NHL Notes: Seth Jones trade destinations, a possible Nashville Predators shake-up, and more
Welcome to DFO’s NHL notes. Today we have some speculation about where @Seth Jones might wind up, talk about how the Nashville Predators can shake things up this off-season, and a vote of confidence on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ core.
Where will Seth Jones land?
Earlier this week in his 31 Thoughts column, Elliotte Friedman reported that Seth Jones will not be signing a contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets…
“Columbus will be one to watch now that Seth Jones has informed the Blue Jackets he will not sign an extension at this time and plans to test free agency, as is his right.”
The Blue Jackets had a miserable season in 2021, going 18-26-12. They’ve parted ways with head coach John Tortorella and it appears as though the roster is also going to see some changes.
A couple of years ago, the Blue Jackets opted not to trade impending free agents @Sergei Bobrovsky and @Artemi Panarin and both ended up walking in free agency. Columbus won’t do the same with Jones and will look to move him for the biggest return possible.
Over at Sportsnet, Mike Johnston listed seven teams as possible landing spots for Jones: Los Angeles, Chicago, Edmonton, Philadelphia, Montreal, Detroit, and Toronto.
The Oilers are a very interesting possibility. The team just suffered an embarrassing sweep to the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the playoffs and they have a lot of salary cap room to work with. Defenders @Adam Larsson and @Tyson Barrie are both free agents and Jones’ younger brother, @Caleb Jones, plays in Edmonton.
A big summer ahead in Nashville
Reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2017 was supposed to be the start of something special in Nashville. That hasn’t been the case.
Since 2017, the Predators have won just one playoff series. This year, they put up a good fight but were ousted in six games by the Carolina Hurricanes. With a group of overpaid, underachieving forwards, general manager David Poile could look to shake things up this summer.
Over at The Tennessean, Paul Skrbina suggested that the Preds might leave both @Matt Duchene and @Ryan Johansen exposed in the Expansion Draft…
“That doesn’t mean the Seattle Kraken will take a crack at either of them, who both carry $8 million cap hits and have struggled to live up to their contracts. Poile could try to sweeten the deal by giving up assets to convince the Kraken to take one of them. Either way, don’t be surprised if one or both of them are exposed. Don’t be surprised if neither is chosen.”
Both Duchene and Johansen have matching $8 million cap hits and neither player is living up to their salary. In 2021, Johansen scored 22 points in 48 games while Duchene put up just 13 points in 34 games.
There’s obviously no guarantee that Seattle would want to take on a large contract, but this would allow the Predators to prioritize other players in the Expansion Draft. Nashville is loaded on the blueline, so taking the eight-skater method to protect all of @Roman Josi, @Ryan Ellis, @Mattias Ekholm, and @Dante Fabbro is likely the play.
Skrbina also noted that he expects the Predators and veteran goaltender @Pekka Rinne to reach a new contract this summer…
It only makes sense that Pekka Rinne, the “face of the franchise,” returns for an encore and a proper sendoff. The 38-year-old is an unrestricted free agent who is endeared to the city and the team. He also likely wouldn’t carry too big a cap hit as he further settles into the backup role. Both sides have said they will talk soon. Both have expressed interest in working out a deal. With no NHL-ready goalies in the system, Rinne’s return makes too much sense.
@Juuse Saros has developed into Nashville’s starting goaltender, but Rinne can still be valuable to the team as a backup. He posted a .907 save percentage in 24 games in 2021 and likely wouldn’t command a large cap hit on a one-year swang song deal.
Kyle Dubas doesn’t want to shake up Leafs’ core
After yet another first-round playoff loss, many are suggesting that it’s time for Kyle Dubas to shake the Toronto Maple Leafs up with a big trade. The scapegoat this year is Mitch Marner, who hasn’t scored a playoff goal since holding out and earning himself one of hockey’s largest contracts.
Despite the disappointment, Dubas stated this week that he isn’t planning on moving either Marner or Auston Matthews…
“I understand the fans and they can feel any way they want, and media are entitled to feel any way that they want, but these are two awfully great players that showed it over the entire regular season,” Dubas said.
Marner carries a $10,903,000 cap hit and with money tight all around the league, it won’t be easy for Dubas to get proper value for his star winger. As much as Leafs fans are hoping for a shake-up, it might not make sense this summer.