The NHL is back and with it are numerous rumors that carried over from the off-season. Most are player related and revolve around trades to other major teams. Here are some of the more popular rumors of the moment.
Players Staying in Russia
A great number of starts fled to Russia when the lockout became effective and reports indicate that some are interested in staying there for extended periods of time. The first player to announce he is staying in the KHL is Lubomir Visnovsky of the New York Islanders. Visnovsky was acquired by the team last June in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. He immediately protested the trade and asked for the league to revisit whether or not the deal violated his no-trade clause. The league validated the move to Long Island but Visnovsky then went to the KHL during the lockout and stated on Monday that he plans to finish out the season in that league. The NHL and KHL made an agreement recently in which the Russian league agreed to honor NHL contracts.
Another player that has been rumored to stay in Russia is New Jersey Devils' star Ilya Kovalchuk. The KHL apparently wants to keep some of the hot NHL players in the league for the remainder of the season despite the agreement and Kovalchuk is a native son. According to Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy Hockey Blog, Kovalchuk is likely to extend his stay in the KHL to play a game or team for his current team. However, he will be returning to the NHL to continue his 15 year contract with the Devils.
Pending Free Agents
Prior to the lockout, owners went on a shopping spree and signed some of their restricted free agents to monstrous deals. However, there are three big names that have not received contracts and remain restricted free agents. The first of these is Defense-man P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens. Subban ended his entry level contract last season and it seems that he is at the top of the Canadiens' priority list. According to SB Nation, Subban's agent spoke with the team on Monday to renew his contract.
Another major free agent is Michael Del Zotto of the New York Rangers. The defense-man had a tremendous year with 41 points and is a major component of the Ranger's powerplay unit. The Rangers will likely sign him soon as the two sides meet on Monday.
The final major player without a contract is Dallas Stars franchise player Jamie Benn. Benn was second on the team with 63 points and will likely demand a huge contract from his team.
Other major players without contracts include Dmitri Kulikov, Ryan O'Reilly, Cody Franson, and Nick Palmieri. If they remain unsigned (which is unlikely) it is possible that teams begin to extend offer sheets for some of these players.
Roberto Luongo
The biggest name circulating in the rumor mill is the Vancouver Canucks' goalie Roberto Luongo. Luongo essentially lost his starting position in the playoffs last season when Coach Alain Vigneault opted to start Cory Schneider in the final games against the LA Kings. Since then Luongo has been in constant conversation as a potential trading chip for the Canucks. According to CBS Sports, Luongo has given Vancouver GM Mike Gillis the "green light" to trade him. Luongo wants to go to Florida where his family lives, but the Panthers already have top prospect Jacob Markstrom waiting to take over the top goalie job on the team. Reporter Steve Simmons states that the Luongo move comes down to the Florida Panthers. "The truth on Luongo: Until the Florida Panthers inform Canucks they have no interest in him, he won't approve a trade to anywhere else."
The other Florida based team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, picked up Anders Lindback last year to fill their goalkeeping void and is uninterested in Luongo.
The other major team being mentioned is the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it seems that Luongo has no interest in going to the city where the media scrutiny is higher than anywhere else. According to Reporter Rob Longley, "As for prospect of being with #Leafs, #Luongo said he thinks 'other teams are in the mix.'" The Leafs do not currently have a reliable goalie. James Reimer had an inconsistent 201-12 season and Ben Scrivens is relatively untested in the NHL.