{"id":291929,"date":"2025-11-18T05:34:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T05:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/291929\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T05:34:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T05:34:26","slug":"nhl-rumors-thompson-pushback-dach-down-leafs-roster-trade-the-hockey-writers-nhl-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/291929\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumors: Thompson Pushback, Dach Down, Leafs Roster Trade – The Hockey Writers – NHL Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s NHL rumors rundown, the Buffalo Sabres are pushing back hard on any suggestion of trading their star center, the Montreal Canadiens may be forced into the market after yet another major injury, the Los Angeles Kings got their big extension with Adrian Kempe<\/a> done for under $11 million, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are circling a roster-for-roster trade as frustration builds.<\/p>\n

Sabres Holding Firm on Tage Thompson Trade Talk<\/p>\n

Despite the renewed noise around Tage Thompson<\/a>, the Buffalo Sabres aren\u2019t entertaining trade<\/a> scenarios. Elliotte Friedman stressed that the Sabres have zero intention of moving their franchise center unless Thompson himself forces the issue \u2014 and that isn\u2019t currently happening.<\/p>\n

Related: Sabres Are a Product of Their Own Failures, Top to Bottom<\/a><\/p>\n

Buffalo\u2019s inconsistency has led to several trade rumors, but Thompson has been one of the few bright spots. His coast-to-coast goal against Detroit on Saturday night reinforced exactly why the Sabres consider him untouchable. He\u2019s a foundational piece, and Friedman made it clear on 32 Thoughts that if Thompson ever leaves, it\u2019ll be because he asked out, not because Buffalo lost faith. <\/p>\n

Canadiens Searching for Center Help After Dach Injury<\/p>\n

The Montreal Canadiens were already exploring ways to upgrade at center. Now, they may not have a choice. With Kirby Dach sidelined 4\u20136 weeks<\/a> due to a fractured foot, acquiring another pivot has jumped to the top of GM Kent Hughes\u2019 priority list.<\/p>\n

\"MontrealMontreal Canadiens Kirby Dach (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Dach had quietly been elevating his game, showing signs of finally stabilizing after years of setbacks. His injury arrives at the worst possible time for a team trying to stay competitive. Zack Bolduc will take on second-line duties for now, with Jake Evans sliding into a third-line role.<\/p>\n

The injury list is getting longer for Montreal: Kaiden Guhle is out 8\u201310 weeks after surgery, and Alex Newhook faces a four-month recovery. <\/p>\n

Montreal was linked to David Kampf before Vancouver scooped him up, leaving the market thin. Who the Canadiens target next remains unclear, but the urgency is real \u2014 and growing.<\/p>\n

Kempe Takes Less to Stay with the Kings Long-Term<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Kings officially announced the signing of Adrian Kempe on an eight-year<\/a>, $10.625 million AAV extension \u2014 and they did it without crossing the $11 million threshold many expected. For months, the sides were apart, but two factors pushed the deal over the finish line: structure and Kempe\u2019s desire to stay in L.A.<\/p>\n

The contract is bonus-heavy early, team-friendly late, and keeps the Kings\u2019 salary hierarchy intact. Pierre LeBrun revealed the full breakdown<\/a>, which includes $42.5 million in signing bonuses. L.A. met face-to-face with agent J.P. Barry last week, then made a final push to get the deal done. <\/p>\n

Carlo Out, Maple Leafs Pushing for Roster-for-Roster Trade<\/p>\n

Tension is building in Toronto. The Maple Leafs are 4-5-1 in their last 10, and Elliotte Friedman reports GM Brad Treliving is actively seeking a roster-for-roster trade<\/a>. This isn\u2019t about futures \u2014 the Leafs aren\u2019t moving prospects like Easton Cowan, and they aren\u2019t touching their core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, or the others.<\/p>\n

Instead, Toronto wants a straight hockey trade. Rasmus Andersson\u2019s name has surfaced from Calgary, though the price would be steep. St. Louis\u2019 Brayden Schenn has been linked before, and Toronto reportedly maintains interest.<\/p>\n

As for potential departures, Brandon Carlo, Nick Robertson, and even Max Domi could be in the conversation. Depth wingers like Bobby McMann or Matias Maccelli are also possibilities, depending on the return. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Carlo (who missed the last game, day-to-day) has now officially been placed<\/a> on IR. <\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In today\u2019s NHL rumors rundown, the Buffalo Sabres are pushing back hard on any suggestion of trading their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[36680,64,63,167949,70268,575,85,167950],"class_list":{"0":"post-291929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-adrian-kempe","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-brandon-carlo","12":"tag-kirby-dach","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-tage-thompson"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}