NHL Rumors: Senators, Penguins, Flames, Bruins

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Michael Andlauer of the Ottawa Senators had a lot to say about why the NHL’s punishment to the Ottawa Senators was so stiff and he didn’t like at all how long it could to resolve the situation. Will Andlauer face any additional punishment for being so forthright? Meanwhile, are the Pittsburgh Penguins gearing up for a rebuild sooner than expected? The Boston Bruins like the idea of trading for a veteran defenseman, but aren’t willing to part with certain pieces. Finally, are the Boston Bruins eyeing players from the Calgary Flames?

Senators’ Andlauer Blasts the NHL

As a new owner who paid a record price for a franchise, Michael Andlauer feels he was misled during the sale process that was overseen by the NHL. He said as much during his press conference on Wednesday, one where he both informed fans the organization was moving on from Pierre Dorion as GM and didn’t shy away from discussing his disappointment with the league. He was more than upset this took so long to be resolved and noted, “Why I inherited this is beyond me.” He also said the NHL downplayed the severity of whatever punishment might be coming during the sale process, suggesting they intentionally did so to get the highest possible sale price on the franchise.

Andlauer thought the penalty of a first-round pick was steep and Elliotte Friedman writes in his latest 32 Thoughts column, “According to several sources, he tried to argue and ease the ruling by mentioning other situations where teams were not penalized as heavily. (I think it was also argued that [Evgenii] Dadonov was a Golden Knight for eight months, and some level of responsibility was on them for not doing their own due diligence.)” Speculation is the league stuck to their guns because they feel the Senators misled the Golden Knights during the trade and potential the NHL during investigations into the issue.

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As for hiring a new GM, Friedman suggests the Senators aren’t in a rush, even though Andlauer said he’d prefer to have multiple people working together at the top since one person (Steve Staios) doing the job of many isn’t ideal. Friedman notes that, “There’s been a lot of talk about Peter Chiarelli, but another name I’d throw in there is Tampa Bay director of hockey operations Mathieu Darche.”

Will the Penguins Have to Speed Up Rebuild Plans?

TSN analyst Frankie Corrado believes that Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas didn’t make a wrong move in by stacking his new team to make one last push. But, based on some lackluster results, Corrado acknowledges that a rebuild for the Pittsburgh Penguins is inevitable, and the swift pace of their decline this season has caught many off guard.

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Despite a high-profile trade that brought in Erik Karlsson, the Penguins haven’t reaped the benefits yet, and their underwhelming performance suggests the team might be thinking about changing their strategy. While Dubas may not be overly concerned, the team’s not-so-great results could accelerate the need for a roster overhaul sooner than anticipated, forcing the Penguins to confront the reality of rebuilding sooner rather than later.

Bruins Won’t Pay the Price for Someone Like Hanifin

With the Calgary Flames putting a halt to negotiations with UFAs, there was some chatter that the Boston Bruins might show interest in Noah Hanifin. According to Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, the Bruins have shown interest; however, due to their limited cap space this season, General Manager Don Sweeney is unlikely to pursue things. He notes the Bruins lack the necessary first-round picks and prospects to facilitate a trade without jeopardizing a key player from their current roster.

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The other part of the deal here is that Calgary would ask for a significant piece back and the Bruins are unwilling to part with promising center Matthew Poitras or defenseman Mason Lohrei in any potential deals. If the Bruins remain interested in Hanifin it is more likely they pursue him as an unrestricted free agent in July. The same would go for Elias Lindholm.