NHL Rumors: Rangers eyeing reunion, John Gibson trade suitors, Leon Draisaitl's Oilers future

NHL Rumors: Leon Draisaitl's Oilers future up in the air

The Edmonton Oilers battled back from 3-0 down in the Stanley Cup Finals to force a Game 7 only to see arguably the two best players in the NHL, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, fail to record a point in their Game 7 defeat.

The Oilers made it deeper than they ever have with McDavid in the mix, but came up short of their ultimate goal once again. While McDavid and Draisaitl are under contract for the 2024-25 campaign, Draisaitl in particular finds himself in an interesting position entering this offseason. Just look at what Chris Johnston had to say for The Athletic ($), about the 28-year-old who is entering the final year of his deal.

"Edmonton is not inclined to let the 28-year-old center simply play out the final year of his contract and walk directly into free agency next July, according to multiple league sources familiar with the front office’s view of the situation."

The Oilers are not going to lose Draisaitl for nothing. Their goal is to presumably get him inked to an extension now, which Johnston says he's eligible to do in the coming days. If an extension can't be reached, perhaps they'll consider a trade. Regardless, the Oilers are not inclined to risk losing arguably the second-best player in the sport for nothing in free agency.

"With Connor McDavid eligible to sign an extension 12 months down the line and the Oilers eager to extend their championship window as long as possible, there is at least some concern about the potential for a “double whammy” in the event Draisaitl were retained for 2024-25 without a new contract in place. It could create a scenario where he leaves for nothing just as McDavid is set to chart his own future."

What ends up happening with Draisaitl could have a ripple effect with Connor McDavid, the undisputed best player in the world. McDavid is set to hit free agency one year after Draisaitl, which gives him the opportunity to see what happens with his co-star before deciding what he's going to do with his future.

Johnston is reporting that there appears to be some concern for a potential "double whammy" involving both Draisaitl and McDavid leaving for nothing. The Oilers would be running that risk if they begin the 2024-25 season without a Draisaitl extension in place.

This means Draisaitl holds all of the leverage and can ask Edmonton for pretty much anything he wants. If they pass, they risk losing two future Hall of Famers.

NHL Rumors: John Gibson trade suitors revealed

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson has been in trade rumors for what feels like years now, but nothing has gotten done. The Ducks had held off from trading their franchise goalie, but things appear to be different now as David Pagnotta of NHL Network says that Anaheim is "actively trying" to trade Gibson.

Pagnotta links the Detroit Red Wings to Gibson, and that match makes some sense. The Red Wings do have Ville Husso under team control for the 2024-25 campaign at a $4.75 million cap hit, which makes the Gibson fit odd, but Husso has posted a sub-.900 save percentage in each of his first two seasons with Detroit. He only appeared in 19 games this past season and was thoroughly outplayed by Alex Lyon.

Gibson has had an underwhelming last couple of seasons himself, but has done so in front of a shaky defense in Anaheim. Playing behind Moritz Seider and Co. should give Gibson a bit of a boost if the Red Wings can pull a deal off. Gibson at his best is a workhorse who can steal games for his team as evidenced by his career .910 save percentage despite a really rough go of it this past season.

Gibson is 30 years old and comes with three more years at $6.4 million annually. A deal would be tough to pull off without retention for the Red Wings and presumably the mystery team that Pagnotta links.

As for who that mystery team is, that's anyone's best guess, but the Toronto Maple Leafs sure make a lot of sense there, considering they were in on Jacob Markstrom before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils. The Leafs might have trouble fitting Gibson in without the Ducks retaining a large portion of the contract, but they do have a need at their No. 1 goaltender spot.

It'll be interesting to see if Gibson is the next goaltender to get shipped off this offseason.

NHL Rumors: Rangers interested in signing familiar face

The New York Rangers were two wins shy of a Stanley Cup Finals berth after winning the President's Trophy in the regular season, but they had a major weakness. They went the entire season without a right winger to play on their top line alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. They tried several different players in that spot, but nobody really stuck.

That's something that the Rangers are going to have to address this offseason if they want to get over the hump. In an attempt to do so, they're reportedly interested in signing a player they're familiar with, Patrick Kane, according to Larry Brooks of the NY Post.

"Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Rangers are interested in bringing Patrick Kane (back) to Broadway. Very interested...

"...But it is our best information that the Blueshirts have their eyes trained on a reunion with Kane, whose 19-game cameo following the 2023 deadline when he was compromised because of hip issues left everyone wanting more."

Kane coming back to the Rangers has been a common rumor from various NHL insiders een hile the Stanley Cup Final was ongoing.

The Rangers traded for Kane at the 2022-23 trade deadline as they were gearing up for what they had hoped would be a deep postseason run. Kane played pretty well, recording 12 points in 19 regular season games for the Rangers and scoring six points in their seven-game series defeat against the Devils in the first round of the playoffs,

Kane played well for the Rangers, but was slowed by a hip injury in which he required surgery. Once he recovered, he signed a deal to join the Red Wings where he'd record 47 points in 50 games.

Kane looked fully healthy, and will look to be compensated handsomely in free agency. It'll be interesting to see if the Rangers, a team strapped for cash, can get a deal done. If so, they'll be a bigger threat to the defending champion Florida Panthers. But, Kane does have "multiple options" entering free agency on Monday, including the Red Wings, per Brooks.