In today’s NHL news and rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly did make a play to try and acquire a goaltender, but it doesn’t sound like they offered up all that much. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins might be looking to extend goaltender Jeremy Swayman. There is an update on reports the New Jersey Devils are getting calls about Michael McLeod, and, finally, Ryan Hartman was fined for his high stick on Cole Perfetti. But, it only being a fine might be surprising consider what Cole Perfetti caught on a microphone.
Maple Leafs Made Lackluster Pitch for a Goalie
On Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman revealed Toronto and GM Brad Treliving made a lackluster trade attempt — a low-value late-round pick offering — to acquire a goaltender before calling up Dennis Hildeby to join them on their California road trip.
Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Jones, Hildeby, Kampf & Keefe
Unsurprisingly, teams rejected this, seeking more substantial returns. EitherTreliving wasn’t all that serious about getting a netminder or he was hoping a team would be desperate to move one. It’s not clear who Treliving was targeting or what teams shot down his reported offer of a sixth-round pick. Luke Fox of Sportsnet suggested a couple of options could have been Jake Allen (Canadiens), Eric Comrie (Sabres), Anton Forsberg (Senators) or Dan Vladar (Flames). There is also free agent goaltender Jaroslav Halak still out there.
Bruins Looking to Extend Jeremy Swayman
Reported by Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet highlighted that Jeremy Swayman, the Boston Bruins goaltender, is among several restricted free agents on one-year contracts eligible for extensions starting January 1. Friedman expressed no surprise if the Bruins choose to re-sign the 25-year-old goaltender, especially considering Swayman’s impressive performance.
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Notably, Swayman becomes eligible for salary arbitration in July. Murphy emphasized Swayman’s expressed desire to stay with the Bruins, as he consistently conveyed his commitment to the team throughout the previous summer. There was some chatter in the offseason about the Bruins maybe moving a goalie to land a center, but that never amounted to much. The plan was likely to keep both goalies throughout the season.
Update on Trade Interest in Devils’ Michael McLeod
Offering clarification on an earlier report, according to James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now did reiterate that a source that noted teams had interest in Michael McLeod is still accurate. That said, the Devils do not have a desire to move the forward.
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Nichols notes that a third source unrelated to the Devils also confirmed the trade interest in McLeod but that he’s not necessarily available. The Devils seem intent on retaining McLeod and not making him available for trade, which is probably smart considering all that McLeod offers as a depth forward.
Hartman Caught on Recording Saying He Meant to High Stick Cole Perfetti
Winnipeg Jets’ player Cole Perfetti, revealed that he’s got incriminating evidence against Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild, after Hartman intentionally high-sticked him in the face. The play resulted in Hartman being fined by the NHL DoPS.
Apparently, Perfetti was mic’d up during the game and Hartman openly admitted to during an audio-recorded conversation that he high-sticked him on purpose. It was retaliation for a previous play involving Brenden Dillon and Kirill Kaprizov—a play in which Perfetti had no involvement whatsoever. But, as Jeff Marek points out, “Further note on Hartman situation – in exchange for players agreeing to wear mics, none of the audio captured can be used in connection with disciplinary action. This goes back to the 2005 agreement.”
This marks the seventh time Hartman has faced fines in his career. He’s also been suspended three times, with two occurring since the beginning of April and one approximately a month ago.
