To save you from going into a clicking frenzy, here are some interesting free agent rumors on Tuesday night.
(If these don’t satiate your appetite for scuttlebutt, there are also murmurs about Milan Lucic to the Edmonton Oilers ...)
- The Boston Bruins are one of the many teams who are desperate to improve on defense. How desperate? Apparently they might go all-in by sending an offer sheet to coveted Winnipeg Jets RFA blueliner Jacob Trouba.
CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty and ESPN’s Jimmy Murphy acknowledged the “chatter.”
I've heard the same. 4 1st round picks a lot to give up, but would be worth it if they feel Trouba is a No. 1 guy https://t.co/mNi4LNa2dA
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 29, 2016
Hearing lots of chatter today/tonight that #Bruins could be preparing an offer sheet for Jets RFA defenseman Jacob Trouba. #NHLFreeagency
— MurphysLaw74 (@MurphysLaw74) June 29, 2016
If the Bruins even go as far as to send Trouba an offer sheet - a big if - teams almost always match such offers. The Columbus Blue Jackets claim they’d do so with Seth Jones, for example:
Jarmo Kekalainen on @TSN1200 re: team offer sheeting Seth Jones: "If someone wants to be silly and make it cost more money, we'll match it."
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) June 28, 2016
Maybe the B’s would send an offer that’s just too rich for Winnipeg’s taste, though?
Update: Haggerty goes into greater detail for CSNNE.com.
Now it appears the Bruins may be willing to put their money, and their assets, where their interest is, and come up with an offer sheet that totals a minimum of $47 million for Trouba’s services.
Part of that high total is crafting an offer that the Winnipeg Jets aren’t going to match, and part of that is the Bruins’ own doing while casually tossing away their own draft picks. Because they sent their 2017 third round pick to the Flyers for Zac Rinaldo and their 2017 second round pick to New Jersey for Lee Stempniak, the Bruins must put together an offer sheet with an average annual value (AAV) of at least $9.3 million that will require Boston to give up four consecutive first round picks as compensation.
Holy smokes.
- There could very well be mutual interest between David Perron and the Montreal Canadiens:
Source: Montreal Canadiens have had contact with David Perron, who would be very interested in playing for them.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) June 29, 2016
Makes perfect sense considering his strong work once he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks and his Quebec roots.
- Matt Martin is drawing rave reviews as an Islanders departure seems increasingly likely.
Hearing DET, TOR, MTL, BOS, LAK, CGY among the teams that have reached out to Matt Martin. #Isles
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 28, 2016
I believe the #NYR also reached out to Martin's camp this week, but don't see a real fit there.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 28, 2016
One scout on Matt Martin: "He’s big, he’s a lot more skilled than people think he is. He's an unbelievable team guy."
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 28, 2016
- Shifting from rumors to signings, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed Tye McGinn and Matt Taormina to one-year, two-way contracts.
- Also, the Hurricanes inked Patrick Brown to a one-year, two-way deal.