In today’s rumor rundown, there is news on the LA Kings and their search for a coach. So too, out of Ottawa, candidates for the new coach continue to emerge and in Detroit, the Red Wings may lose one of their prospects and they can do nothing about it. Finally, will the Philadelphia Flyers go for a huge fish in free agency?
Kings Management and Coaching Updates
Dennis Bernstein is reporting there are some updates when it comes to the coaching situation in Los Angeles. He says names to keep an eye on are Sheldon Keefe (Toronto Marlies head coach), DJ Smith (Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach), and Todd McLellan (former Sharks/Oilers head coach).
Todd McLellan (James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)
In other news, Assistant General Manager of the Kings, Mike Futa is on the Edmonton Oilers radar as a possible GM candidate in Edmonton.
Related: NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Panthers, Predators, Stone, More
Senators News and Coaching Updates
TSN is reporting that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said there’s no reason to be concerned about the Ottawa Senators moving after the LeBreton Flats proposal revealed itself to be in jeopardy. Bettman explained:
“Teams go through ebbs and flows and with their fan bases and Eugene Melnyk is doing what he has to do as an owner in terms of meeting the team’s obligations – and management, ownership for any franchise, at any given point in time, may think it’s time for a rebuild and that’s what has to be done and teams go through cycles.”
There will be many who believe this to be spin since Bettman never wants to publicly declare a franchise is in trouble.
As for current priorities, the Senators still need to figuring out their coaching issue and Joshua Clipperton tweeted that Senators GM Pierre Dorion would like to have a new head coach named by the draft at the very latest. The panel of Insider Trading at TSN listed a number of names outside of the already popular Alain Vigneault and Joel Quenneville as choices.
Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks, Nov. 9, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Darren Dreger said that Sweden’s Rikard Gronborg interviewed with the New York Rangers and is on the Senators radar and said former Edmonton Oilers head coach, Ralph Krueger could be interested in returning to the NHL. The panel said the team could have as many as 30-40 names on their list that they’ll need to widdle down by the end of the season.
The consensus seems to be that the Senators will focus on younger guys, targeting AHL coaches and NHL assistants with some head coaching experience.
Related: NHL Rumors: Zuccarello, Kronwall, Blackhawks, Canucks …
Red Wings May Lose Axel Holmstrom
While the Detroit Red Wings go through some pretty big changes over the summer, one Red Wings prospect who looks like he may never play again for the team is Axel Holmstrom. It appears he’s set for a return to Europe, specifically Sweden.
A recent report from Swedish news source Kvall Posten makes it appear there is some doubt about his long-term future with Detroit and that the NHL nor KHL are not options.
Axel Holmstrom, Grand Rapids Griffins, Jan. 2019 (Jenae Anderson / The Hockey Writers)
Instead, it seems as though Holmstrom is destined for Sweden and several SHL teams are looking to acquire his services, preparing to battle it out to land him. The bidding war has gotten so high, it seems two well-known teams are out of the running — Skelleftea AIK and Vaxjo Lakers HC.
Lulea HF and HV71 appear to be ready to pay the most to get him and because of this, there’s no reason for Holmstrom to come back to the NHL.
Related: NHL Rumors: Oilers, Stars, Rangers, Blue Jackets, More
Panarin to the Flyers?
NBC Sports is reporting that Blue Jackets star Artemi Panarin may be the top target for the Philadelphia Flyers this summer. The Flyers have a ton of salary cap space and speculation is the team feels it’s missing a true scorer.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Josh Manson (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
The article states that the Flyers may be prepared to offer up a second- or third-round draft pick to the Blue Jackets in June for Panarin’s exclusive negotiating rights and would have no issue paying the rumored $10 million-plus per season to sign him.
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