NHL Rumors: Johnny Gaudreau undecided, Filip Chytil trade talk, and Pierre-Luc Dubois
Anthony Scultore
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The NHL Rumors are a getting hot now that the calendar has turned to July 1. With the NHL Draft less than a week away on July 7 plenty of moves are expected.
Today also marks the opening of the first buyout window, so look for teams to use that in order to free up some cap space in the next few days.
Now let’s dive into the biggest news out there.
NHL Rumors: Johnn Gaudreau has Flames on hold
The Calgary Flames are in a holding pattern and one has to ask how long they are willing to do stay that way. According to multiple insiders, Johnny Gaudreau is reportedly sitting on an 8-year offer from the Flames.
Gaudreau, 28, is coming off a career year with 115 points (40 G – 75A) in 82 games. There’s speculation out there that a handful of teams are hoping he hits the open market on July 13, but none of them can offer him the 8th year the Flames can.
Other teams rumored to be interested in signing Gaudreau are the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken.
If Gaudreau does hit the open market, he will be the most sought after UFAs this summer.
NHL Rumors: Teams interested in Filip Chytil
The New York Rangers are reportedly looking at the trade market as a means to fill their hole at 2C. According to the NY Post’s Larry Brooks, sources have told him that both Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp will be testing the open market.
Recently, the Rangers were attached to Pierre-Luc Dubois as a possible trade target. He is not the only one. Rumors persist that J.T. Miller continues to be of interest to GM Chris Drury. There’s also been renewed talks of Mark Scheifele as a trade option. Another names hitting the Rangers’ rumor mill are Dylan Larkin and Bo Horvat.
When it comes to which young Rangers player is being asked about in trade talks the most, it’s Filip Chytil.
Two league sources told The Athletic that Chytil has been the most talked-about Ranger in Drury’s various trade conversations and that the Rangers are willing to lose Chytil in order to acquire an older, more established top-six center.
Arthur Staple, The Athletic (subscription required)
Chytil, 22, had a strong playoff performance to open eyes around the league with 7 goals and 9 points in 20 games. He also has one-year remaining at a cap friendly $2.3M before becoming an RFA in 2023.
NHL Rumors: Pierre-Luc Dubois
There’s been a lot of talk regarding pending RFA Pierre-Luc Dubois this offseason. It all started when he informed the Jets that he will be testing the free agent market as a UFA in 2024.
While the Rangers and Jets have spoken, it appears that he’s more than likely staying put unless Winnipeg gets a king’s ransom.
So there’s tons of trade interest in Dubois. However, if the New York Rangers, the Montreal Canadiens or another team intends on landing Dubois, it’s going to take a very substantial offer. So, if we’re looking at the Rangers, we’re looking at [Filip] Chytil, we’re looking at [Braden]Schneider, we’re looking at [Kaapo] Kakko as one of the main principles and maybe a first-round draft pick on top of that. Otherwise, I don’t think that Winnipeg’s [general manager] has the stomach to move Dubois this off-season.
Darren Dreger, TSN
Dubois, 24, posted 28 goals and 60 points in 81 games this past season. He’s wrapping up a two-year deal with an AAV of $5M.
