Rumor mill: Kings interested in Tom Wilson

That means the draft is approaching, as is the opening of the free-agent market. At this time of year, it’s mostly trade rumours and free agent rumours that fuel the discussions.

I’d like to start by talking about Tom Wilson, because his name has been getting a lot of attention in recent days. In fact, David Pagnotta explained in a recent tweet that the power forward ‘s future in Washington isn’t set in stone, and that a few teams would be curious about the availability of the principal interested party.

The same David Pagnotta elaborated a little more on the subject last night, again with the help of a tweet. He made a point of reminding us that it’s too early to really know the Washington Capitals’ intentions towards the player, but Pagnotta also used his tweet to link the Los Angeles Kings’ name to that of the forward.

The scenario isn’t crazy, however, as the Kings are looking to add size to their offense. The idea of Pierre-Luc Dubois landing in LA is also part of this scenario…

If Wilson is “made available” to other NHL teams, there will be plenty of interest. His somewhat unique style of play makes him interesting for any other team on the Bettman circuit, and for that reason, I really wonder how much he’s worth on the trade market.

We’ll be watching with great interest, I think.

Scott Laughton in Ottawa?

Daniel Brière and the Flyers have already begun their housecleaning by sending Ivan Provorov to Columbus, and between now and the start of next season, we can expect to see other pillars of the organization jump ship.

Without necessarily being a crowd-pleaser, the 29-year-old veteran fulfills his role wonderfully. It’s his reliability on 200 feet of ice that could catch the eye of some of the league’s general managers, and it seems that interest in his services is quite popular throughout the NHL.

David Pagnotta (again) reported just yesterday that Pierre Dorion and the Senators are among the teams that have shown “a lot of interest” in the Flyers’ player.

This would be a great catch, given that Laughton has been wearing a letter on his jersey for a few seasons now in Philly, and given that he has what it takes to help the team’s young players in Ottawa.

Conor Garland’s days in Vancouver are numbered

Conor Garland is a player I’m very attracted to, especially for his offensive qualities. He’s a guy who’s capable of putting up around 50 points a season, but his current contract seems to be stifling the Vancouver Canucks organization.

The diminutive forward earns $4.95 million a year and his contract expires at the end of the 2025-2026 season. His offensive production, compared to his salary, is really not atrocious…

But it’s his overall play on the ice that displeases the Canucks, who have already sought to trade him in the past.

Patrik Allvin (GM) could therefore resolve the situation by trading him elsewhere for the famous “future considerations”, and if that’s the case, expect him to pay the price to get rid of him, a bit like the Flames did with Sean Monahan last summer.

This proposal was mentioned by the excellent Frank Seravalli, and if his comments are anything to go by, Conor Garland’s days in Vancouver are well and truly numbered.

Four pieces pried off @DailyFaceoff Trade Targets 🎯 board this week.

No worry. We’ve got 10 new names today, including Vladar, Peeke, Kahkonen and DeAngelo as the #NHL‘s summer trade market begins to sizzle.

We’ve also got a new No. 1 on the board:https://t.co/r3lpyWcXS4

– Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 9, 2023

Maxime Comtois has probably made his last run in Anaheim

It’s boring, but Maxime Comtois was never able to live up to the high expectations placed on him when he was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2017.

The Quebecer, who has the tools to become a good NHL player, finished last season with 19 points in 64 games. And now, as unfortunate as it may be, it seems that the Ducks are ready to “abandon the project” in his case.

At least, that’s what Seravalli wrote in a recent article. Note that if the Ducks want to keep him, they’ll have to submit a qualifying offer of $2,445,000… And considering his drop in production over the past two seasons, it would be surprising to see this scenario materialize.

The next few weeks are likely to be quite exciting for field hockey fans, and I think it’s one of the best times of the year for that very reason.

Let’s look forward to the draft and the opening of the free-agent market.

Highlights

– Maybe he should buy a lottery ticket?

– It’s now official.

– All the better.

– The Heat face elimination tonight in Denver.

– Mason Toye and Rudy Camacho named to MLS Team of the Week.

No one was better. 🌟

📝: https://t.co/FJsMqRYC6I pic.twitter.com/J49aGmeoDG

– Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 12, 2023