Rumour mill: David Savard not expected in Toronto by tomorrow

With just under 24 hours to go before the trade deadline, it’s unsurprising that rumours are rife across the NHL at the moment.

Here’s what’s circulating on this Thursday evening, the eve of the deadline:

David Savard not expected in Toronto by tomorrow

David Savard has been the talk of the Habs in recent weeks. The defenseman is probably the most coveted player in town, and if the Habs get his price by tomorrow, it’s safe to assume he’ll leave.

The Habs don’t have to trade him because they love him and he has one year left on his contract… but they won’t stop themselves from doing so if they get their price, which they haven’t yet.

Toronto has been one of the most talked-about destinations, and even in Ontario, there’s talk that he could be worth a first-round pick for the club.

However, according to Renaud Lavoie, it would be rather surprising if Savard ended up with the Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs think the price is too high, and they expect their current roster to remain unchanged by 3 p.m. tomorrow.

The Maple Leafs seem happy with their current brigade, to which Joel Edmundson was added earlier today.

That can always change… but if Savard leaves by tomorrow, it’s safe to assume it won’t be Toronto.

In the same column, the TVA Sports tipster reports that Martin Necas is unhappy in Carolina and wants to leave. And that brings me to my next point…

The Penguins will be a very different team tomorrow night

Earlier this evening, we learned that Jake Guentzel will most likely be heading to Carolina within the next few hours. Only a few details remain to be finalized, but barring a gigantic turn of events, it’s in Carolina (against Michael Bunting, among others) that Guentzel will end the season.

Rob Rossi, who covers the Penguins, believes that the deal will be “easier for Penguins fans to digest” once all the details are known. Does this mean we could possibly get our hands on Necas?

That said, there’s every reason to believe that the Penguins will be very active over the next few hours. Another forgettable performance tonight could force Kyle Dubas to sell.

According to Rossi, we can expect a lot of action in Pittsburgh. Can’t wait to see what that means in concrete terms.

Devils look for Jake Allen-style goalie

The New Jersey Devils’ season has been a bit of a disappointment, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that the team’s goalies can’t stop a beach ball. We’re desperately looking for a solution in front of the net, but we don’t have it at the moment.

Jacob Markstrom is a name the Devils have been talking about, and according to Emily Kaplan, expect the Devils to keep pushing for him between now and tomorrow.

And if it’s not Markstrom, it’ll be another #1 goalie… or something else.

According to Kaplan, the Devils know they may not get a #1 goalie by tomorrow. That’s why the club could opt for a simple, experienced goaltender who could help Nico Daws and Akira Schmid between now and the end of the season.

There are a few teams with goalies like this to trade, but it’s safe to assume that Jake Allen is on the Devils’ list. We’ll have to see if they’re willing to pay Kent Hughes’ asking price, but the Devils seem like a possible destination for a goalie like Allen.

Money could be an issue… but with Tyler Toffoli likely to leave by tomorrow, money could be easy to come by.

Round-up

– Two more players who could leave by tomorrow.

– Michel Bergeron wants Trevor Zegras in Montreal.

– Minor transaction.