NHL Rumour Roundup: What’s next for Ducks, Rangers after Kreider trade

Anaheim acquired veteran winger Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick from New York on Thursday in exchange for centre prospect Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick.

It was a notable move for Kreider, who was drafted 19th overall by the Rangers in 2009 and spent his entire 13-season NHL career with the organization.

The 34-year-old waived his no-trade clause to join former New York teammates Jacob Trouba, Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano in Southern California.

Of course, it’s far from the only deal we’ll see this summer — possibly even from these two teams.

On Friday’s episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said he doesn’t expect the Ducks to stand pat now that they have Kreider, especially since they’re a team that still has a lot of cap space.

Asked by co-host Kyle Bukauskas what Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek is looking at, Friedman said, “He wants to make the playoffs, and look what they’ve got around them (in the Western Division). … They’re not going to look at this and say, ‘OK, that’s enough for now.'”

“I think we’re still expecting them to take a run at Marner,” said Friedman. “I’ve actually wondered if Toronto and Tavares don’t work this out, and there’s still time here, if Anaheim would be a team that would take a shot at Tavares too.”

Friedman later added: “If (Marner) leaves Toronto, he’s going West. I freely admit I would be surprised if he would be in the East.”

He also noted it will be interesting to see what Verbeek does with some of Anaheim’s restricted free agents this summer, citing the likes of centre Mason McTavish and goaltender Lukas Dostal.

“You know (Verbeek’s) a bit old school,” said Friedman. “And I don’t mean it as a knock, just old school as a philosophy, in that he really likes to make sure that players are ready to earn the big money. He’s not scared of bridge deals.”

As for what the Rangers might do next following a tough season and with head coach Mike Sullivan now at the helm, Bukauskas and Friedman discussed the possibility that New York could utilize offer sheets.

“I think the thing that’s really interesting is that the words ‘offer sheets’ are getting mentioned with them, and they’re not really having a problem with it — like they’re not,” said Friedman.

“Sometimes you hear about offer sheets, ‘Oh, we’re not. We don’t believe in that, or we’re not going to do that, or we’re not interested in that.’ The Rangers don’t seem bothered by the fact people are linking them to offer sheets, so I’m curious to see where that’s all going to go. … I think the Rangers do make teams nervous.”

Friedman also noted that if the Rangers are unable to land any significant free agents — such as Marner, Sam Bennett or Nikolaj Ehlers — they might then turn to offer sheets, as they “want to be aggressive.”

New York is set to make a decision on defenceman K’Andre Miller, who is a restricted free agent this summer. According to Friedman, the reason Miller’s name is floating around in rumours is that the Rangers don’t want to give him term.

“They’ve indicated if they sign him to an extension, it’s not going to be a long-term extension, and that’s why his name is out there,” Friedman said.

Canucks only trading Pettersson if addressing centres

The chatter around Canucks centre Elias Pettersson has retaken centre stage in Vancouver as the calendar approaches July 1, which is the day his no-move clause kicks in.

After a season for Pettersson that involved teammate drama and unsatisfactory play, it remains to be seen whether the team chooses to move on or decides to put its belief in him.

Pettersson returned from Sweden recently to meet with new head coach Adam Foote.

According to Friedman, the Canucks “took that as an investment into the team. They really liked that they did that.”

The Canucks will likely only trade Pettersson if it solves their problem at centre, per Friedman.

“Everybody knows they’re apart on (a new contract for Pius) Suter. What the market looks like it can do for Suter, Vancouver doesn’t want to go there. They would like (Filip) Chytil to either be their 3C or a top-six winger. I think in a perfect world, that’s where they see Chytil playing.

“So, if they trade Pettersson, and they don’t solve the other holes, I don’t believe it makes any sense for them. So they asked him to show a bit more investment. He’s doing that, and I think they’ve made it clear that unless it really makes sense for them to fill their other holes, they don’t think it’s good business.”

Friedman later added that the Canucks want to return to being a contender.

“That’s why I think this Pettersson move is as we just described it: how do you trade that guy and go backwards and not solve your problems? I think it’s a perfect way to put it.

“This is a time where you’re looking to solve your problems, not create more problems for yourself. There’s been enough problems in that market over the last year, it would behoove them to be in solving mode as things move forward. For the Canucks, I totally see that they want us to talk about them less next year.”

Stars less likely to trade Robertson for now

Another name that has been circulating in trade rumours has been Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson, ever since the team was eliminated in the Western Conference Final.

The 25-year-old is extension-eligible this summer, with his current four-year, $31 million contract set to expire in 2026.

While Friedman said he believes that everything reported to this point around Robertson has been accurate, he attributed it to Dallas reeling with “shock and disappointment at the way they lost to Edmonton, and how the last game unravelled to the point where (head coach) Pete DeBoer got fired.”

“I think they let it be known that they were going to have to consider some things. And I don’t think anybody who reported that there was noise around Robertson was wrong (but) I got a call during the game on Thursday night saying that Dallas is dialling this back a little, and we’ll see,” Friedman said.

If Robertson was traded, it would be for either “a great player” or to “recoup what they gave up to get (Mikko) Rantanen” in terms of draft picks or a good young player, per Friedman.

He also said that some of the potential uncertainty surrounding Robertson likely stems from the question of what his next contract number will look like.

“From what I’m hearing on Thursday night, I think Dallas is prepared to find out what that number is. … My sense, based on this information, which came from another team, is that they’ve kind of been told Dallas wants to see what his long-term future is with them before they make any decisions.

“So I think the Robertson stuff is now on hold until we figure out if he extends or not. That’s my latest update.”

Quick hits

• Jordan Spence of the Los Angeles Kings is a name to keep an eye on, according to Friedman.

“You know (general manager) Ken Holland. You know how he feels about his blue line. He likes a big, mobile blue line. I just don’t think the Kings feel that Spence and Brandt Clarke on the right side together works. They’re both right-hand shots, they both need to play, and I just don’t think they feel there’s room for two of them. And Clarke, I don’t believe, is available. Spence, I think, is.”

• With Jonathan Toews looking to make his return to the NHL after a two-year hiatus, Friedman believes he’s looking at a couple of teams including the Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning.

• Further on the Avalanche, with sudden buzz around forward Martin Necas, Friedman said he doesn’t believe they necessarily need to clear cap space — despite some suggesting otherwise — and he’s not sure Colorado feels that way either.

Outside of one or two players, there isn’t a ton on the Avalanche’s to-do list, Friedman noted.