{"id":430107,"date":"2026-01-26T03:31:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T03:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/430107\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T03:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T03:31:08","slug":"sabres-ott-panarin-penguins-lightning-cba-iihf-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/430107\/","title":{"rendered":"Sabres, Ott, Panarin, Penguins, Lightning, CBA, IIHF \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Artemi Panarin<\/a>\u2019s future which now won\u2019t be with the Rangers, theorizing a possible Nikita Kucherov<\/a> extension, and much more.\u00a0 We had enough questions from our latest callout for two more columns so if your question doesn\u2019t appear here, watch for it in one of those.<\/p>\n

12Kelly: I really think the Sabres should re-sign Tuch and continue to build this team around the core of Tuch, Thompson, Dahlin, etc. The talent is in place to be able to deal from our young players such as Ostlund, Rosen, and maybe even Power to acquire a solid secondary scorer. Thoughts?<\/p>\n

I imagine most Buffalo fans want to see Alex Tuch<\/a> re-signed to a long-term deal.\u00a0 At a time when the team is trying to make the playoffs and emerge from a rebuild that has had several iterations already, losing a top-line winger is going to make that process much more difficult.\u00a0 Yes, it\u2019s going to cost a lot of money (he\u2019s not going to be on a value contract anymore) and with the long-term extension given to Josh Doan<\/a> this week, it\u2019s not going to leave a lot for pending RFA Zach Benson<\/a>, among their others who need new deals.\u00a0 But this is a case of sign him and figure it out later.<\/p>\n

While I agree philosophically that your other suggestion of moving youth for win-now help makes sense in the long haul, I\u2019m not sure now is the right time for that.\u00a0 Right now, the Sabres are doing so well that it\u2019d be hard to mess with team chemistry.\u00a0 And given how largely inexperienced they are, I\u2019d want to see how their current core fares with the prospect of meaningful games down the stretch and possibly the playoffs.\u00a0 I\u2019d then use those evaluations to help determine how best to proceed over the summer.\u00a0 By then, they\u2019ll know what\u2019s happening with Tuch and whether they\u2019re needing to replace him.\u00a0 Meanwhile, if they do re-sign him, they may be hard-pressed to afford another top-six piece for next season.<\/p>\n

I want to highlight Owen Power<\/a> specifically for a moment.\u00a0 Yes, he\u2019s overpaid for the role he has right now but Bowen Byram<\/a> is eligible for unrestricted free agency in less than a year and a half.\u00a0 If you trade Power for a scorer and then Byram goes elsewhere in 2027, now the back end is in trouble.\u00a0 If they can extend Byram, then Power looks like more of a viable trade chip.\u00a0 Needing to wait to do an extension (that can\u2019t happen until this July) should take Power off the table for the time being.<\/p>\n

vincent k. mcmahon: What are your thoughts on Steve Ott being named the HC of the Thunderbirds for the rest of the season?<\/p>\n

Also, do you think this is a potential tryout for Ott to be the next HC if the Blues move on from Jim Montgomery? (which I don\u2019t foresee happening but it\u2019s not completely off the table).<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a little surprised it took this long for Ott to get that spot.\u00a0 I thought he\u2019d have landed it a couple of years ago when Steve Konowalchuk took over behind their bench.\u00a0 By all accounts, Ott has done a very solid job behind the bench in St. Louis since ending his playing career to the point where he has been brought up as a speculative head coaching candidate off and on the last two offseasons.\u00a0 This is the next logical step in his coaching career.<\/p>\n

If things go well (it\u2019s always a little tough with more veteran-laden teams where the floor is high but the ceiling often low) and things turn around down the stretch, Ott might get serious head coaching consideration this summer.\u00a0 Realistically, it might take another year or two.\u00a0 By then, we\u2019ll know if the Blues are partway through a rebuild or if they\u2019re still trying to win with a veteran core in which case a rookie head coach might not make the most sense for them.<\/p>\n

That said, knowing that the shelf life of an NHL head coach is often only a few years, there\u2019s a possibility that the window lines up for Ott and the Blues.\u00a0 But I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if he\u2019s already behind another NHL bench by the time St. Louis ponders its next coaching change down the road.<\/p>\n

LA All Day: I\u2019m curious as to where the Artemi Panarin sweepstakes are at, and if the Kings are considered a frontrunner or possible landing spot here. Does Holland\u2019s aggressive nature end up landing the Kings their much-needed scorer, or will another team end up out-bidding LA once again?<\/p>\n

Tucsontoro1: Should the Hawks make a serious run at Panarin?<\/p>\n

At this point, it\u2019s too early in the process to call anyone a frontrunner for Panarin.\u00a0 By all accounts, his goal was to re-sign with the Rangers.\u00a0 He just wasn\u2019t willing to take a big discount to do so but I believe his and his agent\u2019s expectation was that eventually, something would get done.\u00a0 While he didn\u2019t say much in the aftermath of the letter that GM Chris Drury released a little more than a week ago, I think the confusion he spoke about was genuine.\u00a0 To go from that to having a shortlist of teams to go to in a week seems a little too quick for me.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t expect Panarin to give the Rangers a big list of teams he\u2019d be willing to go to.\u00a0 And with full trade protection, he controls the show.\u00a0 I could see the list only being two or three teams deep.\u00a0 Whoever those are will be the ultimate frontrunners.\u00a0 It might take until after the Olympics for that list to be presented.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As for the Kings specifically, they need offense and Panarin brings a lot of it so from that standpoint, there\u2019s a fit.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure he necessarily fits in with the way they play but talent is talent and they need more firepower.\u00a0 Sometimes, it\u2019s best not to overthink it.\u00a0 They\u2019re also a big-market team and that mattered to Panarin in free agency.\u00a0 Having said that, given their inability to get past the first round in recent years and that they continue to spin their wheels, so to speak, I\u2019d be surprised if Los Angeles is on that shortlist.\u00a0 If they are, however, they have the cap space and some younger assets that might appeal to the Rangers so they could make a real push for him.\u00a0 I expect GM Ken Holland would go big on an offer, especially if it comes with a contract extension.<\/p>\n

Chicago is an interesting idea.\u00a0 Is he too old to fit in with their young core?\u00a0 Probably.\u00a0 But at the same time, they need a legitimate influx of firepower and for all the cap space and young assets they have, they haven\u2019t been able to get a true top liner.\u00a0 They\u2019ve done alright with some in-between fillers (Tyler Bertuzzi<\/a>, for example) but Panarin\u2019s at another level.\u00a0 But for the fit to be viable, there would have to be a contract extension as part of the swap.\u00a0 Trading for Panarin as a rental isn\u2019t a great idea for a team whose playoff aspirations aren\u2019t the greatest.\u00a0 But if Panarin is willing to return to the Blackhawks for the longer term, putting him as Connor Bedard<\/a>\u2019s winger (or anchoring a second line) would certainly help get them to the next phase in their rebuild, one that sees them legitimately battling for a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

rayk: The NYR now have only $2.26 mill in cap space. Even at the deadline, how can they find teams Panarin okays (has NMC) that can afford him at his big salary, even with some salary retention? Most of the contenders have little cap space also, and will need the max retained.<\/p>\n

For the Rangers, that cap space number is with Panarin on the books in full at $11.643MM.\u00a0 Even if they retain the maximum of 50% of that, they\u2019re still freeing up over $5.8MM (in full-season space) so they\u2019re more than fine in that regard.\u00a0 Now, it does limit them a bit in that they can\u2019t take much more back in offsetting salary than what they\u2019re freeing up but it will be more than workable for them to find a suitable trade for him.<\/p>\n

A roughly $5.82MM price tag (with max retention) is a lot for some contenders to afford today.\u00a0 But six weeks from now at the trade deadline, it\u2019s a lot easier.\u00a0 A team with around $2.5MM in space today has over $5MM at the deadline, assuming no other roster moves are made between now and then.<\/p>\n

Looking at some playoff teams (or close enough teams) that have around $5MM in room at the deadline (per PuckPedia<\/a>), I see Colorado, Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Minnesota, Utah, Carolina, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh above that threshold.\u00a0 Several others are already there that aren\u2019t playoff threats at the moment but things could change between now and then.\u00a0 Are all of them going to want Panarin?\u00a0 Or, more specifically, how many of those will he want?\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t be too worried about the cap element, it will be workable enough for New York to get a good return.<\/p>\n

Specialist412: Do you think the Pens will be buyers or sellers? Dubas is real quiet right now, I wonder if he has something big up his sleeve.<\/p>\n

Kyle Dubas has never been shy about taking swings but I think deep down, he knows this core is not good enough to be a long-term contender.\u00a0 So I don\u2019t see him being a big buyer, at a minimum.\u00a0 If they\u2019re still in the mix six weeks from now, they have extra picks in the second and third rounds for each of the next three years.\u00a0 Flipping one or two of those for short-term help would make sense and could be justified within the context of not significantly affecting their long-term core or depleting their prospect pool.\u00a0 I doubt they\u2019d do more than that, though.<\/p>\n

I think his preference would be to capitalize on a seller\u2019s market if they\u2019re out of the race.\u00a0 The parity plays into the favor of whoever decides to sell given that there will be more buyers than sellers so there should be good returns out there, especially for someone like Rickard Rakell<\/a> who it feels like has been in trade speculation for years now.\u00a0 But the fact they\u2019re in the race will cause them to push pause for the time being and assess things coming out of the Olympic break.<\/p>\n

Jaxteller: Am I the sole defender on Chicago keeping Connor Murphy<\/a> past the deadline? I get he\u2019s on an expiring contract and know his advanced metrics have declined this year but on a team with next to no experience on the blue line (other than Grzelcyk) I do put a decent value on a) his experience and b) his physicality. Am I wrong?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll start this answer with the question.\u00a0 Are you hoping that the Blackhawks re-sign Murphy beyond this season?\u00a0 If so, then the idea of keeping him around is defensible.\u00a0 Give him a short-term deal with the understanding that his role will be more limited and if he\u2019s content with that and is willing to sign at an amount commensurate with that role, I think you might find some people who would be open to that.\u00a0 I suspect GM Kyle Davidson would be as well.\u00a0 Every rebuilding team needs some good veterans in the room.<\/p>\n

But if the plan is to let him go in the summer and try to sign or trade for a more impactful veteran defender, I\u2019m not sure what keeping him through the deadline would solve.\u00a0 Yes, the Blackhawks are within striking distance of a playoff spot at the moment but I\u2019m skeptical they\u2019ll be there come March.\u00a0 And even if so, long-term, wouldn\u2019t it be more valuable to the franchise to have a younger blueliner getting those opportunities in a pressure-packed spot than someone who won\u2019t be around for 2026-27?<\/p>\n

I know the underlying numbers aren\u2019t great but we\u2019ve seen teams give up something of value for a veteran third-pairing shot-blocking penalty-killing defenseman before.\u00a0 In a market that\u2019s likely to have limited sellers, I expect Chicago will get a good return for Murphy\u2019s services.\u00a0 Unless they find themselves in a playoff spot come the deadline, I think he\u2019ll be moved.<\/p>\n

FeeltheThunder: 1.) Nikita Kucherov is up for a contract extension on July 1st. What do you think that extension will look like overall as I feel money-wise, he\u2019ll either stay at $9.5M AAV or getting raised to $10M AAV. What are your thoughts overall?<\/p>\n

2.) There have been rumored rumblings and reports of Tampa looking at potential trade targets such as Blake Coleman<\/a> (this one getting maybe the most attention), Artemi Panarin, Alex Tuch, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust<\/a>, and such. Many know GM Julian BriseBois is one of the more creative GMs in getting things done and typically goes for guys with term usually, so what do you think Tampa will do and who should Tampa target or if they shouldn\u2019t bother? Btw it doesn\u2019t have to be from the list of names above either who you may think those targets should be.<\/p>\n

1) Funny you bring this one up.\u00a0 I started plugging away at Tampa Bay\u2019s Salary Cap Deep Dive earlier this week (there are a couple to post before this one but with the Olympic break coming, I\u2019m trying to get a few of these ready) and I\u2019m up to the point of pondering Kucherov\u2019s next deal.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say that Kucherov took a team-friendly deal last time, a million or two below market value at that time.\u00a0 I could see him staying with that.\u00a0 The problem is that market value for him in 2027 (with a $113.5MM projected cap) might be $15MM or more.\u00a0 A million or two below that is still well above what he\u2019s making now.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be entering his age-34 season on his next contract.\u00a0 Ideally, you\u2019d probably not want to go more than four years but if they do what they did to keep Yanni Gourde<\/a> and extend it a couple more seasons, maybe it can get to the range where he is now.<\/p>\n

Assuming he\u2019ll leave a bit on the table market-value-wise, I could see Tampa going to him with something like this.\u00a0 For the next three seasons, use a $12.5MM cap hit, then for age-38, it goes to $10MM, then two seasons at $7.5MM.\u00a0 Of course, deals can\u2019t be structured quite like that anymore but the total of the deal would be $62.5MM over six years, or a $10.42MM AAV.\u00a0 Maybe they can convince him to take a little less than that but that\u2019s about the best-case scenario.<\/p>\n

2) There\u2019s a reason Coleman has been mentioned so much.\u00a0 He is the perfect fit.\u00a0 It\u2019s a repeat of last year in that he\u2019s a non-rental like Oliver Bjorkstrand<\/a>.\u00a0 He knows the market.\u00a0 He\u2019s the type of player they\u2019ve been looking for, going back a couple of years.\u00a0 The price is going to be high but that feels like a Lightning type of move.\u00a0 To go off the board, I\u2019d watch them if Vancouver decides to move someone with term.\u00a0 Conor Garland<\/a> and Jake DeBrusk<\/a> aren\u2019t Coleman-type players but they\u2019re top-six pieces with several years left and a salary that should fit on their books, especially if Bjorkstrand isn\u2019t brought back.<\/p>\n

Gmm8811: Can you explain one more time how it\u2019s supposed to work when a player gets sent down? I thought under the new CBA, players were required to play at least two games before getting recalled.<\/p>\n

Players only have to play in one game before they\u2019re recall-eligible once again.\u00a0 For teams with an AHL affiliate close to their NHL one, they can simply send a player down when both teams are at home, have them play that night with the minor league team, then recall them the next day.\u00a0 Basically, similar to last season but instead of it being a paper transaction, the player actually has to report and play.\u00a0 It certainly has reduced the number of minor moves but there\u2019s still a lot of shuffling from some teams that are fortunate enough to have an affiliate close enough to pull this off.<\/p>\n

aka.nda: What do you think the chances are that Russia and Belarus are re-admitted to international play in light of their appeal?\u00a0<\/p>\n

I expect it\u2019s going to happen at some point.\u00a0 The guise of safety concerns worked as a semi-plausible explanation in light of what was going on in the world when this started but the world is a lot different now than it was then.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure they get full reinstatement on the first appeal attempt but maybe there\u2019s a gradual process that allows them to test the waters at lower levels to see what the backlash winds up being.\u00a0 Then, from there, if things go well, then there\u2019s a better case to make for reinstatement for the more prominent tournaments.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Artemi Panarin\u2019s future which now won\u2019t be with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":430108,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,5626,5627,99],"class_list":["post-430107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-phr-mailbag","tag-pro-hockey-rumors-originals","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}