Talk around Dylan Larkin and the Florida Panthers doesn’t appear to have much substance behind it, and Pierre LeBrun said Aleksander Barkov’s absence should help cool it off even more. Barkov is expected to miss six to eight weeks, and according to sources, “there wasn’t much validity to that speculation anyway.
Florida does have another contract wrinkle to manage. Brady Tkachuk has one year left on his deal after this season, and the Panthers want to extend him this year. That means they’ll have to keep an eye on their spending if they plan to add later on.
Patrik Laine is still drawing attention from around the league, but interest has not yet turned into a deal. LeBrun said multiple teams have called Laine’s camp more than once, though nobody has committed to signing him.
The Calgary Flames have discussed him internally, but they’re waiting to see how some of their younger players perform. The Detroit Red Wings have also been among the teams that have talked about Laine.
Laine’s case is an interesting one because of the profile he still carries. He played only five games last season, but he is still just 28-years-0ld and has scored 20 goals seven times.
Connor Hellebuyck’s situation could also be affected by how the Winnipeg Jets start the season. On The Sheet with Jeff Marek, Pagnotta said the urgency could shift more toward Hellebuyck if the losses pile up.
“You know, unless they start piling up some L’s, the sense of urgency shifts to the player more than the team. And there’s going to have to be some internal, you know, deliberation here to figure out what he wants to do with his group and what the plan is.
He also said the Jets’ early performance could change the kind of return they seek. If Winnipeg plays well, the asking price might move higher, with the team potentially preferring one young NHL-calibre player plus a heavier future package instead of two immediate pieces.
Pagnotta laid out the possibility that the Jets could decide they still need help for the second line, or they could target a winger and build around players like (Viggo) Bjorck, (Gab) Vilardi, or (Cole) Perfetti. In that case, he said, the futures portion of the return could become more expensive: “I wonder if it shifts in that direction the longer this goes.
I think it’s still early, but the longer this goes, I do wonder if, from, from Chevy’s side of things, if he goes, ‘No, I still, I still need somebody for my second line,’ for example. As opposed to two second-line guys or a second-liner and a defenseman or something like that, along with futures.
“I wonder if it shifts to, and I need a winger because we like (Viggo) Bjorck. I need a winger.
Let’s put him on the second line with him and (Gab) Vilardi or (Cole) Perfetti. But now the futures element, the price of that has increased a little bit.
And if you want this guy, yeah, fine, you know that’s okay, we’ll take the one immediate, but you got to pay a little extra on the futures.”
In Other News...
Flames Shake Up Lineup As Pressure Builds Before Avalanche Test
The Flames are making a noticeable set of changes as they head into a matchup with the Colorado Avalanche, reworking both their forward group and defensive pairings in search of a cleaner look. Among the most telling moves is the arrival of Aydar Suniev and Jonathan Castagna from the AHL, a pair of recalls that gives Calgary a fresh fourth-line option and adds a little more intrigue to how the bottom half of the lineup will be deployed.
Calgary is also turning to Devin Cooley in goal for the Avalanche test, a decision that puts added attention on a game already carrying some weight as the pressure builds. With middle-six forwards shuffled around and the back end adjusted as well, the Flames are clearly trying to find a combination that can steady things against one of the leagues tougher opponents. The question now is whether those changes give them enough structure to hang with Colorado. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Ugly Start Could Force Craig Conroy Into His Next Move
The early going has been rough enough in Calgary that the Flames are already looking at ways to jolt a flat offense before the season can really get away from them. After opening with a significant scoring deficit and a string of underwhelming performances, management has begun weighing roster changes, with Craig Conroy facing an increasingly familiar kind of early-season pressure: decide whether the answer is already in the room or whether help has to come from outside.
Patrik Laine is one of the names on the board, and the Flames are also in conversation with other veteran forwards who could add some finishing touch to a lineup that has struggled to create it. The sense around the team is that Conroy may not wait long if the current group does not start to produce, with a short-term addition looming as a real possibility if Calgarys internal options fail to spark the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Face A Telling Whitecloud Decision As Trade Buzz Builds
With trade talk beginning to swirl around the league, the Flames have at least one veteran piece they do not seem eager to move. Sources say Calgary is in no hurry to part with Zach Whitecloud, a sign the club still places real value on what he brings to a very young defense. In a season where roster balance matters as much as upside, that kind of steadying presence can be hard to replace.
The broader market, though, is still full of moving parts, and that matters for a Flames team keeping an eye on how other clubs might reshuffle their own assets. One thread has centered on Seattle forward Shane Wright and whether he could factor into a larger conversation involving Simon Edvinsson, even as Detroit is signaling it wants to re-sign Edvinsson and is not looking to move him. For Calgary, it is another reminder that patience can be just as important as aggressiveness when the rumor mill starts turning. [Read more 🡒]