In today’s NHL rumours rundown, the Edmonton Oilers were quick to get an Evan Bouchard contract done because the Carolina Hurricanes were threatening to offer sheet him, but pivoted to K’Andre Miller after Bouchard was extended. Elsewhere, the Detroit Red Wings had some pretty big plans, but were unable to materialize them, like signing Nikolaj Ehlers or acquiring Victor Arvidsson. Finally, the New Jersey Devils could look at moving Dougie Hamilton, and there have been some conversations about that.
Hurricanes Threaten Oilers with Bouchard Offer Sheet
On the final episode of 32 Thoughts before the offseason break, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Hurricanes were threatening the Oilers with an offer sheet for Evan Bouchard, and it even got serious enough that the Hurricanes were looking to the Utah Mammoth to get their 2026 third-round pick back.
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Friedman noted that before acquiring Mikko Rantanen ahead of the trade deadline, they were talking to the Oilers about a player, who he believes was Bouchard. Moving into the offseason, there was a lot of talk about offer sheets all over the place, but Friedman had this to say about Bouchard:
“Carolina has a lot of cap room. Carolina has a lot of draft assets, draft capital. And I think that the Oilers were worried that the Hurricanes were going to offer sheet Bouchard. So they signed him to that extension. Didn’t even let him get to July 1.”
Elliotte Friedman, 32 Thoughts
When it came to Miller, the Hurricanes seemed set on acquiring him after Bouchard signed. The deal that came to fruition, with a first and second-round pick as well as Scott Morrow, the value was similar to an offer sheet, and the two teams were both able to get what they wanted out of a deal, as Miller signed his big extension with the Hurricanes.
Red Wings Swing and Miss on Multiple Players
When entering free agency, a player is given the luxury of deciding where they can go. Of course, there has to be team interest, too, but for the right price, any team could be interested. For Ehlers, the Red Wings were supposedly going to make a real push for him, but according to Friedman, Ehlers didn’t have any interest in meeting with them. Friedman said that Ehlers’ main goal was to go to the Eastern Conference with the reduced travel and to get a chance to play top-line minutes. Both of those things were possible in Detroit, but still, Ehlers didn’t have a meeting with them.
Along with Ehlers, Friedman reported that Arvidsson and Mason Marchment were both trade targets, but couldn’t get those done, either. Arvidsson was dealt for a fifth-round draft pick, while Marchment was traded for a third and fourth-round draft pick.
There is no more information on why the deals couldn’t go through, but what is known is that the Red Wings have the picks and prospects to match both of those deals, and that both players had trade protection.
It hasn’t been confirmed that the trade protection got in the way for either player, but with the Red Wings missing the playoffs yet again, it could be a real concern that the team Steve Yzerman has built is not looked at as a destination players want to go to.
Hamilton Could Be On the Way Out of New Jersey
Another note dropped by Friedman, the Devils and Hamilton could be parting ways this offseason. The Devils have spent a lot of money on their defense group over the past few seasons, and have some good players coming into the lineup. Hamilton makes $9 million per season with three years left, and while he has proven to be a very good defenseman, the Devils have dealt with a lot of injuries over the past few seasons, including Hamilton.
Friedman said that he knows Hamilton’s name is out there, and there are a few teams the Devils have been talking to. That doesn’t mean a trade is for sure happening or anything is imminent, but it is a conversation worth keeping an eye on. The Devils have Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Jonathan Kovacevic locked up for at least three more seasons, and Luke Hughes will likely join that list as he is currently a restricted free agent.
In the pipeline, Simon Nemec is still looking to break into a full-time role, and Seamus Casey and Anton Silayev both also show a ton of promise. They are in a position to move on from Hamilton and be able to recover from it.
