In today’s NHL Rumor Roundup, San Jose Sharks interim GM Joe Will says he’s open to talking about any player when it comes to making a trade; that includes Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed a couple of their top Finnish prospects.
The Pittsburgh Penguins got some bad news that Sidney Crosby will be out for Game 6, and what are the plans for the Minnesota Wild now that they’re out of this year’s playoffs? Finally, is KHL free agent Andrei Kuzmenko delaying signing a deal because he’s leaning toward the Edmonton Oilers?
Sharks willing to discuss all trading options
Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News writes that Joe Will, the Sharks’ interim general manager, said he is open to discussing the possibility of trading Brent Burns or Erik Karlsson this offseason, “if he feels such a move would improve the team.”
Noting that nothing is off limits, he explained:
“But having said that, they are exceptional players and we have a lot of very high level players. Ideally, we’d like to include everyone in what we’re doing here, but again, we’ll see what happens in the future as we bring in a new (general manager)… Nothing is imminent. There are no imminent changes or anything like that, but it’s open to discussion.”
source – ‘Sharks interim GM on possibility of trading Karlsson or Burns: ‘Nothing is off limits’ – Curtis Pahelka – Mercury News – 05/12/2022
Will said the Sharks don’t expect a new GM to be hired to do the job they think they need to do to improve the team. “We’re moving along with everything,” he said. That does not mean that an operation will be finished. Burns has three years at $8 million per season left on his contract. He also has a three-team trade clause. Karlsson will be paid $11.5 million through the 2026-27 season. He has a full no move clause.
Maple leaves sign two
The Toronto Maple Leaves announced three-year entry-level contracts for both Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemela on Friday. Both players’ contracts will begin next season and will have an average annual value of $856,666. Neither is destined to enter the NHL right away, but both have spent a lot of time playing professional hockey in Finland. They are seen as players who could make the jump faster than many prospects.
Crosby out for game 6
Coach Mike Sullivan said Sidney Crosby will not play in Game 6 for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sullivan said of Crosby’s condition: “He skated this morning with Ty Hennes. He will not play tonight.” The Penguins could lose several players as Brian Dumoulin continues his off-ice recovery and Rickard Rakell will be a decision at game time. Tristan Jarry will not play tonight.
Related: Canucks News & Rumors: Ekman-Larsson, NHL Draft, Boudreau & More
Crosby left Game 5 against the New York Rangers during the second period after defenseman Jacob Trouba hit him hard and high near the faceoff spot. There was no audience for Trouba.
What happens now with the Minnesota Wild?
Kristen Shilton of ESPN.COM took a look at what the Minnesota Wild will do now that they’ve been eliminated from the playoffs and have a lot of salary-cap concerns. General manager Bill Guerin has to deal with the fact that roughly 15 percent of his payroll will be consumed in salary-cap dead space from last year’s acquisitions of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
She notes that contract negotiations with Kevin Fiala will be a priority and that they will need to focus on finding a reliable backup goalkeeper. Marc-Andre Fleury is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. Someone like Matt Dumba could be bought in return to make room in the books.
The latest on Andrei Kuzmenko
TSN’s Darren Dreger reports: “Understandable hype about Andrei Kuzmenko’s NHL future. The interview process continues.” he adds that there are teams currently in the playoffs he still needs to talk to (Edmonton Oilers being one), but once that happens, he and his agent will move on to the second round of talks. “There is no rush,” Dreger writes.
Speaking of the Oilers, it doesn’t look like goalie Mike Smith will face any additional discipline for the spear on Andreas Athanasiou in Game 6.
Jim Parsons is a THW senior freelance writer, part-time journalist, and audio/video host who lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes NHL news and rumors while also writing articles about the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been a trusted source for more than five years at The Hockey Writers, but more than that, he’s on a mission to keep readers up to date with the latest NHL rumors and trade talk. Jim is a daily necessity for readers who want to be “in the know.”
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