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Rumors and Notes on Marchand, Jones, Nelson, Marner, Binnington, and more |
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Hey all. This break gave me a lot of time to talk to people around the NHL and try to get a feeling for where this deadline is going to go. It’s very much a moving target still, but here are a few of the things that are starting to come into focus….
On Jordan Binnington to Colorado…
After his amazing performance and competitiveness shown in the Four Nations, Binnington has suddenly become a hot topic. Word has it Cale Makar absolutely loved Jordan and called him “The best goalie I have ever played with.” It’s not surprising that the Avalanche would look towards a goalie who shows up in the clutch, as that has been an issue in several of their playoff runs. Sources tell me this could move quickly….
On Seth Jones…
The overwhelming favorite for Seth Jones is still Dallas, as they have the cap space due to LTIR and are banged up on the defensive end… Seth lived in Dallas for a while when his father played for the Mavericks… Jones has a no-movement clause and “surprisingly” wants to go somewhere where he has a chance to win. Joe Sakic in Colorado has always liked Jones, but they are already powerful on defense and up against the cap… the Rangers are a possibility, but they would have to do some very creative things to make it work..
On Mitch Marner…
All year long, there has been a small group of people that I know around the Leafs who believe Marner will be traded before the deadline, simply because they are afraid of losing him for nothing when he becomes a UFA…. I’m not buying it, especially since this Leafs team seems to be the best suited to make a long playoff run they have seen in decades. And also, Marner wants to stay there. There are many teams out there that would love to add Mitch Marner long-term, including Pittsburgh, Philly, LA, Washington…. Just to name the teams I’ve heard connected to him and who will be pitching this summer…
On Brock Nelson…
I still fully believe the Islanders will re-sign Brock. The only way a player…who’s a part of the core… leaves a Lamoriello team is by requesting to leave. From everything I hear, Brock Nelson wants to stay on the Island.
On a John Gibson/Zegras trade….
I’ve heard a lot today about the Ducks trying to package John Gibson and Trevor Zegras…… I have heard the Oilers have interest, and that would make a lot of sense… I’ve also heard Colorado mentioned…. But don’t be surprised if this doesn’t go down to the deadline…as the Ducks wait and see if any other playoff-bound team suddenly needs a goalie.
On Brad Marchand…
I’m going to say the chances of Brad Marchand getting traded have climbed above 50% for the first time since he’s been in the NHL… the injury to MacAvoy could have a lot to do with this. The Bruins will let this go down to the deadline to see where they are in the standings. This is not a team that will make a trade like this if they have a shot. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if where he ends up is with rival Florida depending on the Tkachuk injury. Marchand showed great chemistry with Bennett in the Tournament.
Much more on the way…
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