The Hockey Writers Daily - July 6, 2023
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In today’s edition, we have the latest news & rumors from around the NHL, the Red Wings place Zadina on waivers, the Flames could use Nylander, the Jets & Scheifele and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff:.
NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Sabres, Red Wings, Sharks, Canucks
In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Elliotte Friedman offered a number of rumors in his season-ending episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast. Among them, the Buffalo Sabres are talking contract extensions with important defensemen, and Max Domi is interested in sticking around with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, there is a rumored trade being discussed between the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks, while the Detroit Red Wings admit they are looking for more scoring.
Maple Leafs Have Plan A and Plan B to Move On from Matt Murray
The deadline for RFAs to elect salary arbitration is today at 5 pm EST. Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving mentioned a second buyout window while he was in Nashville for the NHL Draft, and hinted that no one should be surprised if goaltender Ilya Samsonov files for arbitration. While arbitration is not always the best process to go through with a player, most cases are never heard and simply filing and then settling an arbitration case opens up an opportunity for Toronto to do other business.
If Samsonov files, it opens a second buyout window for Leafs. That window potentially offers them a solution to their Matt Murray problem.
Red Wings’ Zadina Hits Rock Bottom After Clearing Waivers
There aren’t many draft day interviews that are so memorable that people bring them up five years after the fact. In Filip Zadina’s case, however, it seems like most people know exactly what he said after the Detroit Red Wings made him the sixth pick of the 2018 draft.
“I was telling my agent, if they will pass on me, I’m going to fill their nets with pucks,” Zadina said of the teams that passed on him. “I want to prove to Detroit that they make a pretty good decision.”
To this day, people across Red Wing fandom bring up this infamous quote when they talk about Zadina. They use words like cocky and arrogant to describe the 18-year-old that was eager to start scoring goals for the Red Wings and those same fans. While I wouldn’t advise holding an 18-year-old to their word on pretty much anything, this particular 18-year-old put a target on his back by essentially guaranteeing fans that the Red Wings had found their next premier goal-scorer.
Flames Can Avoid a Rebuild If They Target Leafs’ Nylander
The Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs seem to be intertwined this offseason, partly because former Flames’ general manager, Brad Treliving, switched teams. The two teams are in tough spots this offseason but for completely different reasons. The Flames have a handful of key players not wanting to stick around, forcing decisions upon Craig Conroy and leaving people wondering if the team is going to dive into a rebuild or try to retool on the fly. The Maple Leafs on the other hand have contract standstills with William Nylander and Ilya Samsonov and are already over the cap.
Jets & Scheifele Would Both Benefit with a Trade
Mark Scheifele has had a rich 10-year career with the Winnipeg Jets. He was the team’s first draft pick and ranks first in all-time goals in the Jets’ 2.0 era. He has blown the roof off the Canada Life Centre, and it wouldn’t be hard to spot a #55 jersey walking around the city.
However, as Winnipeg plans to move into a new era after the recent trade of Pierre-Luc Dubois, it would be smart to start thinking about what life without the star center would look like.
Grading the Bruins’ Start to 2023 Free Agency
Free agency began on July 1 in the NHL and a lot of teams went shopping to add to their rosters for the 2023-24 season. In the case of the Boston Bruins, it was a different approach that general manager (GM) Don Sweeney took this season. Two months after his team set an NHL record for wins and points in a regular season and after they blew a 3-1 first-round series lead to the Florida Panthers after going all-in at the trade deadline, Boston’s GM went bargain shopping once the clock struck 12 noon in Boston.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Toronto Maple Leafs - News & Rumors: Murray, Cowan, Nylander & Marner
Columbus Blue Jackets - Projecting the 2023-24 Roster 1.0: Options Aplenty
St. Louis Blues - 3 Takeaways From Prospect Camp
From TSN - Todd's Odds: How free agency affected the Stanley Cup odds for next season
From Sportsnet - ‘I want another kick at it’: Brossoit returns to Jets hungry for more success
From ESPN - Seeking new deal, free agent Vladimir Tarasenko changes agents
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