NHL Rumors: Macklin Celebrini, Rutger McGroarty, Luke Tuch, and the Nashville Predators

On College players Macklin Celebrini, Rutger McGroarty, and Luke Tuch

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on Macklin Celebrini, Rutger McGroarty (Jets), and Luke Tuch (Canadiens).

Ron MacLean: “And the US college front?”

Friedman: “Yes, three names we should mention. Number one, Macklin Celebrini. The Hobey Baker winner, the upcoming number one pick. He is on Team Canada’s radar for the World Championships they would like to have him.

Number two, Winnipeg Jets great 48 hours they beat Colorado and Dallas by a combined 10-0. Rutger McGroarty their number one pick from 2022 is weighing both options, going back to college and coming pro. I would, don’t want to handicap it but he is weighing both options.

And finally Montreal fans wondering about Luke Tuch. They already got Hudson signed. They’re very excited about it. I understand the Tuch decision is coming around the next 24 hours, whether to sign with the Canadians or test free agency. Again I don’t have to handle, I can’t handicap it, but it is coming.”

The Nashville Predators had flexibility at the trade deadline and it will carry over into the offseason

Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff: Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz said that there were some GMs who were testing him at his first trade deadline. A lot of teams needed dollar-in, dollar-out but they had the cap flexibility to take on salary and were okay with future draft picks.

“We were in a situation where we had lots of cap space, our payroll was low, we had a lot of dead money because of what I did in the summer, we do for the next two years, but we had a really low payroll.

We had flexibility, we had draft choices, and I wasn’t only looking at players, I was looking at prospects of other teams. I was OK working with teams and saying, “If you want to give me a draft choice, I’m looking for this,” and I didn’t care if it was two years down the road, because we have a lot of draft capital for the future.

NHL Trade Deadline Playoff Impacts from the East

And we have Milwaukee which is a very young team and went on a 15-game heater themselves, so we had prospects in the pipeline. I was going in as a seller probably, but I also said to the players, “If you show me…” The players will show you and tell you which way you’ve got to go. If we have to become a buyer, I’m going to have to balance that out.”