Pavel Mintyukov is not happy with not playing
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Talk is that if Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov isn’t going to play more – was a healthy scratch for (three) consecutive games – he’d like to be traded. On the left side, Jackson LaCombe and Owen Zellweger have passed him, and Ian Moore is getting more time. GM Pat Verbeek isn’t going to rush into trading the 2022 10th overall pick.
TSN: Chris Johnston notes that Pavel Mintyukov isn’t happy with his playing time, but we’re not at the point to say that he’s going to be traded, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
“This is the nice part of a rebuild is you get all these prospects, but there are too many. And in Mintyukov’s case, he’s been scratched a couple of games this week that the Ducks won; he’s not happy about that, as we wouldn’t expect any player to be. But there has been dialogue between the Ducks’ management and his agent, Dan Milstein, about whether this continues. I think he’d prefer to be somewhere else where he can play.”
After back-to-back healthy scratches, word filtered that Pavel Mintyukov would like to be moved if he’s not going to play, according to @FriedgeHNIC. It’s fair to say that Pavel Mintyukov is struggling this year, but he’s still only 21 years old with high offensive upside. pic.twitter.com/jWR25rhuve
— Rono (@RonoAnalyst) November 20, 2025
NHL Rumors: Lots of Chatter But No Movement
A few quick hits from around the league
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: The Toronto Maple Leafs have been looking for a top-six winger since the offseason. They aren’t trading futures, including Easton Cowan. They’ll listen to anyone not named Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies, or John Tavares.
Back in the free agent period of 2024, the Boston Bruins outbid the Maple Leafs by $500,000 for defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
There is speculation about the possibility of Alexandre Texier and the St. Louis Blues mutually terminating his contract. He’s making $2.1 million and has only played in one game since October 28th. Would the Montreal Canadiens be interested?
NHL Rumors: The Edmonton Oilers’ Struggles Continue, and Areas of Need are Growing
The Calgary Flames are getting calls, but not many serious ones. They’ll be patient. The Nashville Predators are getting more calls. The Minnesota Wild are looking for a defenseman with some edge. The Vancouver Canucks are looking for centers. The Washington Capitals are looking for speed. The Ottawa Senators are looking to make a big swing.
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