In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Thatcher Demko‘s injury isn’t great, but not as serious as early reports might have indicated. Meanwhile, there are mixed reports about whether or not the Buffalo Sabres interviewed Craig Berube before hiring Lindy Ruff. Is the door already closed on a return to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Jake Guentzel? Did Kirill Kaprizov open the door to leaving the Minnesota Wild? Finally, Auston Matthews misses practice again for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Demko Could Return for Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs
Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal is reporting that Demko could be in line for a possible playoff return at the end of Round 2, assuming the Canucks can get past the Nashville Predators in Round 1. Demko went down to a weird injury on what looked like a nothing play and reports have surfaced since then that the injury was severe.
Demko’s situation is still being categorized as fluid, meaning any guesses on his actual return are just guesses. But, reports of him being out for the year seem to be exaggerated. Insiders like Dhaliwal and Elliotte Friedman are both citing the fact that Demko is traveling with the team and moving around as a positive. Friedman noted, “There was a report that Demko was out for the year, which caught me by surprise because I heard earlier on Thurs there was optimism about Demko’s situation.”
Sabres Didn’t Interview Berube
Andy Strickland writes, “Based on the current job openings available, Craig Berube would be the best fit with the #NJDevils. Hearing Ottawa has a legitimate interest in Berube as well. The #Sabres already tried to hire the former #stlblues Head Coach.” Strickland later posted a correction tweet saying that the Sabres did not interview Berube.
In fact, there’s a lot of talk that the Sabres didn’t do an extensive search at all before hiring Lindy Ruff. He was the guy they wanted and they made a quick move to bring him in. The Sabres are being accused by some of being lazy with this hiring and that they should have at least waited until other candidates became available.
Guentzel Has Likely Closed the Door Returning to the Penguins
A source close to Jake Guentzel said the forward was hurt by the Penguins organization and didn’t leave the team on good terms. A lack of communication from GM Kyle Dubas was the biggest issue, but the fact he’s loving it in Carolina has opened Guentzel’s eyes to not only potentially staying, but that he could love playing somewhere other than Pittsburgh.
Related: Penguins’ Best and Worst Trades of the Decade
That said, a potential return to the Penguins is not completely off the table as Guentzel would let Dubas pitch a UFA offer. Rob Rossi of The Athletic writes:
Guentzel would not deny Dubas an opportunity to pitch him on a potential return to Pittsburgh if Guentzel tests free agency in July. Guentzel’s fondness for the Penguins supersedes any ill feelings toward Dubas, said a team source and a source close to Guentzel.
source – ‘Why Sidney Crosby’s next Penguins contract could look a lot different’ – Rob Rossi – The Athletic – 04/24/2024
One thing is clear though, a Guentzel return to Pittsburgh as a player on that team is a “long shot”.
Kaprizov Unwilling to Commit to Staying with the Wild
Kirill Kaprizov is eligible to sign an extension on July 1, 2025, but there has been no indication he’s open to staying with the Wild long-term and it’s unlikely he gives any sort of commitment while the team is not a legitimate contender. Until the Wild put a supporting cast around him so they can get past the first round while he’s currently under contract, there will be concern that Kaprizov will look to test the free agent market in 2026.
When asked about his future in Minnesota, Kaprizov was brutally honest:
“I don’t like (to) say what had happened where. I like just (focusing) on now. I feel we have a lot of good players on the team. We always have a chance to win games and go in playoffs, fighting there…. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens next year. I can’t say if we don’t make playoffs. I hope we make playoffs next year.”
source – ‘Minnesota Wild Insider: Time to prove to Kirill Kaprizov that winning is within reach’ – Michael Russo and Joe Smith – 04/22/2024
Matthews Misses Practice
Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Auston Matthews was not present at Maple Leafs practice on Friday, out for what the team is calling a maintenance day. Matthews played through an illness on Wednesday night. It’s not clear if that is still bugging the Maple Leafs’ star forward but he’s clearly in need of the additional rest if the team is keeping him off the ice.
Ilya Lyubushkin was also absent from practice as he was on hand for the birth of his first daughter and his third child.
