In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Jake Guentzel spoke about the decision by the Pittsburgh Penguins to trade him and it was clear he still isn’t over it. Meanwhile, while talk surrounds the Ottawa Senators’ trade plans this summer, one insider notes that the team isn’t thinking about trading Thomas Chabot. In Edmonton (and around the hockey world) people are coming to the defense of Zach Hyman after an incredibly wild video was posted demeaning his 50-goal achievement. Finally, speaking of 50-goal scorers, what is Sam Reinhart going to cost the Florida Panthers if they want to extend his contract?
Guentzel Wanted to Stay With the Penguins
When asked if he wanted to stay with the Penguins, Guentzel told Pittsburgh media upon his return on Tuesday that he never wanted to leave. He noted, “My intention was to stay. They thought there was a better direction.” A fairly direct message to Kyle Dubas and the management team in Pittsburgh, Guentzel is thriving in Carolina, but he’s not happy the Penguins chose to move on.
There’s been some chatter of the Penguins possibly circling back to Guentzel in the summer to see if he’d be interested in re-signing with the team. His comments seem to indicate some bitterness towards the organization. Time heals all wounds and perhaps the draw of playing with Sidney Crosby again is appealing, but this is the risk of moving on from someone. If and when they get comfortable in a new environment, a return is not always a given. The fact that the Penguins chose to trade him at all might be something Guentzel never gets over.
Senators See Value in Keeping Thomas Chabot
Darren Dreger was a guest on TSN 1200 and discussed the chatter in Ottawa and speculation they might be open to moving a big-ticket defenseman in the offseason. Some believe it’s Jakob Chychrun that will be dealt, while others think the Senators are focused on the wrong d-man. Chabot is the more expensive of the two players and is believed by many to be on the decline.
That said, Dreger reports the Senators don’t see Chabot as a problem. He notes of the fan’s discourse over Chabot’s future, “Well, that’s fine. You can have your opinion, you know, you’re an educated, knowledgeable hockey fan based on a strong Canadian market, but that’s now how management looks at Thomas Chabot. They look at him as being a key part of the future.”
Hockey fans are all over journalist Andrew Berkshire this week as he chose to rant in a four-minute video and use Zach Hyman as a sacrificial lamb in his war on the media. He claimed journalists are doing a lousy job of being truthful in their stories about NHL players and their achievements. Hyman scored 50 goals this season and Berkshire said that the false narrative that hard work pays off isn’t telling the whole story. He says everyone is ignoring that Hyman grew up rich and had opportunities and privileges that got him to where he is today.
Related: Hockey World Blasts Viral Video Discrediting Hyman’s 50 Goals
When Berkshire was universally blasted for his comments, he doubled down by posting a second video, trying to justify his comments. He talked about the cost of hockey in Canada and the financial classes of citizens. Suggesting it was too expensive to get involved in the game, he continued to say that Hyman’s numbers don’t stack up when you look at his peers and consider the quality of his linemates. He maintained that he was given opportunities others didn’t get.
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In the ultimate display of hockey irony, Hyman scored the overtime winner for the Oilers versus the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. As Chris Johnston pointed out, “Encouraged to see how many commenters are coming to Zach Hyman’s defence here. Any attempt to diminish his accomplishment and/or the undeniable amount of work that went into it because of his family’s wealth is truly missing the forest for the trees.”
Reinhart’s Next Deal is Going to Be Expensive
Sam Reinhart is having a career season in Florida and also hit the 50-goal mark this season. He’s a pending UFA and wants to remain with the Panthers. They would like to keep him too. But it will come down to cost and how much he’s looking for on his next deal.
Reinhart currently has a salary cap of $6.5 million and he’s positioning himself to get a nice raise. That said, the Panthers are a team that has an internal cap, with Aleksander Barkov making $10 million and Matthew Tkachuk making $9.5 million. There is no way the Panthers will pay Reinhart the same as those two players. At best, he could fall in around $8-$9 million. It helps that Florida has no state income tax and Reinhart isn’t looking to leave. TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger said he thinks Reinhart will have to take less money than he could make on the open market, but believes the forward is open to doing so.
