NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Edmonton Oilers

Zach Hyman turns down a Leafs contract offer?

@Account4Hockey: Jason Gregor on the DFO rundown podcast.

“I heard a rumour, I don’t know how true it is, that TOR offered Hyman $5M AAV and he said no”

Chris Johnston responds with him thinking that teams could go upwards of $6 million on long-term contract.

Will Dubas continue to try and do something ‘big’?

Maple Leafs Hot Stove: Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 590 on Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas.

“I was on the phone with someone this morning. They said that around the deadline, Dubas was looking at some things and he was just casting his line in the water. He would say, “I can’t do this. I can’t make it fit.” He wouldn’t tell me what player they were talking about specifically, but they said that Dubas was looking at trying some things that were big but were just things he couldn’t do during the year. It wasn’t going to be able to fit. He said he may try to revisit some of these things.

We are going to have a busy offseason. I think they are going to try some things. I do think they are going to say, “What don’t we have that we need, and who is the best at it we can get?” They are not standing still.”

The Oilers negotiations with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have gone sideways

David Staples of the Edmonton Journal: Elliotte Friedman late last week on Sportsnet 960 on the Edmonton Oilers and their talks with pending unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

“I got to tell you, that one has been tough,” Friedman said of the negotiation. “They were really close before the season started and it fell apart at the last second. I don’t know what is going to happen there. Whatever was on the table then I’m not convinced is on the table now. We’re going to have to see. That’s a negotiation that went sideways. They tried again a couple of times. I really don’t know how to handicap that one. I really don’t.

“Something happened here. I believe it was always the plan that Nugent-Hopkins was going to stay and they wanted to keep him. I think anyone who is familiar with this situation will tell you they thought it was going to happen and it got mangled. And now I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s the worst thing if someone walks, as long as you do something good with the cap room.”

Friedman adds that it may not be the end of the world if Nugent-Hopkins walks and they go out and utilize the $6 million in cap space. Mikko Koskinen has another year left on his deal at $4.5 million and could be bought out according to Friedman. A buyout of James Neal would be on the books for four years and that may be a problem for the Oilers.