In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Thatcher Demko‘s injury isn’t great, but not as serious as early reports might have indicated. Meanwhile, there are mixed reports about whether or not the Buffalo Sabres interviewed Craig Berube before hiring Lindy Ruff. Is the door already closed on a return to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Jake Guentzel? Did Kirill Kaprizov open the door to leaving the Minnesota Wild? Finally, Auston Matthews misses practice again for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Demko Could Return for Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs
Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal is reporting that Demko could be in line for a possible playoff return at the end of Round 2, assuming the Canucks can get past the Nashville Predators in Round 1. Demko went down to a weird injury on what looked like a nothing play and reports have surfaced since then that the injury was severe.
Demko’s situation is still being categorized as fluid, meaning any guesses on his actual return are just guesses. But, reports of him being out for the year seem to be exaggerated. Insiders like Dhaliwal and Elliotte Friedman are both citing the fact that Demko is traveling with the team and moving around as a positive. Friedman noted, “There was a report that Demko was out for the year, which caught me by surprise because I heard earlier on Thurs there was optimism about Demko’s situation.”
Sabres Didn’t Interview Berube
Andy Strickland writes, “Based on the current job openings available, Craig Berube would be the best fit with the #NJDevils. Hearing Ottawa has a legitimate interest in Berube as well. The #Sabres already tried to hire the former #stlblues Head Coach.” Strickland later posted a correction tweet saying that the Sabres did not interview Berube.
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In fact, there’s a lot of talk that the Sabres didn’t do an extensive search at all before hiring Lindy Ruff. He was the guy they wanted and they made a quick move to bring him in. The Sabres are being accused by some of being lazy with this hiring and that they should have at least waited until other candidates became available.
Guentzel Has Likely Closed the Door Returning to the Penguins
A source close to Jake Guentzel said the forward was hurt by the Penguins organization and didn’t leave the team on good terms. A lack of communication from GM Kyle Dubas was the biggest issue, but the fact he’s loving it in…
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