Chris Wassel

975 Articles

NHL Rumors: Arizona Coyotes, Jake Gardiner, Ken Holland, and more

The Arizona Coyotes avoided the RFA meltdown BUT..... Craig Morgan of The Athletic:  John Chayka avoided the logjam by signing players like Christian Dvorak, Jacob Chychrun, and Nick Schmaltz to longer deals early in the process. This was to avoid…

Chris Wassel

NHL Rumors: Charlie McAvoy, Loui Eriksson, and Mitch Marner

The Charlie McAvoy waiting game... Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic:  No player wants to wait and play the "chicken game" with management. Unfortunately, the RFA jam-up has caused too many players to have to sit and wait until September at…

Chris Wassel

2019 Best Free Agent Signings: The Atlantic Division

The offseason moves on as we head towards the best and worst signings of the Atlantic Division. Soon, it will be September and training camps will open. In the meantime, it is time to take a look back at what…

Chris Wassel

NHL Rumors: Niklas Kronwall, Jim Benning, and the Minnesota Wild

The Niklas Kronwall indecision in the decision... From Abel To Yzerman (Paul Kukla and George Malik):  As August rolls along, it has become clear that Niklas Kronwall will take his sweet time in any decision made. The information has been…

Chris Wassel

NHL Rumors and Notes: Mathew Tkachuk, Sebastian Aho, and some signings

Mathew Tkachuk and Sebastian Aho made headlines in different ways. Aho has his deal while Tkachuk waits. There are also a few signings yesterday.

Chris Wassel

NHL Rumors: Bill Guerin, The CBA, More Wild Fallout, and Winnipeg RFA’s

Bill Guerin second interview with the Minnesota Wild Michael Russo of The Athletic:  Again, Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild met on Thursday. This was before some candidates even got their first encounter with Craig Leopold and Matt Majka. It…

Chris Wassel

2019 Worst Free Agent Signing: The Central Division

The offseason plods along as September approaches. When general managers get extended makes for compelling news, it is a sign. Anyway, for all those good signings there are always bad ones. Those are the contracts often remembered more anyway. The…

Chris Wassel

Quick Hits: Chad Priskie, Jim Benning, Patrik Laine, and Ben Lovejoy,

So, Chase Priskie to Carolina possibly? Sara Civian:  Chase Priskie heading to the Carolina Hurricanes is not a foregone conclusion. However, the team is very interested in the former Washington Capitals draft pick now that he is officially an unrestricted…

Chris Wassel

NHL Rumors: Jesse Puljujarvi, Zach Werenski, and the RFA Standstill

Jesse Puljujarvi and the Edmonton Oilers again... Allan Mitchell of The Athletic:  The Edmonton Oilers ruined many a young prospect in their time. Jesse Puljujarvi remains far from an exception. Nail Yakupov appears to be the closest comparison as he…

Chris Wassel

NHL Rumors: Juuso Valimaki, Detroit’s defense, , and David Poile

Jusso Valimaki Tears ACL; Calgary Flames Regroup Scott Cruickshank of The Athletic: Calgary deals with a devastating blow to their defense as Jusso Valimaki tore his ACL. This means Valimaki may miss the entire 2019-20 season or a good portion…

Chris Wassel

Quick Hits: Ivan Barbashev, Victor Hedman, Kevin Hayes, and Nicholas Baptiste

Ivan Barbashev angling for a better deal? Jeremy Rutherford: The St. Louis Blues wait to see what Ivan Barbashev may do next. Would he take a KHL deal for even one year? His agent says they are looking on both…

Chris Wassel

NHL Salary Arbitrations End: The Final Days

The last arbitration cases were settled by the middle of last week. We take a look into that and why Jake McCabe and Joel Edmundson tried to go for a $4+ million AAV.

Chris Wassel