In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs had Auston Matthews on the ice for a 15-minute skate, but wouldn’t reveal if he’s a go for Game 7 versus the Boston Bruins. Meanwhile, will the Nashville Predators try to re-sign or trade goaltender Juuse Saros? When talk of Rod Brind’Amour having an offer pulled got out into the ethos, the Carolina Hurricanes and their coach were quick to get back to the negotiating table, as per sources. Finally, are the Montreal Canadiens hoping Jonathan Marchessault shakes loose from the Golden Knights?
Matthews’ Status For Game 7 Undetermined
When asked about Auston Matthews taking part in the team skate on Saturday morning, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told the media, “No determination on his status for tonight.” Mark Masters posted a video of the session and Matthews looked pretty good. Keefe did give a slight hint in a follow-up question to a reporter and noted, “As of right now, we’re proceeding as we’ve been.” That would indicate he’s, at this moment, not scheduled to be in the lineup.
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic tweeted, “The Leafs did all they could this morning to keep some mystery about their Game 7 lineup — namely, whether Auston Matthews plays. They dressed all the forwards in one colour. They didn’t run lines. They kept the skate to 15 minutes — at which point, Matthews left.” Matthews was also among the three finalists for the 2023-24 Lady Byng Trophy finalists. He got consideration along with Elias Pettersson, and Jaccob Slavin.
Bobby McMann (lower body) was also skating with Maple Leafs main group for the first time since injury. Keefe said of McMann: “not too far off,” but the forward will not play Game 7.
Predators Might Try to Trade Juuse Saros
The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode took a look at the offseason plans for the Nashville Predators following their loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Rexrode suggested trading Juuse Saros this summer to free up salary-cap space to bring in some high-end help for Predators stars Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi.
He writes:
Goaltending is a strength with No. 74 in the crease. Saros’ final impression couldn’t have been much stronger. But giving him a long-term deal in the range of $8 million a year, up from the $5 million AAV deal that has one year left on it, still seems like an unwise course of action.
source – ‘Predators eliminated by Canucks: What went…
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