NHL Rumors: Trading Phillip Danault, UFA talks gaining steam, and Knights just testing the market on Max Pacioretty
Anthony Scultore
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Would the Montreal Canadiens dare let Phillip Danault get to free agency? Would they trade him instead, rather than losing him for nothing? Yes, I understand the blood pressure of Habs fans just elevated, but let’s investigate further.
NHL Rumors: It’s better to trade Danault than sign him? Or let him walk?
Arpon Basu at The Athletic makes the argument that Danault may not be worth the salary he will command. There are many factors to consider but Arpon feels the move for the Montreal Canadiens would be a wait and see approach.
Considering how much of that cap space was used up in this highly active Canadiens offseason, allowing Danault to play out his contract and then decide what to do is probably the most judicious way of managing that asset.
Arpon Basu
Of course, the Canadiens could opt to trade him at the deadline rather than let him hit the open market. In my opinion that’s the wisest move for Marc Bergevin. Assess the team after all these changes, see what you get out of players like Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson and determine Danault’s true value.
And if Danault doesn’t agree by the deadline, move him…for anything.
Expect the action to pick up on UFA’s like Mike Hoffman and Mikael Granlund soon
Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet was on Hockey Central to discuss a myriad of topics. He chimed in on what we can expect with remaining free agents like Mike Hoffman and Mikael Granlund.
“So, I think it’s going to be tight. Now, the names you’re going to hear – Andreas Athanasiou, Mike Hoffman, Mikael Granlund. Granlund apparently kind of wants to situate his family, so he’s getting close, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he made his decision in the next few days, and I think there are a number of guys who want to do that. I’ve been told the action has picked up, and I think the one team I really believe is going to benefit the most out of all this, is going to be Seattle. I think you’re going to see some teams start to talk to Seattle about what they are going to be willing to do to create cap room in the future.”
Elliotte Friedman / Transcript via NHL RUMORS
Vegas trading Max Pacioretty not a sure thing
As reports are coming in from multiple sources that Max Pacioretty is being shopped hard by the Golden Knights, one writer says slow down. According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, he says Knights are just testing the market.
To be clear, this doesn’t mean Vegas could trade three of its star players. From the information I’ve gathered, it seems much more likely that general manager Kelly McCrimmon is simply testing the trade market following a period without much movement, with the 2021 NHL season finally appearing on the horizon.
The Athletic
So which is it? Are they trading him or not? Your guess is as good as mine.