In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Winnipeg Jets could be losing forward Nikolaj Ehlers, as it seems that he is set to test the market on July 1 as an unrestricted free agent. Elsewhere, J.J. Peterka has been a name that has been around over the past few weeks, and it appears that the Buffalo Sabres have become more open-minded about dealing him. Finally, the Los Angeles Kings may have a decision to make between their two young right-shot defensemen, Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke.
Ehlers to Test Free Agency Market
After spending the last 10 seasons with the Jets, Ehlers seems to be heading to free agency and be able to sign a deal with any team. On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman spoke about Ehlers and stated, “Hearing he’s the same as Marner, he’s going to July 1 and then we’ll see,”. It doesn’t appear that the door is completely closed on a return by that statement, but when players do hit the open market, it is pretty uncommon to see them return.
There have been some destinations that Ehlers has been connected to. The Carolina Hurricanes have been connected to him for quite some time, and Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon also mentioned the Utah Mammoth, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and the Kings as potential destinations.
Related: Marner Set to Depart Maple Leafs & More NHL Rumours
AFP Analytics projects the Ehlers contract to be six years at just over $8.1 million per season. That is a pretty fair expectation, but on the open market, there could be a bit of a bidding war bringing that number up a bit.
Sabres Looking Into Dealing Peterka Out of Buffalo
On the same episode of 32 Thoughts, Friedman expanded on the report that the Sabres may be dealing Peterka.
The Charging Buffalo on X transcribed the bit on the Sabres and Peterka, and posted the following:
“I have said that the Sabres have indicated that they don’t want to trade JJ Peterka – their answer has changed. They’re at least now listening on it, and I think that’s recent.
I think it’s the reality of the situation… People know Peterka’s unhappy and it’s believed that he would like to go somewhere else, and I just think that reality is sinking in a bit [for the Sabres].
I think the Sabres realize they have to at least look into it. And I think in the last little bit it’s gone from, “we don’t want to do it and we’re not doing it,” to “we don’t want to do it, but we at least have to look into it.”
Elliotte Friedman on the Sabres/Peterka situation, transcribed by The Charging Buffalo
With the position the Sabres have been in for over a decade, trading away a developed star, who is just 23 years old and has been scoring at a high clip, isn’t ideal. Peterka is the exact kind of player the team needs to retain, or at the very least, get a similar player in return for him if he is dealt.
If the Sabres are in fact looking at moving him, they will have no shortage of teams interested with strong offers.
Kings May Move On From Jordan Spence
The Kings have a lot of moving pieces on their defense group. With young players like Clarke and Spence coming up behind Drew Doughty on the right side, it may make sense to move on from one of them while they have lots of value. Both players play a very similar role on the team, and the Kings could afford to move one to help with their forward group, and bring in a veteran depth player to replace him.
According to Friedman, “Spence’s name has been out there, and Clarke is unavailable”. Opting to keep Clarke is predictable as he is younger, was selected higher in the draft, and has out-produced Spence so far. That isn’t to say Spence isn’t good or won’t fetch a big return, but the Kings definitely have their guy with Clarke.
