Welcome to the latest installment of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The emphasis has turned to the new season. Teams are constantly striving to improve, and the excitement of a new NHL season has arrived. With the American Thanksgiving serving as a barometer for playoff positioning, the whispers are thick and fast.
In this Sunday edition of NHL Rumors, we’ll examine the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, and the Buffalo Sabres.
NHL rumors in this edition include:
The Nashville Predators have given Tyson Barrie permission to talk to other teams. Is James Reimer on the trading block? Are the Sabres on the hunt for a forward?
Nashville Predators – Tyson Barrie
Rumor: Per – Elliotte Friedman – sportsnet.ca. According to Friedman, the Preds have given permission to Barrie to talk to other teams.
Barrie is expected to be a healthy scratch for the New York Rangers game on Saturday night. With Luke Schenn back in the lineup and youngsters Marc Del Gaizo and Spencer Stastney playing well, there just isn’t enough ice time for all of them. Barrie arrived at the last trade deadline as part of the Mattias Ekholm trade and has actually been well-liked since coming over. He has been popular in the locker room and as a person and seemed to provide a good swap as a right-handed offensive defenseman, while Ekholm is the exact opposite.
He is 32 years old but can still perform. Barrie has three goals and 18 assists in 46 games in Nashville. He has been playing on the third-line defensive unit. Barrie is in the last year of his $4.5 million contract and other teams will certainly show keen interest in his veteran play on the blueline. It seems that with him being a healthy scratch, a trade could be imminent. He can absolutely help a playoff-bound team, so we shall see what happens here.
Detroit Red Wings – James Reimer
Rumor: Per – Michael DeRosa – nhltraderumors.me. Earlier this week, NHL insider Frank Seravalli listed Detroit Red Wings goaltender James Reimer on his trade candidates list for dailyfaceoff.com.
There certainly have been quite a few teams looking for help in the goaltending department. Reimer has a low cap hit of just $1.5 million and has played 485 NHL games. That experience and reliability will very likely attract teams looking for a netminder. He has a career NHL record of 206-171-63 with a .911 SV% and a 2.86 GAA. Impressive enough statistics, but he is also 35 years old.
The Red Wings have three goalies on their current roster, so one needs to go. It makes sense that Reimer is being considered the most likely candidate to be dealt. Both Alex Lyon and Ville Husso have contracts that are good through next season. He could be acquired by another NHL team at a reasonable enough cost. He would be a valuable addition to a playoff-bound team, given his experience and consistent play.
