In today’s NHL news and rumors rundown, the New Jersey Devils are expected to be buyers. Who do they have their eyes on? Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are said to be a team that has an interest in Nick Bjugstad of the Arizona Coyotes. Could Bo Horvat be on the radar of the Boston Bruins and what would they be willing to give up to land him? The Seattle Kraken arent’ getting anywhere with Carson Soucy on a new contract, and are the Ottawa Senators going to be big trade deadline sellers this season?
Devils Interested in Tarasenko?
During Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported the New Jersey Devils had previously spoken to the St. Louis Blues about winger Vladimir Tarasenko. That dates back to when the Blues were trying to acquire Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames and the Blues needed to move salary to make it work. Because Tarasenko wasn’t interested in going to Calgary, New Jersey was on the table at that time.
It is said the Devils are looking for a top-six winger and there have been connections to Timo Meier. Tarasenko might be a nice backup plan that wouldn’t/shouldn’t require nearly as many assets to acquire.
Oilers Interested in Nick Bjugstad
Friedman also suggested during Saturday’s 32 Thoughts segment on Hockey Night in Canada the Edmonton Oilers were one of many teams interested in right-handed center Nick Bjugstad f the Arizona Coyotes. Bjugstad has 11 goals and 21 points in 50 games, the most in his career since the 2017-18 season. He’s only making $900K and can play the penalty kill.
Horvat Potentially Going to Bruins?
Per Frank Seravalli, Bo Horvat is on the radar of the Boston Bruins and they’ve shown interest in the pending UFA for some time. The thought in Boston is that Horvat could be a long-term option to replace Patrice Bergeron and help with the loss of offense that will come from David Krejčí leaving again. Thus, Horvat agreeing to an extension is a priority for the Bruins.
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Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy notes a source had told him the Canucks have always liked Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo and winger Jake DeBrusk. Would the Bruins be willing to put one of those players in the trade with their first-round pick to land Horvat if Horvat is willing to agree to a long-term contract?
There would undoubtedly be some hesitation from the Bruins to disrupt their team chemistry.
Kraken Not Getting Anywhere with Carson Soucy
Jeff Marek reports that contract talks between the Seattle Kraken and defenseman Carson Soucy haven’t gotten very far. Soucy is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason but the Kraken are also in the thick of the playoff race, thus trading him if he chooses not to sign isn’t an easy decision. They risk losing him for nothing if he ultimately decides to test free agency.
It seems unlikely the Kraken would trade him unless they can work him into a deal for a different defenseman who has term on his contract.
Could the Senators Be Sellers?
Despite the fact they paid a lot of money and took a swing this past offseason to be more competitive, there’s talk that the Ottawa Senators might end up being sellers at this year’s deadline and could move some fairly significant pieces. More than a few insiders have mentioned the idea of flipping Alex DeBrincat if the Sens continue to struggle and now there is talk that Cam Talbot, Travis Hamonic and others could be on the move.
Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun took a closer look at their pending free agents and noted that the Senators might be willing to trade DeBrincat for a good young defenseman. Warren explains that Talbot might be ready to move on. He writes:
After pulling himself out of Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the New York Islanders with an injury, he won’t be back until after the break. Talbot, 35, has a salary cap hit of $3.67 million and might still be an insurance option for a team looking to make a long playoff run. Re-signing with the Senators seems less likely than it did only three weeks ago.
source – ‘A look ahead at pending free agents as Senators playoff chances fade away’ – Ken Warren – Ottawa Sun – 01/27/2023
Finally, if the Senators are offered a late-round pick for Austin Watson, the pending UFA will likely be moved to a contender. Nick Holden could be moved, and Dylan Gambrell likely won’t be returning next season.
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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