In today';s rumor rundown, Patrik Laine new deal with the Jets may not happen
for a while, there is speculation the Oilers and Bruins might be talking trade,
 the Toronto Maple Leafs might waive a goaltender and the Sharks may have to
enter the 2018-19 regular season making fewer changes than they would have
liked.Patrik Laine Isn';t In a Rush To Sign

With a big-money extension on the horizon, Winnipeg Jets'; sniper Patrik Laine
says no major talks have happened with the Jets and he doesn';t care when he
signs his NHL extension. He';s good to do it now or later, but he says he does
want to stay in Winnipeg.Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets, Mar. 10, 2018 (Amy Irvin
/ The Hockey Writers)

With that in mind, the Jets have some important decisions to make over the next
 two summers. Signing Laine - who will be a restricted free agent after this
season - will be one of the easier decisions but then the organization needs to
 figure out what they';ll do with players like Blake Wheeler, Tyler Myers and
Brandon Tanev who are coming up in unrestricted free agency. Of course, Jacob
 Trouba will also become a restricted free agent and money will be tight. The
team may have to make some sacrifices to get Laine in at the price he';s going
to command for being one of the elite scorers in the NHL.

Perhaps it helps the Jets that Laine is in no rush to get a deal
done. Speaking to media including Tom Gulliti of NHL.com, the Winnipeg
superstar said, "I really don't care. There's no rush, really. I can do it next
 summer or this summer. I don't mind. He added he wants a long-term deal in
Winnipeg because he';s happy where he';s at and hopes the team feels the same.

It should be assumed Laine will earn between $9 million and $11 million on a
long-term deal. Where in that spectrum he falls may depend on the kind of
season he has in 2018-19.Related: NHL Rumors: Sekera, Karlsson, Boeser,
MoreOilers Asking About Bruins Defense?

Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports has speculated the Boston Bruins may be a good
trade partner for the Edmonton Oilers. The Bruins have eight NHL defensemen
under contract for next season and Torey Krug';s name is still floating around
 in trade rumors.  The Oilers just lost Andrej Sekera for the better part of
next season and may be looking at a player like Krug.Torey Krug, Boston Bruins,
 Dec. 2, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

There is no doubt Edmonton could use an offensive, top-four left-handed
defenseman (especially if they don';t move Kris Russell back to his strong
side) and general manager Peter Chiarelli would know Krug well. Haggerty
wonders if the Bruins could get Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in a deal centered around
Krug? The Oilers would likely be hesitant to make that deal.

Brandon Share-Cohen of The Hockey Writers suggested right-shot defenders Adam
McQuaid and Kevan Miller could both possibly available via the trade market,
representing a smaller trade on a band-aid type deal. Cohen writes, "All of
this is to say that the Bruins have a plethora of NHL-ready defenders and if
the Oilers are looking to patch things up quickly, Chiarelli's familiarity with
 players like McQuaid and Miller could help them in the
short-term."Related: NHL Rumors: Haula, Drouin, Silfverberg, MoreLeafs to
Waive a Goaltender

James Mirtle was on TSN 1050 talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs backup
goaltender situation. Mirtle notes general manager Kyle Dubas is a believer
in Garret Sparks and that he';s likely to get the call as the backup
over Curtis McElhinney. Meanwhile, Mirtle said, "Calvin Pickard has been
offered around the league in trade talks... you know they [the Leafs] are
looking to ease that logjam a little bit."Maple Leafs goaltender Calvin Pickard
 (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)

It is expected the team will put one of their netminders on waivers. Mirtle
assumes Garret Sparks will either be the backup in Toronto or get traded.
Having too many good goaltenders is not the worst problem to have but it makes
sense the Leafs would want to clear some space knowing how much work they still
 have to do with upcoming contracts.Related: NHL Rumors: Seguin, Rinne,
Schmaltz, Duchene, MoreSharks To Enter Season As Is

In a mailbag article for The Athletic, Kevin Kurz answered some questions
regarding the lack of moves made by the San Jose Sharks this offseason.

Noting that the team, specifically GM Doug Wilson, struck out on some of the
big-name players he was trying to land, Kurz wrote:

We're still about eight weeks away from the season opener on Oct. 3, of course,
 so there's still time for a move. Something to keep in mind, though, is that
there are rarely big trades in the first three months of the regular season.
So, whatever roster the Sharks have in that first game against the Ducks is
likely to be very close to their roster at Christmas.source: Sharks mailbag:
Meier's upside, expectations for Thornton, and much more - Kevin Kurz -The
Athletic - 08/13/2018

It is also assumed that while the Sharks are keeping an eye on a player like
Max Pacioretty, it seems more likely that the team will go into the season as
is. The first few months of the season will determine whether or not Wilson
needs to get more active and adding scoring help.

The post NHL Rumors: Laine, Krug, Leafs, Sharks, More appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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