Where Hayes, Zuccarello May End Up
Nichols On Hockey: Chris Nichols touches up on Elliotte Friedman’s thoughts as to where Hayes and Zuccarello may go come the trade deadline. Hayes could fetch interest from several teams while Zuccarello may have a fit in Nashville. However, he could be extended as well. The Rangers’ willingness to go all-in on Artemi Panarin will have some influence.
How Does William Nylander Impact Matthew Tkachuk?
SportsNet: Toronto signing William Nylander to a six year deal with a $6.962 million AAV will impact Calgary’s cost to extend Matthew Tkachuk. With the money being shelled out. $7 million plus AAV for the winger will be a certainty. How much north of that number remains to be seen?
The more time Tkachuk has, the more money he could potentially earn. If Calgary goes on a nice playoff run, that asking price could go even higher. Tkachuk holds most of the leverage here and Calgary has most of their players locked up to reasonable deals.
If an extension works out now, that benefits Calgary. The longer the wait, the more it benefits Tkachuk. It really is as simple as that.
Drew Doughty And Trade Possibilties?
The Athletic: Craig Custance talks about how Los Angeles could blow the whole thing up which means trading Drew Doughty. This quote is telling.
“I’m happy to be a L.A. King for the next eight years,” said Doughty, whose extension kicks in next season. “Personally, I would never want to go through a rebuild because I want to try to win every single year. That’s not up to me, that’s up to them.”
The Los Angeles Kings finding a suitor for Doughty will not be hard despite the extension (11 million AAV). It is more likely that the Kings go less nuclear and consider softer trade targets.
Those players include Jeff Carter, Jake Muzzin, Tyler Toffoli, and maybe even Jonathan Quick. Quick would be the least likely of that quartet. Toffoli and Muzzin fetching more assets is probably ideal. What could Jeff Carter get is a great question? Do not expect a blowup in Los Angeles, however.
