Add Artemi Panarin to the NHL trade winds that have whipped up to gale force levels in the week before the 2018 draft. As the hockey world discussed next destinations for Mike Hoffman, Erik Karlsson and the like, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday that the Blue Jackets have begun "testing the market" on a potential trade of their high-scoring winger, yet another name that could re-shape the NHL landscape in the coming weeks. Panarin, without a contract after the 2018-19 season, won't consider signing an extension with Columbus when eligible July 1, the report said, leading to speculation the team will look to offload him and recoup assets, rather than meet a high asking price. The 26-year-old would be in line to command a massive sum if he reaches unrestricted free agency in a year and it remains to be seen whether the Blue Jackets have the resources to make a competitive offer. 2018 UFA RANKINGS: Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies There is word today that Artemi Panarin has told CLB that he is not ready to consider an extension “at this time.” (UFA July 2019.) As a result, the Blue Jackets are testing the market for him. — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 19, 2018 "Our position has been that we want him to be a Blue Jacket for many years and that has not changed," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement responding to Friedman's report. "He has a year left on his contract, so there is plenty of time to work towards that end. Should anything change moving forward, we will address it at that time and any decision we make will be in the best interest of our club.” Panarin, acquired from the Blackhawks in a 2017 blockbuster, led the Blue Jackets in scoring last season with 82 points, a career high and 25 more than their next-closest scorer (Seth Jones with 57 points). Rookie Pierre Luc-Dubois was the closest forward with 48 points. So you might say Panarin holds some leverage. As of now, his demands are unclear. From The Athletic's Aaron Portzline: The Blue Jackets firmly believed that Panarin enjoyed his time in Columbus, and they were planning to shape their offensive approach around his wondrous skill. They were prepared to offer an eight-year contract, one that would have been the richest in franchise history. The 2019 free agent class is shaping up to be one of the best in the salary-cap era, with stars such as Karlsson, Los Angeles' Drew Doughty, Dallas' Tyler Seguin, Winnipeg's Blake Wheeler, San Jose's Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski and others unsigned beyond next season. That class also includes Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. As it stands now, Columbus only has 10 players under contract after 2018-19. A lot can and will change between now and then. With smart money management, Kekalainen won't be strapped to the cap and should be able to offer Panarin market value. The more obvious question is whether he'll be given the green light to shell out big money to both Panarin and Bobrovsky, who's said to have designs on becoming the NHL's highest-paid goaltender.<doc-sep>It’s no secret Mike Hoffman was among players rumoured to have been made available by Senators GM Pierre Dorion at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. As many as five to seven teams were believed to have made pitches for the 28-year old, including the Blues, Blue Jackets, Flames, Kings and Oilers. At the time, either Dorion couldn’t find the right fit or decided Hoffman’s trade value would peak closer to the Entry Draft this June 22. Fast forward a mere week prior to the draft, Hoffman’s name is once again the subject of trade rumours, but this time with an added twist. After the allegation of harassment and an order of protection placed by Melinda Karlsson, wife of Senators captain Erik, against Monica Caryk, Hoffman’s fiancée, it’s clear the two players can’t co-exist as teammates next season. “What we’ve indicated to Pierre (Dorion) is that, let’s call a spade a spade, it would be very difficult for both parties – both Erik and Mike as well as their wives and the fiancées -- to co-exist in the same wives’ room and the same dressing room,” Hoffman’s agent Robert Hooper concurred in an Ottawa Citizen article. MORE: NHL trade rumors 2018 -- Erik Karlsson, Phil Kessel top list of players possibly on the move In the same article, Hoffman commented, there’s a “150 per cent chance” he and Caryk were not involved in the “accusation.” Ottawa Police are currently conducting a criminal investigation into the matter. Swapping Hoffman for financial reasons this off-season actually made sense. Cody Ceci and Mark Stone are restricted free agents, while Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Karlsson are UFAs in July of 2019. Hoffman, who has four straight seasons of 20+ goals, holds a $5.188m cap hit, but is slated to earn $5.6m in actual salary the next two seasons. Moving the speedy winger with laser of a shot off the books for, say, a first-round pick and a top prospect enables Dorion to keep the majority of the Senators’ core intact – that is providing Karlsson remains with the organization. The puck so-to-speak is clearly in Karlsson’s end of the ice on that one. The two-time Norris Trophy winner must want to remain a Senator long-term. Given the state of this unstable organization, it is understandable if the two-time Norris Trophy winner chooses not to accept any offer, regardless if it’s reasonable or not. Dorion is clearly under the gun to resolve both issues posthaste. Many season ticket holders are delaying decisions to renew seats pending whether Karlsson will be a Senator come training camp in September. Certainly, the GM does not want to head into next season with a distinct chance the team’s brightest star won’t return for the following campaign given his potential UFA status. The possibility of losing a player of Karlsson’s magnitude without receiving desirable assets in return would be a crippling blow to the listing organization. MORE: Senators' "rock-bottom" reaches new depths amid disturbing legal matters Dorion’s first domino is to trade Hoffman. Is there interest? “Hoffman has value,” noted one NHL executive – suggesting teams who require a top-six forward will always hold interest. However, “more of the story needs to be known.” This statement likely stands for all teams vying for the services of the Kitchener, ON resident. Is there more to this story? Possibly. However, curious GMs will be forced to perform their own due diligence prior to cutting a deal. One thing seems certain -- Hoffman is soon to be on his way out of Ottawa. Senators’ fans can only hope Karlsson doesn’t follow.<doc-sep>The Chicago Blackhawks are “unlikely” to trade their No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, but have discussed trading the No. 27 pick, reports Jay Zawaski of 670 the Score. Chicago has a top-10 pick for the first time since 2007, when they selected Patrick Kane with the top overall pick. As Zawaski notes there’s plenty of talent players the Hawks are “excited” about, and he says the Hawks could use the No. 27 pick as a way to upgrade the center position. Zawaski’s report comes only a week after Scott Powers of The Athletic stated the Hawks would be willing to trade the No. 8 pick given the “right situation.” Powers noted what the “right situation” would be is unknown, but acquiring a notable NHL player is like the likely case. In 2017, the Hawks used their first two draft picks of the draft on right-handed defenseman in Henri Jokiharju and Ian Mitchell in the first and second round, respectively. Jokiharju signed a three-year entry-level contract with Chicago on June 12, while Mitchell will play his sophomore season for the University of Denver this winter under first-year coach David Carle. The Hawks enter the NHL draft Friday at American Airlines Center in Dallas with two first-round picks for the first time since 2011. Chicago acquired the No. 27 pick and a fourth-round selection in the Ryan Hartman-Victor Edjsell trade with the Nashville Predators in February. Hawks general manager Stan Bowman is scheduled to meet with media at noon Thursday to preview the draft.<doc-sep>The 2018 NHL Draft is suddenly just three days away and is —outside of the trade deadline— the best time for teams to wheel and deal on the trade phones. Flyers GM Ron Hextall was active on the draft floor a year ago, dealing Brayden Schenn for Jori Lehtera and two first-round picks (Morgan Frost, No. 14 overall this year). Hextall said during his most recent press availability that he envisions making both the No. 14 and No. 19 picks in the first round on Friday night, but that he was also keeping an open mind if a deal came along that made sense. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who the Flyers might have on the trade block heading into the draft this time around. Wayne Simmonds Simmonds will be 30 by the time the 2018-19 season kicks off, but still has one season remaining on the six-year, $23.85 million extension he signed with the Flyers back in 2012. That deal, which carries a cap hit slightly under $4 million, was a huge steal for the club in terms of overall value. Simmonds has racked up 159 goals and 143 assists for 302 points in 440 games since signing the deal. The former second-round pick of the Kings has become one of the NHL’s most deadly power play weapons. Since 2012 he ranks second in the NHL with 75 power play goals, second only to Alexander Ovechkin. He also has 127 power play points in that same span, which is good for 17th overall. Simmonds has also been durable as heck despite his rugged style, playing in at least 75 games in every season that hasn’t been lockout shortened in his 10-year career. Given all that, why in the heck would the Flyers want to make Simmonds available? Well he’s going to be 30, which isn’t a kind age to power forwards, and his body really went through the gauntlet last season. Then there’s the whole contract situation where he’s due for a large raise on the nearly $4 million he made on his previous deal. With a deep prospect pool and roster players like Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom ready for bigger roles on the power play, now could be the time to get value for Simmonds before having to fork over a ton of money for what essentially will be the downside of his career. The Flyers’ first-round picks (No. 14 and No. 19 overall) Hextall said as recently as last week that he plans on making both of these picks, but that all depends on how the board falls and what could be out on the trade market. The Flyers are in a great position with two picks in the first round, a competitive NHL roster and a deep prospect pool. The Flyers need an upgrade in goal at some point and could really use a more effective third center than Valtteri Filppula was last year. Hextall could use on of these two picks to upgrade at center, grab another defenseman, or pursue a goaltender. If a player falls that the Flyers have targeted in the pre-draft process, they could use their first-round capital to trade up the draft board and make it happen. Radko Gudas Since being acquired from Tampa Bay in the Braydon Coburn deal Gudas has been a nice fit with the Flyers. He’s posted a 3.3% Corsi relative to his teammates in his three years in Philadelphia, but his expected goals percentages have been below 50% in two of the last three years. His possession stats, though, are often inflated by high shot totals (8th-most on the team last year) and a low shooting percentage (1.4%). He kills penalties, blocks a ton of shots and gives the Flyers a bit of nasty on the back end but his slew of suspensions has started to take a bit of snarl out of his game. Given the Flyers’ stacked prospect pool on defense and a big contract looming for Ivan Provorov, Gudas could be sent packing to create a space for a youngster on the blue line while saving some cap space for the future. Robert Hagg Though we’ve seen fellow rookie defenseman Travis Sanheim’s name bandied about in some trade talk, there’s no way that Hextall would wait this long for Sanheim to arrive and pull the plug by including him in a deal now for anyone not named Erik Karlsson or Drew Doughty. Sanheim was Hextall’s first draft pick and flashed in his 49 games last season, he’s not going anywhere just yet. Hagg, on the other hand, can and should be available should Hextall want to swing a move on draft day. The 23-year-old played in 70 games last year, notching three goals and six assists for nine points while averaging 18:08 of ice time per game. He’s never going to post a ton of offensive numbers, but he’s young, physical, kills penalties and doesn’t always treat the puck like a live grenade. The Swede still needs work, but there are tools there to work with. Given the presence of Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere established as the Flyers’ top pairing, Sanheim and Phil Myers on the way, there might not be room for Hagg before long. If the right deal comes along Hextall can move Hagg as part of a package for a player or a pick and not lose much sleep. Michal Neuvirth / Brian Elliott Neither goaltender was much to write home about last season, but both have proven to be effective as crease time shares in their careers and would both be excellent backups. Elliott is 33 and has one season left on his deal with a cap hit of $2.75 million. His .909 save percentage and 2.66 goals-against average were slightly above his career marks but they were right around the league average nonetheless. He did have core muscle surgery in February and shouldn’t be playing more than 60 games a year anymore but a team looking for a well-priced veteran goalie could do far worse than Elliott.<doc-sep>
Can't get enough NHL rumors? Lyle Richardson's Rumor Roundup column serves as a one-stop guide to the latest rumblings around the league. Leading up to this year's NHL trade deadline, Senators captain Erik Karlsson was frequently mentioned as a possible trade candidate. While Feb. 26 passed with the 27-year-old defenseman still in Ottawa, there's a growing sense among observers that he could be dealt this summer. One reason is the ongoing drama involving recent allegations of harassment levied by Karlsson's wife against the fiancee of Mike Hoffman, who became the first to be traded out of Ottawa on Tuesday. Another is his eligibility to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. NHL DRAFT 2018: SN's mock 2.0 | Prospect rankings Senators general manager Pierre Dorion intends to open contract extension talks with Karlsson on July 1. Given the recent turmoil and the club's struggles this season, the superstar blueliner could reject that offer, leaving Dorion to consider shopping him for the best possible return. Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal reported the Oilers have contacted the Senators about Karlsson. He considers their chances of landing him as a long shot, pointing to their salary-cap constraints. Matheson also speculates Dorion would be interested in multiple pieces for Karlsson, rather than a one-for-one player swap. The Oilers also might not be among Karlsson's preferred destinations, as he has a 10-team no-trade list that could exclude Edmonton. Matheson suggests the Golden Knights as a better fit. Vegas attempted to acquire Karlsson at the trade deadline, has plenty of cap room and young assets — such as winger Alex Tuch or defenseman Shea Theodore — to tempt the Senators GM. 2018 UFA RANKINGS: Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies Max Pacioretty the next Hab on the move? The first domino dropped in what could be a busy trade market leading up to this weekend's NHL Draft in Dallas. On Friday, the Canadiens traded forward Alex Galchenyuk to the Arizona Coyotes for left wing Max Domi. Over the last two seasons, Galchenyuk was a fixture in the trade rumor mill. His departure raises questions about the future of Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty, who was also frequently mentioned as a trade candidate this season. NHL.com columnist Adam Proteau believes Pacioretty is likely to be moved. Pacioretty, 29, is a former five-time 30-goal scorer who's a year from becoming an unrestricted free agent. Earlier this month, it was reported contract extension discussions had started between the two sides, prompting some pundits to envision a possible “sign-and-trade” scenario. The Canadiens desperately need a scoring center and have been linked to Ryan O'Reilly of the Sabres. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said he's hearing the Sabres are looking for a winger, suggesting Pacioretty could be among the candidates. GRADES: Canadiens cut bait on Alex Galchenyuk — for better or worse Jeff Skinner trade held up by Ilya Kovalchuk? The Hurricanes could also be among the active clubs in the trade market. Their new ownership and management appear intent on shaking up its roster. In recent weeks, Hurricanes winger Jeff Skinner has often come up in media trade conjecture. The 26-year-old becomes eligible next summer for unrestricted free-agent status. While he carries a no-movement clause, he could waive it to join a contender. TSN's Pierre LeBrun believes the Hurricanes will be moving Skinner in the coming weeks but it could take some time. The holdup could be tied to free agent winger Ilya Kovalchuk, who intends to return to the NHL after spending the past five seasons playing in Russia. LeBrun said teams interested in Skinner, such as the Kings and Sharks, could also consider signing Kovalchuk. He can officially sign with any club on July 1 but could reach an agreement in principle before then. Kovalchuk used to be a dominating NHL scorer, but now 35 and having been out of the league for a while, there's no certainty he'll regain his once-impressive form. Skinner, on the other hand, is much younger and could be a better long-term fit for teams seeking scoring depth.