In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin discussed why he went out and traded for Ryan Reaves of the New York Rangers. Meanwhile, are the New Jersey Devils aggressively trying to acquire Josh Anderson from the Montreal Canadiens? Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Conor Timmins in a trade. Was there a risk they almost didn’t get him?
Wild Needed to Get Their Identity Back
After some early season struggles, Guerin felt the Wild were missing an identity element and he noted that’s one of the big reasons he went out and acquired Reaves from the Rangers. He told media, including Michael Russo of The Athletic, “It’s not for the fighting. He’s a biiiiigggg personality. He’s got a lot of energy. He’s got swagger. We’ve been missing that. The energy he brings is really good. And size. He’s gonna help us get our identity back.”
Reaves was asked what he knew of the trade as it was happening and he responded, “…it happened really fast even though I understand they’ve been talking for a little bit.” He added that he’s excited about a fresh start and hinted that not playing in New York was a big issue for him. He explained, “Being 35, I’m playing to win and playing to try to get another contract next year. Getting in the lineup only 20 games in a season at 35, it would be hard to catch another contract. A fresh start probably needed to be in the cards.”
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Guerin also said he’s looking for scoring help for his roster but is hoping this can be fixed internally before looking externally. The team is also debating whether sending Marco Rossi to Iowa may be in his best interest temporarily.
Devils Still Interested in Josh Anderson
Podcaster and former broadcaster Tony Marinaro said during a recent episode of The Sick Podcast that the Devils are extremely interested in trying to acquire Josh Anderson from the Habs. “One team that wants him badly, and I mean badly, because I’m sure there’s a couple of teams that would take him. The New Jersey Devils want Josh Anderson badly,” said Marinaro.
He noted that the Devils have a continued interest in adding a power forward. When it comes to his scoop on Anderson he noted, “Believe me when I tell you that.” As for what the team would be willing to give up to get Anderson, Marinaro said the Devils might be willing to part with a young player.
“They’re not trading Jack Hughes and they’re not trading Nico Hischier. I don’t know how much they’d be willing to give up, but they have some players that are not on this team right now. I’m talking about defenceman Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Alexander Holtz. They want Josh Anderson badly, and it doesn’t mean you have to do a ‘one-vs-one’ deal. You can spice it up by throwing in other players or other picks, but I can tell you right now, based on what I’m hearing, that the Devils want Anderson badly.”
Maple Leafs Avoided Competing For Timmins on Waivers
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Conor Timmins in a trade on Wednesday and part of why they made the move they did was because the word was the Arizona Coyotes were about to place Timmins on waivers. As per Craig Morgan, who covers the Coyotes: “They [Coyotes] wanted to waive Timmins to send him to Tucson where he could play a lot of games, minutes & situations, all things they felt he needed but wasn’t going to get right now in the NHL. Problem was, they were certain he was going to be claimed so they acquired an asset who will likely play 3C with the Roadrunners.” He adds, “It’s hard giving up on a big, young RHD. Injuries have limited Timmins, 24, to 8 NHL games in 2 seasons w/AZ (41 total); still don’t know what he is.”
The assumption here is that the Coyotes didn’t want to lose the player for no return and the Leafs didn’t want to risk another team getting Timmins on waivers before they would have the opportunity to claim him. As such, they stepped up and sent a prospect the other way.
Jim Parsons is a senior THW freelance writer, part-time journalist and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps and breathes NHL news and rumors, while also writing features on the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted source for five-plus years at The Hockey Writers, but more than that, he’s on a mission to keep readers up to date with the latest NHL rumors and trade talk. Jim is a daily must for readers who want to be “in the know.”
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