NHL Rumors: Blues big trade chips, Coyotes new home, Canucks and Habs ready to deal
Anthony Scultore
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Today’s NHL Rumors looks at the latest involving the Arizona Coyotes and their efforts to move into a new permanent home. Plus the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens appear to be open for business.
We start however in St. Louis where two Blues superstars are starting to heat up the rumor mill. Both Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko are very interesting trade candidates early in the season.
NHL Rumors: O’Reilly and Tarasenko on the move?
The St. Louis Blues recently snapped an 8-game losing streak but that isn’t about to stop rumblings regarding two high-profile pending unrestricted free agents.
Tarasenko, 30, is in the last year of a deal with an AAV of $7.5 million. This season, he’s posted 10 points in 12 games for St. Louis and hasn’t rescinded a trade request that dates back to the summer of 2021.
O’ Reilly, 31, has struggled immensely this season with just two assists in 12 games. He’s also in the final year of a deal with AAV of $7.5 million.
The thought process around the league is that each player should be able to bring in a nice return of picks and prospects. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, speculated that O’Reilly may be a perfect fit for the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline.
O’Reilly, Horvat and Toews would all be good fits on Colorado’s second line.
Pierre LeBrun, The Athletic (subscription required)
Coyotes new home
The Arizona Coyotes are hoping their time in the 5,000 seat Mullett Arena will be as brief as possible.
On Thursday, the Tempe City Council voted unanimously to send the arena and entertainment district proposal to a referendum in May. The goal is to have this all approved prior to the special election on May 16.
“We want to thank the Tempe City Council for their unanimous 7-0 vote,” Coyotes President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said in a statement.
Canucks and Canadiens ready to deal
The Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens game this week had scouts from ten teams in attendance.
Among them were the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights to name a few.
Pierre LeBrun recently noted on TSN’s Insider Trading that Montreal has been calling teams looking to move players like Evgenii Dadonov, Jonathan Drouin, and Mike Hoffman. It should be noted that all but Hoffman would be considered a rental, as he has another year left on his deal.
As for the Canucks, there could be some major changes coming after another awful start. This time, it may very well go beyond firing the head coach. While young players like Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are untouchables, they could be open to shaking things up immediately with some of their veterans.
Vancouver’s center and captain, Bo Horvat is a pending UFA with a great contract for this season ($5.5M) and would improve any team’s top lines.
“Our priority is to keep Bo (Horvat),” President Jim Rutherford said on Sportsnet’s Canucks Central.. “We recognize what he can do for us. I hope we can sign him but if he keeps playing like this we’re going to get a better return for him.”
Horvat, 27, haș a ridiculous 12 goals and 16 points in 14 games this season.
