NHL training camp is in full swing. The puck will drop on the 2016-17 NHL season on October 12.
In the coming days, 30 NHL general managers will have a handle on the current roster and their organizational depth. Trades will be made to address NHL salary cap compliance and to address injury concerns. Also, several teams have to create salary cap space to re-sign their still yet unsigned restricted free agents.
Buckle up your chin straps and pop in your mouth pieces.
Things are about to get heavy!
Especially in Orange County, Southern California.
According to chatter I'm hearing, the Anaheim Ducks are a team to that is about to make a significant trade to free up salary cap space to re-sign RFAs Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell.
The Ducks are currently, and have been in close communication with a couple of Eastern Conference teams.
Ducks GM Bob Murray may be finally ready to ink both of his Swedish RFAs.
Not so fast though.
Murray will have to subtract a substantial player contract in order to create the necessary slush needed to sign Lindolm and Rakell.
Murray is only working with $7.5 million in available salary cap space.
That will get Lindholm's deal done because he will be re-signing for between $6 million and $6.5 million annual average value. Rakell has been seeking a six ear, $24 million contract that will carry a $4 million AAV.
If Lindholm re-signs for $6 million per season and Rackell $4 million per copy, Murray will need to create another $2.5 to $3 million in salary cap space in the coming days.
I've said it before, and I will say it until he is finally traded.
Cam Fowler is on the move.
Bob Murray has an embarrassment of riches in terms of NHL-ready defensemen on his organization depth chart.
You will be seeing a lot of Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour on the Anaheim Ducks blue line this season. The kids are better than alright. Simply put, they are too talented and too skilled to be biding time in the AHL. They have proven their consistency and ability to play the NHL game. They are ready to make the transition to the NHL.
Fowler is the owner of a $4 million AAV for the next two seasons.
Theodore filled in admirably for the exceptional puck mover Folwer when he injured his knee in December 2015 and was forced to sit our six weeks of game action. Theodore opened the eyes of Bob Murray and validated his position as the Ducks' top organizational defense prospect.
The Ducks made an amazing transformation and literally saved their season and their playoff aspirations in the time that Fowler was injured to the time he returned to the starting lineup after his injury had healed. When the Ducks limped out to their 12-15-6 record to begin the 2015-16 season, whispers of a Fowler trade became louder. After Christmas, the Ducks took flight and finished the season with a remarkable 34-10-5 record. There was no way that Bob Murray would shake up his Ducks roster while it's players had risen from the NHL outhouse to the penthouse atop of the NHL standings. No way in Hell.
Things have changed dramatically in Anaheim. Bruce Boudreau was fired after losing four straight Western Conference Finals in heart-punching fashion-- all in Game 7. Starting goalie Freddy Andersen is now a Tronto Maple Leaf.
Fowler, 24, has played seven full NHL seasons, is healthy and is in red hot demand by several NHL teams including Buffalo, Boston, and New Jersey.
Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma has marveled about Fowler's brilliance as a top pair D and power play QB. The Sabres are still searching for a left shot partner to anchor the top pair alongside sitill unsigned RFA Rasmus Ristolainen. The Sabres are one injured top four defenseman away from having a major problem. Brendan Guhle is a nice D prospect but he cannot play top four TOI for weeks at a time if asked to. Zach Bogosian tweaked a groin and being evaluated. Recently acquired D Dmitry Kulikov suffered a back injury in an exhibition game on Friday night. Sabres GM Tim Murray has been interested in Fowler for quite some time. He may have to speak now on Fowler or forever hold his peace. The Sabres have not made the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2010-11. If they don't boslter their blue line now, they may not have enough points in April to qualify for one of eight playoff berths. Fowler would certainly thrive at getting the rock to Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly, Samson Reinhart, Kyle Okposo, Evander Kane, Tyler Ennis, Matt Moulson and the impressive Buffalo forwards.
Buffalo has $9.1 million in salary cap space to invest in it's blue line. Ristolainen will be signing for $6 million to $6.5 million AAV. Tim Murray would have to to move a contract to add Fowler's $4 million.
The Bruins are a team looking to add an experienced play maker on their blue line. With an aging Zdeno Chara a quartet of young D-men entering the season, Don Sweeney is looking to add a stabilizing force to his D corps. The Bruins are also a rumored destination for unsigned RFA Jacob Trouba. Detroit and Buffalo are also rumored to be keen on acquiring Trouba.
The Bruins have $5.8 million in available salary cap space.
The Devils are my darkhorse team to land Fowler.
The Devils?!! Yes, the Devils.
Fowler was a Windsor Spitfires star defender. He fed the rock to his teammates Adam Henrique and Taylor Hall. In fact, in Fowler's NHL Draft year in 2009-10, he scored 55 points in 55 regular season games on 8 goals and 47 assists. He added 13 more points in 19 OHL playoff games. That same season, Henrique scored 38 goals and 39 assists in 54 regular season games. He also scored 20 goals and 5 assists in 19 OHL playoff games. In 2009-10, Hall scored 40 goals and added 66 assists in 57 regular season games. He also popped 17 goals and 18 assists in 19 OHL playoff games.
The Fowler-Henrique-Hall triumverate scored 238 regular season points and another 75 postseason points.
To nobody's surprise, Windsor Spitfires won the 2010 Memorial Cup with Fowler force feeding the biscuit to the Henrique-Hall scoring machine.
Earlier this summer, Devils GM Ray Shero sent shock waves through the hockey universe when he traded so-so Swedish defender Adam Larsson to Edmonton in exchange for Taylor Hall. If someone doesn't bveat him to the punch, Shero is going to shock the hockey world again when he trades for Fowler.
The Devils have $11 million in available salary cap space.
Trading Fowler to an Eastern team now would free up the needed salary cap space for Murray to cross the “I's” and dot the “T's” on new long term contracts for Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell.
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When Ryan O'Reilly and his Team Canada boys take it deep in the World Cup Of Hockey champions locker room! Hilarious!
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