NHL Rumors: Devils ready to deal Palmieri; Bruins heating up search for defense; and Tony DeAngelo a Panthers fit?
Anthony Scultore
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The New Jersey Devils held out Kyle Palmieri yesterday for precautionary reasons. Considering that the two sides have not made any progress on a new contract, the buzz is he’s close to being traded.
Kyle Palmieri trade imminent
There was some thought that the Devils were looking at the 30 year-old veteran to be a leader for the rebuild. Similar to the way the Rangers viewed Chris Kreider in NY when they gave him a big seven year extension. Palmieri has eight goals and 17 points for a struggling Devils team; but he has a history of production and is said to be a top target for the Islanders and Bruins.
“We all know it’s that time of year,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said after the Washington game. “I think the players know that. I think we’ve got a young group that maybe don’t realize how hard it is for us, for management, for myself to not have a guy like that in the lineup, but it is a product of where we’re at right now. We haven’t won enough games to put us in position where we’d be in better shape. We spent too much time this year talking about missed opportunities and missing opportunities. I’ll just use the phrase it is what it is right now, and it’s a hard place to be.”
NHL.com
Bruins need help on defense
News from the Boston Bruins has defenseman Brandon Carlo still week-to-week as he deals with post concussion issues from the Tom Wilson hit. This has GM Don Sweeney starting to look for help on defense. Nick Goss of NBC Boston proposed the five falling targets:
- Josh Manson (ANA)
- Alex Goligoski (AZ)
- Dmitry Kulikov (NJ)
- David Savard (CBJ)
- Mattias Ekholm (NSH)
Of the players mentioned I believe Savard and Ekholm are too rich for Boston’s blood. Josh Manson could be a fit but maybe a bigger deal with the Devils is the better option. Should Sweeney pull off a deal where he would acquire both Palmieri and Kulikov? That would be an excellent move for the Bruins.
Panthers a fit for Tony DeAngelo
Tony DeAngelo has now been linked to the Florida Panthers by a few scribes. The latest is Larry Brooks of the New York Post who wrote Sunday; “You’re telling me that Tony DeAngelo wouldn’t be a fit or worthwhile risk for Florida?”
The 25 year-old defenseman has another year left at $4.6 million on the cap and ton of offensive talent. Of course; he comes with some baggage after getting into an altercation with a teammate and being placed on waivers. His exile from the Rangers is permanent and they are not willing to eat any of his cap hit.
Florida is in the market for a defenseman after losing Aaron Ekblad for the year.