Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The NHL 2022-23 regular season games have begun and players will be evaluated. Now, with free agency moves mostly done, rumors are still around. Clubs are always working to improve their rosters for next season. Some teams are having difficulty creating enough cap space to make moves. Others are experiencing severe injuries to star players. Trade rumors/signings are still prevalent. In this Sunday edition of NHL Rumors, we will take a look at the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, and the San Jose Sharks.
Boston Bruins – Fast Start
Rumor: Per – Sara Civian – bleacherreport.com. The Bruins are off to a fast start leading the NHL with 16 points… and still don’t have all their injured players back.
While Brad Marchand returned ahead of schedule, the Bruins are tearing it up to start off this season. Many experts were predicting doom and gloom with Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Matt Grzelcyk all injured to start the season. The lone player of those three still remaining on injured reserve is McAvoy with a shoulder injury. Grzelcyk only missed four games, while Marchand missed eight.
Leading the charge for the Boston club is none other than David Pastrnak with seven goals and 10 assists in nine games. It’s an understatement that he is carrying the team on his back… and really someone had to do that. With bad boy Brad back… (alliteration at its best) he has already shown he’s ready too with two goals and one assist in his initial game back.
The other factor responsible for the team’s remarkable beginning to the new season is Linus Ullmark in net. He has an unblemished 6-0 record and a sparking .945 save percentage (leads the NHL), and a stingy 1.70 goals-against-average. With the team running on all cylinders, can they do way better than early predictions that they weren’t going to make the playoffs? If you’re into those betting apps, this may be a good one to throw down some cash towards. The Bruins are back baby!
Philadelphia Flyers – Ivan Provorov
Rumor – Per – Anthony Di Marco – thefourthperiod.com. While not untouchable, the Flyers’ intention was not to move Provorov. Travis Sanheim extension has “no effect” on Provorov’s immediate future with the team.
As with most NHL rumors, something happens and many people jump to conclusions. Signing Sanheim to such a long-term $50 million deal ($6.25 million AAV) that carries a full No-Trade Clause in the first four years and a modified NTC in the final four years can certainly raise speculation as to Provorov’s future. Yet, from his seventh-overall selection in the 2015 NHL draft, he has been pegged as the Flyers number-one blueliner since he began NHL play in the 2016-17 season.
He has two more years left on his $6.75 million AAV deal with the team after this current season. The 6′-1″, 215-pound Russian has five assists in seven games and has been very physical. He has 29 blocks and 16 hits to show he belongs.
The Flyers have terrific defensive depth in their future. Emil Andrae (2020 second-round pick), Cam York (2019 first-round pick) and Yegor Zamula (already playing in the NHL) all expect to have NHL futures, while right shot Ronnie Attard (2019 third-round pick) is someone the organization has high hopes for. So, IF there comes a time when Provorov becomes expendable, the blueline should remain talented.
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San Jose Sharks – Open for business
Rumor: Per – Michael DeRosa – nhltraderumors.me. It appears that the Sharks are open to trading most any player except Tomas Hertl.
Newly hired general manager Mike Grier has seen his team off to a terrible start with a 3-7 record. Even with a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs recently, this team isn’t headed anywhere beyond the end of this season. The way they have been playing, Grier may even consider blowing it up and going into rebuild mode. After all, the chances of gathering one Connor Bedard is very enticing.
Some names to watch for NHL rumors could be: Timo Meier, captain Logan Couture, Erik Karlsson, and Mario Ferraro. Players who could be rental candidates include Nick Bonino, James Reimer, and Matthew Nieto. Meier’s name certainly stands out in this list. He collected 35 goals and 41 assists in 77 games last season. He has an affordable $6 million contract that is due to expire after this season.
And another player, Erik Karlsson is leading the team in scoring with four goals and five assists in 10 games. Of course, being able to pay his exorbitant $11.5 million contract good through the 2026-27 season will be a stumbling block for Grier to move him. Needless to say, the Sharks are in for some huge changes, so let’s all watch for that in NHL rumors right here on Full Press Hockey.
That concludes another edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to watch for our next article, and as always… thanks for reading!
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