL.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this in the coming hours, to say the least.

Ah, and speaking of the Hurricanes…

It’s worth noting that, according to Jimmy Murphy, the Habs are still in the running for Martin Necas :

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Will Jacob Trouba be traded?

The Rangers captain – with all due respect – is one of the most detestable players in the NHL.

And I don’t need to explain myself for you to understand the essence of my last sentence.

But now Trouba’s future in New York seems uncertain.

And why is that?

Because the Rangers have asked him to submit a list of 15 teams he doesn’t want to be traded to:

Jacob Trouva has slowed down.

He’s not collecting as many points as he used to (22 in 69 games last season), and while he brings toughness to the Blue Shirts’ lineup, it’s mostly his salary that’s hurting.

At $8 million a season for a player of his calibre, it’s too much.

That said, if there is a deal, the Rangers will have to find a way to keep part of his salary.

Because no NHL GM wants to acquire a Trouba at $8 million a year.

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Utah team seeks elite defenseman

Things could get pretty interesting next season in Salt Lake City.

The Utah HC will be playing the first season in its history, and Bill Armstrong, the club’s GM, wants to be aggressive on the market this summer to enable the team to be competitive from Day 1 .

That said, what’s circulating right now is that the team is looking for a defenseman who can play on the first pair.

And of course, Mike Matheson’s name has come up in the discussion because it fits in with the team’s needs in Salt Lake City.

Utah HC holds the 6th selection in the first round of the upcoming draft.

Should Kent Hughes call Bill Armstrong to throw a line in the water?

After all, with the 5th and 6th picks, the Habs GM could afford to select a quality forward AND defenseman…

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Casey DeSmith could be back in Vancouver

Casey DeSmith played a total of 29 games last season with the Canucks.

And he did relatively well under the circumstances, finishing the campaign with a respectable 12-9-6 record.

The Habs veteran will be out of contract as of July 1, however, and will be as free as a bird.

What’s next for him?

Well, it looks like the possibility of him staying in Vancouver is on the table right now.

It makes sense to me.

Casey DeSmith isn’t a number one goalie in the NHL, but he’s capable of doing the job as a number two.

In any case, the Canucks are already counting on the services of Thatcher Demko, who is seen by many as one of the best in his position…

But the idea of bringing back the Demko – DeSmith duo isn’t crazy because they both have experience.

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Speaking of goalkeepers…

Speaking of goalkeepers, the market won’t be incredible this summer.

But there are some guys who could interest other teams if they need them.

For example?

Logan Thompson (one season on his contract), Anthony Stolarz (free agent), Adin Hill (one season on his contract) and Laurent Brossoit (free agent) will be ones to watch :

The Knights have two good goalies and could trade one of them in order to get reinforcements on defense or offense.

To me, the option of going for a forward makes sense…

Because the Knights will have to find a way to replace Jonathan Marchessault in the offensive lineup.

Overtime

– Sure enough !

– Levshunov in Chicago, starting to make a lot of noise.

– A big contract for Max Domi in Toronto?

– There’s already interest in Ryan Suter.

– I love it!