NHL Rumors: Flames, Rangers, and Barry Trotz
Anthony Scultore
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The NHL Rumors mill is cranking in full force concerning the Calgary Flames after their season ended at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
This is going to be a big offseason for the Flames and they want to know where they stand when it comes to UFA Johnny Gaudreau and RFAs Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane.
According to CapFriendly, the Flames have 13 players under contract and just $20 million to sign at least 6 forwards and 3 defensemen.
NHL Rumors: Calgary Flames
Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts reports that the Flames will not waste any time discussing contracts with their big three.
On Saturday, Gaudreau spoke openly about his current situation.
“I’ve been here for 11 years and haven’t got to that ultimate goal,” Gaudreau said via NHL.com. “Whether I’m here for next year or not, who knows what happens? But when my time does end here, I hope people remember me as a good person off the ice. … I just want people to know how grateful I am for them welcoming me here. Hopefully it’s a few more years here and they can get stuck with me.”
Gaudreau, 28, just completed his 9th season in the NHL, all with the Flames. In 2021-2022, he had a career year posting 115 points (40 G – 75A) in 82 games. His current deal expires on July 13 and comes with an AAV of $6.75 million. He is undoubtedly in-line for a lot more as current speculation sees him at 8x$9M.
“We want him to be a Calgary Flame,” Treliving said Saturday. “He’s been one his whole career. I think he’s got a chance to be one of the greatest ever to play in the history of the franchise, and there’s been some great ones.”
NHL.com
Matthew Tkachuk also addressed his contract status telling reporters he loves playing in Calgary. Of course, if Brady Tkachuk’s negotiations were indicative of anything it’s that his brother Matthew will hold out unless he gets what he’s looking for – which could be in $9M AAV range as well.
NHL Rumors: New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are working on a contract extension for Andrew Copp. I can’t help but think that with their limited cap space, it spells the end for Ryan Strome as Artemi Panarin’s center.
Copp, 27, posted 53 points in 72 games with 18 of those coming with the Blueshirts. In the playoffs to date, Copp’s added 5 goals and 10 points in 13 contests.
According to Jeff Marek he says that a comparable for Copp will be the Kings’ Phillip Danault and Oilers’ Zach Hyman.
Danault, 29, signed a 6-year deal with the Kings for $5.5M AAV. He registered 51 points in 79 games.
Hyman, 29, signed a 7-year deal with the Oilers at $5.5M AAV. This season he posted 54 points in 76 games.
Copp will likely land somewhere between $4.75M to $5.75M depending on term. If the Rangers are willing to give him max term, it could be around $4.75M – $5M per season. Should Chris Drury not be inclined to go past 5 years than I would look closer to $5.5M – $5.75M AAV.
NHL Rumors: Barry Trotz
Barry Trotz, 59, has been interviewing for head coaching jobs since he was fired by the New York Islanders. According to Friedman, the two-time Jack Adams Award winner will not be rushing to make a decision.
For his coaching career, he’s amassed a record of 914-670-60-168 over the course of 23 years. He spent 15 of those with the Nashville Predators and 4 with the Washington Capitals, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2017-2018.
The Winnipeg Jets remain the front-runners to sign Trotz but other teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars are in the mix.