NHL Rumors: Oilers letting Adam Larsson walk, Jeff Skinner on the outs with Sabres, and David Krejci likely finished with Bruins
Anthony Scultore
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Today’s NHL Rumors takes us to Alberta and another pending UFA not named Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This time we discuss defenseman Adam Larsson.
NHL Rumors: Oilers may let Adam Larsson walk
While the focus in Edmonton has been on RNH, they do have to decide if Adam Larsson should be brought back. As of today no contract talks have been had.
A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to TFP on Monday that the Oilers have yet to reach out to Adam Larsson’s camp about a new contract and there are no talks are currently planned.
The Fourth Period
If you recall, Larsson was the one for one exchange from NJ in the Taylor Hall deal. The 28 year-old righty defenseman has only five points in 21 games this season but is a catalyst in shutting down opponents.
He’s coming off a deal with a $4.166 million AAV and the Oilers should certainly bring him back. They have the cap space to get a reasonable deal done. Let’s see where this goes.
NHL Rumors: Jeff Skinner on the outs with Sabres
Jeff Skinner is skating with the taxi squad this morning and is going to be a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game. There’s been a lot of rumbling that if the Sabres trade Jack Eichel they want the other team to take Skinner as well.
The 28 year-old has just one assist in 14 games this season. This is an absolutely stunning regression from his 40 goal season in 2018-19. Skinner has 6 more years on his deal with a staggering AAV of $9 million.
It looks like his days are numbered.
NHL Rumors: David Krejci likely done in Boston
In a recent article in The Athletic:
Krejci’s Black-and-Gold future beyond this year would be a moot point if his deal, like Bergeron’s, expired after 2022. Krejci, however, is in the last season of his six-year, $43.5 million contract. He turns 35 on April 28. The Bruins have Studnicka, 22, and Trent Frederic, 23, eager to play center full-time. Krejci is not interested in retiring. So even though a continuation of their partnership could serve Krejci and his employer well, recent history indicates a parting is more likely.
The Athletic
The Boston Bruins center will be a UFA in 2021 at the age of 35. He can still play as he notched 43 points in 61 games last season. Krejci will also be coming off a deal that pays him $7.25 million and will get nothing close to that in this environment. Teams looking for a veteran center to play second or third line minutes will do well here.