Evan’s NHL Daily: Trades And Speculation Galore, Utah Making Moves

Day One of the NHL Draft brought a lot of talk, but very little movement. I don’t know if all the GM’s got together on Friday night and talked shop over some drinks, because Day Two was kind of crazy. There seemed to be three teams at the center of it all – Utah, New Jersey, and Tampa. All three organizations are looking to reshape their rosters but for very different reasons.

Tampa Bay had won and is trying to keep that window open, but moved out a very good defenseman and seem ready to move on from their Captain. New Jersey had a down year but have been very active this summer. And then you have Utah, who entered the weekend with exactly 0 NHL defensemen signed. Now they have four, two of which weren’t on the roster last season.

There are lots of moves that happened, and lots that have yet to happen. Will Sunday be the calm before the storm or just add to the chaos?

Colorado Hockey Now

Day Two was hectic at the NHL Draft, but it was a great time. The Sphere was a fantastic venue and the league hit it out of the park. Naturally, they won’t go back. Here are the nine players they drafted, as well as interviews with the ones that were at the draft.

The first pick is always the one people care about the most, and the Avalanche were the first team to take a goalie. When will that goalie be coming over? I reached out to Ilya Nabokov‘s agent and it sounds like we’ll know more soon.

He didn’t leave the organization for long, as Pavel Francouz will be joining the team again in a new role and will be at Development Camp this week.

On Sunday, I’ll have a scouting report from a goalie scout on Nabokov for all CHN+ members.

Trades, Speculation, And News

New Jersey Hockey Now: I guess we’ll begin with the Devils, who made a few moves on Sunday. It started with John Marino being dealt to Utah in exchange for a few draft picks. Later, they moved out former top 10 pick Alexander Holtz to Vegas for Paul Cotter. They aren’t done yet, as all the speculation seems to indicate that they’re going to bring in Brett Pesce to replace Marino on the blueline.

Salt Lake Tribune: It still feels weird to say Utah Hockey Club, but that’s an NHL team now so I better get used to it. Marino wasn’t the only defenseman they acquired, as they snagged Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay. That’s a big splash for a team that has spent the last several years just accumulating draft picks.

Elliotte Friedman: So what is Tampa Bay doing? Are they going to re-sign Steven Stamkos? Doesn’t sound like it. Instead, they’ve got their eyes set on one man – Jake Guentzel.

It sure sounds like the Avalanche might see a bit more of Stamkos, as the team that really wants him is the Nashville Predators.

Sportsnet: We’ve known for days it would happen, but Buffalo confirmed they will buyout the contract of Jeff Skinner. Yes, the Avalanche should make a call.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: I have no idea what the Penguins are building, but it’s something, I guess. Now they’ve gone and added Kevin Hayes.

Montreal Hockey Now: The Canadiens might have stolen the NHL Draft. Not only did they get two really good forwards to add to their organization, but they surprised everyone with Celine Dion.

Florida Hockey Now: The parade is on Sunday, so maybe they’ll announce a bunch of signings, but Bill Zito doesn’t have a lot of time. Free agency starts on Monday and they’ve got a ton of UFA’s, including Sam Reinhart.

Philly Hockey Now: Philadelphia had a chance to take someone that I believe could be a franchise defenseman in the NHL. Instead, they passed on Zeev Buium.

Detroit Hockey Now: Steve Yzerman has been clearing cap space for something. Is some of that being done to bring in Jacob Trouba?