It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. From all of us at Last Word, we hope you had a nice Easter holiday for those that celebrate. The start of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs is upon us, but work for the offseason has already started. General managers are figuring out what contracts to offer star players. There’s also the question on if some NCAA players will sign their entry-level deals. Today’s NHL rumours focuses on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumour: Dan Rosen of NHL.com had his mailbag edition of his column. One of the questions was about the future of Mitch Marner with the Maple Leafs.
Analysis: Marner is set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. However, he can sign a contract extension as of July 1, 2024. Toronto was very proactive in getting extensions for fellow star players Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
The former London Knights standout is currently making a shade over $10.9 million for this season and for next. Moreover, Marner has proven his worth to the Leafs and it’s shown with him being on the shelf the last few weeks. It’s no secret that Marner plays an important part in the Toronto lineup. Furthermore, the main question is what’s the right dollar amount to keep Marner on the Maple Leafs. Rosen points out there’s no way that Marner is going to accept the same nearly $11 million cap hit this time around. This means the Leafs are going to invest a ton of money in the forward and have pay north of $10 for three players once again.
The Toronto media loves to speculate and the topic of Marner being traded was broached. Conversely, General Manager Brad Treliving is unlikely to deal Marner unless a similarly aged and valued defenceman is coming back the other way.
Despite all of the seemingly bad news, there are a couple of things on Toronto’s side. Team captain John Tavares will have his contract come up at the end of next season as well. This will free up $11 million of the cap to give to Marner. Tavares could come back at a reduced rate or he could move on entirely. The salary cap climbing up the next few seasons will also give Toronto more help to keep Marner around.
Montreal Canadiens
Rumour: During Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman said the Habs are monitoring Lane Hutson and if he’ll sign once the college hockey season is over.
The latest edition of Saturday Headlines with @FriedgeHNIC
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— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 31, 2024
Analysis: Montreal fans felt like Huston watch was starting early in the NCAA Regional finals when the Boston University Terriers fell behind 2-0 to Minnesota. However, BU rallied and earned a berth in the Frozen Four. This pushes the end of Hutson’s season back a couple of weeks as the Terriers go for a 2024 NCAA National Title. The national semifinals are April 11 and the title game is April 13. Montreal’s season ends on April 16 against the Detroit Red Wings. Speculation will likely begin on if Hutson wants to start his pro career with the Canadiens.
Hutson has shown plenty of promise and would be another young piece for a Montreal roster with a very bright future. However, does Hutson want to burn an entry-level year for just a maximum two NHL games this season. In all likelihood, Hutson signs over the summer or stays another year with BU.
The talented young blueliner helped Team USA win gold at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships and has a chance to be an impact player with the Canadiens. However, Habs fans will have to wait just a little bit longer until to see the 20-year-old debut for their team.
Main photo by: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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