NHL Trade Rumours - Leafs, Habs, Pens, NYR, Demko Rushed Back? PWHL Names & Gaudreau Service Notes

we have lots of NHL news and trade talk to take a look at today in the rumor real today we focus on teams like Toronto Montreal the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins we have updates on Mitch Barner and Sydney Crosby contract Extensions Plus we have some updates on Thatcher Demco and his injury situation several updates on the Ottawa Senators heading into training camp regarding their uh injuries and health status plus some signings in Nashville and the pwhl has released all of their names and emblems for the upcoming year all that and more coming up next so welcome back to another video here at topshelf hockey as I mentioned we have lots to talk about today lots of news coming around the NHL today a big reveal on the pwhl as well which we'll get to here in a short time but before we Gump and jump into L of that news um today was the funeral service for Johnny and Matthew cadero um so obviously very sad day um for the family and many of the close friends that were in attendance uh it was live streamed as well on the Blue Jackets website and I believe the Flames website as well um I know I did get to watch uh a good chunk of it and it was very emotional very sad uh listening um especially when it get to the point where uh Johnny's wife Meredith uh had a lengthy speech that she gave uh very raw very emotional as you can only imagine and it was just um I don't know how she found the strength to be completely honest to stand up there and talk as long as she did she told lots of stories um spoke a lot about the history of uh you know her and and John and the kids and just you know really covered a lot under the circumstances I just thought she did extremely well holding it all together and whatnot uh and she did actually reveal something that most of us at least those who are not close to the family or to them wouldn't have known but not only does uh John and Meredith have two young children they're about to have a third um apparently she is pregnant with her third child um had known by the sounds of things not too long before the accident she's nine I think she's a nine weeks pregnant um so given where you know looking at the timelines of the accident she mentioned about a you know one of the greatest weeks of her life was just not too long ago earlier in the summer after uh you know finding out and confirming the pregnancy telling um telling Johnny about it and just having some time where they get to you know be a family of five and plan and all that and you know it's just so unfair so sad uh you know I've talked about the Gad situation at length um numerous occasions and it's it's just it's really really difficult I can only imagine what the family is going through all kinds of uh you know big NHL personalities and attendance that were close with Johnny today um and it was a a terrific turnout there's just so much you could make an argument like you know even though um I personally never felt I never knew Johnny control personally right but after hearing all the stories because you you focus on him as a hockey player you know when you're um obviously a hockey fan somebody like me who covers hockey and talks about hockey here online um you know you focus on on these people as players first right because that's obviously your main business and then you know some of them you have an opportunity to kind of get more of a shine of light on their personal life a little bit and some of them you never really get inside and really get to know them much but I even though I never met them I never knew them I I feel like I do now just hearing all these stories and they're all such good stories um just seems like John and Maddie were such good people uh just some of the best humans you can imagine and some of the best sons and uh you know fathers So Not only was uh Maddie going to be firsttime father coming up here soon because obviously his spouse is pregnant as well but you learning that Meredith is also expecting with their third child it just makes it that much more heartbreaking to hear this whole story and um how everything played out it's just so unfair and so um just I don't know what to say if you ever thinking about having a drink don't drive uh this is so avoidable so unnecessary uh after all this time in education and I know a lot of places have gone through trying to you know teach people and educate people that this is not not a good idea uh you know we're still seeing drunk driving accidents to this day um and it just completely robbed and gutted of this family which is just so uh unnecessary and unfair but obviously like I said our thoughts continue to be with the gados as they try to find the strength to get through this um I guess for the kids sake you know I guess one thing is there's going to be lots of fond memories of their dad uh you know online being a hockey player with a highlight reel of you know as full as Johnny's is um lots of things there I just wish they had more time with them as a dad not just to be able to it's one thing to watch them as a hockey player but uh they're also young you know they they have two under two right now with a third one on the way so like you know none of them are going to have any real legit memories of their own of of their father and it's just that's so unfair you know I'm sure they're going to hear lots of stories from their their mom and grandparents and um you know Aunts Uncles and everybody around them um I'm sure there's probably some video that they have everybody has video nowadays from for you know the early days but it's just not enough and it just I don't know I can go on here for for a long stretch and how unfair and heartbreaking this whole thing is but uh yeah obviously John and M lead to rest today and just another emotional toll with that whole gdo situation um on to the other news we've seen today uh the nationville Predators announced a couple of signings today couple rfas um looked after Uso parsan uh comes to terms he had a lengthy uh negotiation with the PRS and after that it comes to a one-year 2-way deal 775 um Nashville also today announced they've signed Mark delgo one-ear 2A deal as well uh today was also the uh annual Ottawa Senators charity golf tournament that they have every year which usually comes you know anywhere a few days or a week or so before camp um which is a great to see a great turnout uh a couple of absentee people there today but for the most part you know 95% of the s's team is intact uh of course right now the NHL has their media tour uh which is going on on Vegas um so the SS did have I believe Shane Pinto is out doing the media there and Brady Kar was not in attendance because he and his wife are expecting their first child and he's on baby watch apparently she was ready to to go any time and so he had to stay close to uh the home to be with her uh I'm sure if it wasn't for her pregnancy and being so far along that he would have loved to have been at the Gad um service today I'm I'm quite sure his brother was uh cuz I know they were certainly great friends with uh with them for sure um but a couple of good notes for Ottawa uh we did learn that Tim stla Josh Norris and Thomas Shabbat are all actually healthy for the the first time in a few years uh last year um Timmy sta had an injury pretty well I don't know if it was in Camp or it happened early on but he dealt with the majority of the season I know in a lot of the uh videos that you'd see postgame and whatnot um he had a lot of like tape on his neck and shoulders so I don't know the exact extent of what he was dealing with but he dealt with it for the full year um so he certainly was not 100% for a majority of it and definitely impacted this play he still had a pretty good year but it was down a bit from the year before um so good to hear him back and of course Josh Norris uh you know another shoulder injury which put him out such a long stretch again um and belief is he's going to be a full participant 100% ready to go in training camp and Thomas Shabbat revealed that he had a surgery this off season to deal with a wrist injury and he's had that injury with his wrist for about two and a half years uh he it was his own choice to avoid surgery before but after you know dealing with it as long as he has he felt it was time and he's glad that he he did it feels way way better now and he said if he had a known and could have predicted he would have felt that good afterwards that he would have taken the plunge and had the procedure done sooner but the fact that those three guys uh which were all you know playing hurt or missing chunks last year are all healthy which is a tremendous step in the right direction for Ottawa to have a better start between that and the additions that that they've made in the off season with lenus alar David Pon uh you know Michael lario Etc Nick Jensen on the back end there's certainly a lot more optimism that they'll be able to have a better start and be able to have a better season so that's a good news on that front um in Vancouver more updates on Thatcher Demco uh we heard from Elliot Freeman and we've heard from Rick Dolly wall as well um basically the the I guess the whole premise around what might have caused the injury in the playoffs last year was the fact that Demco um the feeling is that he was rushed to get back um and sometimes when you're rushing to get through an injury and to get back sometimes you make it worse or you create a new injury and that appears to be what's happened uh at this point Dolly wall says that he is making some progress uh but it's the slow and steady type he did skate for the first time in the offseason not long ago um but I don't believe he took any shots or really did anything I think he just was light skate um I believe he's going to be doing that again but we don't know the extent of it so at this point uh we don't know really what their status is for going after another gold Thunder I think they want to get in the camp and better evaluate Dem con and see where he's at before they make a move um but you know at this point you know what fredman said was that they're confident that it's not going to be like super longterm he's not going to get into camp and they're going to announce like okay he needs to miss the whole year or half the year or anything crazy um could he miss the beginning of the year it seems reasonable that that might be a possibility um but you know how long he'll be out doesn't seem to be too long where he is progressing uh you know with the uh the practicing and the workload and all of that I know that Freeman was saying that because of the feeling that he was rushed and everything that they're going to have to adjust his workload and they're going to have to adjust how he practices and that essentially a lot more rest is going to have to be incorporated into how he does things and that clearly um you know being overworked seems to have played a role at least that's the general feeling from what these guys are being told um there's some I've seen not not Freeman or Dolly wall but I've seen some others suggest that with the changes we' seen in the G huning Department with uh former G huning uh coach Ian Clark where he's been kind of reassigned um kind of wonder if they kind of putting that on him I don't know I think to some degree you have to think the head coach uh you know and it's not just one guy it's not like you know T came in last year and just absolutely rode Demco they've been you know all everybody that's been involved in the canak like he's been a Workhorse for them when he's been healthy and it's I think it's taken its toll uh it absolutely is so certainly look for the canox and the rumors around the Golding is not going to go away until we have a clear-cut answer that Demco and Sheila are both good to go or if they get to camp and that's not the case but I would be surprised if we see a move uh in the go Department with Vancouver before Camp starts but once they get there depending on what kind of timeline they feel like Demco is dealing with then we'll possibly see something Kevin Lincoln is a name to watch He's certainly still out there looking for work looking for a contract and unless he gets snatched up by another team I suspect he'll be one of the main people they heavily consider here if they need to do that um the 2018 World Junior players that are awaiting trial for the sexual assault case from the uh the London Ontario situation and happened back uh in I guess what happened in 2018 after the uh when they were celebrating their Championship um tournament win uh those guys of course are all permitted based on court documents it is confirmed that they're all confirmed to be able to continue working and skip the pre-trial hearings and all that stuff until they gets time to the actual trial they do not personally have to appear their Council can appear for them and sometimes for some of it I believe they can their Council can even appear virtually um but we know that Dylan Dubay and Michael McLoud are playing over in the KHL um we do know that we've heard recently from the court documents that Alex foron I talked about in the last day or two is not playing hockey anywhere that he's pretty well it sounds like he's kind of you know given up his hockey career and he's learning to be a heavy equip operator working construction in Barry Ontario um and then Carter Hart uh who of course hails from Alberta has been residing there and these documents indicate as well that Carter Hart uh would like to relocate to I believe Tennessee I believe the Nashville area for full-time training is what he wants to do um not sure I'm assuming that he's planning on trying to get back into being being uh you know an NHL player when the trial is over and that he wants to stay in shape and he cannot cross the border the US will not let him in because of the pending charges and the fact he's waiting a trial for sexual assault and apparently he's hired an immigration lawyer to help deal with this to see if he can make progress and get that overturned um you know apparently there's no gyms or trainers or anything like you can really work with in Alberta you got to cross into another country uh and go down to Nashville to train to get yourself in shape so sorry kurter her I don't have a lot of sympathy for you right now that you can't go to the US um you know that's something that's common knowledge you know within North America within Canada and the United States if you have a criminal record or serious charges pending they are not going to let you cross the border back and forth so um yeah I guess you're going to have to wait I mean unless I don't know if the immigration can have that overturned or not but I don't think there's going to be too much Sympathy for the young man as awaits trial and you know I understand the whole innocent till proven guilty thing uh you know if they're proven innocent then they'll be Vindicated and U you know what not they'll be able to clear their names and and that's a good if if they really are Innocent but it just it does not look good so we'll see where things go there the pwhl in case you're paying attention to the Women's Hockey League um did a big reveal this morning in the first season of course they just had generic names uh you know Toronto Montreal Minnesota New York Boston Ottawa just like we seeing in Utah uh and of course after having a long time of uh marketing research whatnot have settled on their team names and colors the colors that they used last year are all going to be remaining intact uh but now they have like a team logo and um and a name uh so the uh went the Toronto scepter so the scepter are kind of like a royal theme uh like you know like the scepter like a queen would carry around uh the Montreal vikto of course with a French theme of Victory um the Ottawa charge um the Minnesota Frost the New York sirens and the Boston Fleet some of these logos are pretty cool um don't love the Ottawa one it looks like a a kindergarten drawing I'm sorry or it looks like maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Calgary Flames logos got together and made a child I'm not really sure what to make of it about a year later and that's what you come up with I I mean I've been very supportive of this league um I and I will continue to be I I think the women's game is needs deserves a lot of respect they've come a long way I've gone to games I've you know I've watched a lot of games on TV um not trying to disrespect them but I I'm just really shocked that after a year that you know for the most part I like the names I'll give the names credit I have no issues with the names and for the most part the color schemes and the logos are good and with Ottawas um I like they had you know like a the main color was red like red and white with a little of black so I mean it's kind of not too far off from what the Senators use um I I didn't mind I I like their color scheme I don't mind their name the autobot charge but the logo just it's cringeworthy I'm sorry all the rest of them I'll give you a thumbs up I thought for the most part they were pretty good they're not all awesome but I mean you know and it's a new league it's a work in progress we'll see uh it all of these names are better than what was rumored a year ago when they were first starting up there was a lot of speculation about what their team names were going to be and thankfully none of those were selected they've all gone in different directions they've all had them from what we could see I think some information was leaked from one of their big Partners through Bow by mistake um that we kind of seem like a final four for each city and what was being considered and I think from what they were looking at uh from a marketing perspective I I I think they made some good choices um and I said really outside of the One logo that's really the only issue I have with any of it on that front um on the Maple Leafs a couple of notes from TSN Insider Darren Dreger Dreer has been somewhat quiet through the off season but he's obviously back and ready to give us lots of info of course dger um along with guys like Chris Johnson are some of the most connected with the Leafs Dreer also very much an Insider when it comes to Mitch mner I know if you think back to the mner contract negotiation from his previous contract that's coming to an end here soon um seemed like he was getting fed a lot of information directly from the mner family probably his dad Paul U at least that's what a lot of people thought and I wouldn't be surprised if it is again but a couple of things Robertson and mner of the new main topics that uh dregs talk touches on here in his latest report uh it says that the Leafs are trying to sign Nick Robertson and that they've had uh head coach Craig buuy uh reach out and have some conversations with him trying to reassure him that he will be given every opportunity to make the roster and be successful um with the no I want say lack of depth but where the rosters at with the left wing spots uh it seems logical that he should be able to nail down a spot in the top three lines and get regular time um but like I said he didn't have a terrible year last year he scored 14 goals but it did seem like he had a short leash with Sheldon Keef he was moved around a lot in the lineup and I think looking at how buuy you know operates and the kind of players that he seems to prefer in the history and in the past I can see why Roberts might think this guy's not going to like me I'm not going to get a chance I just want to go somewhere else he's kind of you know heard that song and danc and tired of it and I don't blame him but at the same time you know they have not really jumped to accommodate his trade request according to Dreer they really haven't haven't really tried very hard by the sounds of it at all which explains why it hasn't happened because I honestly think there'd be a decent amount of interest in this young player uh he's got a good shot he's kind of progressed I mean staying healthy is a big part for him as well um and you know clearly like I said there's an opportunity there a lot of media think he'd be crazy to not sign and drager's indicating here that essentially after all these conversations there's a lot more optimism that he very well will eventually resign here and show up to Camp so uh we'll see uh obviously depending on how things go maybe that trade request is something he forgets about and maybe it's something he you know ends up bringing back up and wanting uh you know it again I we'll see but for now optimism according to the Dreer that he'll stay in sign uh when it comes to Mitch mner he said that there's no real Rush on a contract extension there's really been no heavy negotiations or anything of that nature but that the team and the player and the agent have a good relationship um and that there is an appetite to work out a longterm extension so H he says at least that's what Mitch wants and I have no doubt that's what Mitch would want he's a local kid why would he want to leave I know sometimes the pressure from the media can be a little daunting at times but um yeah would from Dreer to get his in especially if he is getting the information from family which I would not be shocked if that's the case cuz we do know he is connected there um you know that's of course what they would tell him now at the end of the day uh I think whether or not Marner stays or not is going to be about a couple of things and for one it's going to be how this season goes this is a Telltale season either he comes out and has at least his average to normal regular season with an above average play performance in the playoffs and really shows that I can perform when it matters most and they decide you know what we' be crazy to treat them we got to keep them so that's how he can prove that you know that they should do that um and obviously the big thing here is it's up to the team at the end of the day they have to believe that they're they're going to be able to win with him and he's got to convince them of that and I think that's kind of where things are at here so I have no doubt that if you asked Marner and he had his way he would stay all day every day and be a leaf for life um I think that's what he wants more than anything I said he grew up in the area um I I can't see him wanting to leave um so we'll see but according to Dreger there is some mutual appetite for a long-term extension but no negotiations and really but no negotiations or anything really going on right now it's going to be a kind of wait and see take or time approach which is not shocking at all uh some updates on Sydney Crosby Crosby himself appearing at the NHL um media tour in Vegas uh says that he's optimistic about getting a deal done with the Pittsburgh Penguins uh obviously after the full summer of not signing and all the speculation uh he had to expect that there would be contract extension uh questions asked to him when he had to speak to the media so again uh we don't know really what's going to you know go down here with Pittsburgh and you know obviously all the reports kind of indicate that he wants to see how things go and he's not sure how long he wants to play and if for him to say he's optimistic it's going to get done I I'm not going to say here that for 100% oh he's staying for sure or he's leaving for sure I honestly think like Marner a lot is going to depend on how this season goes and he needs to see that this team is going in the right direction and feel like he can be um in a competitive situation as Elliot Freeman said on his last podcast just a few days ago Crosby is an ultra competitive person and he has that burning desire to still to want to win and if he's not confident he can do that there then that might be what it takes for him to to accept the idea that maybe I do need to move on I think at the same time though like Marner his first choice would be to stay and be a lifelong penguin so I I do think this is going to be again a most likely a uh a take your time and careful approach and no rush but according to Crosby he's optimistic it'll get done and I have no doubt that that's what he honestly feels uh now another update with Pittsburgh as well Pittsburgh hockey now uh Dan K kerki says that he wonders about uh because there's lots of teams around the NHL that are going to be possibly needing goal tending help some that we kind of know of already and some that are kind of you know depending on how Camp goes could join that list uh and he does wonder about the Pittsburgh Penguins trying to move one of Tristan Jerry or Alex nalovic I would suggest Jerry would be dub' first choice or he wouldn't have resigned n delovic this offseason there was a little bit of surprise in a way when he was brought back not that he wasn't in a good go tender form or you know didn't have a decent uh showing last year but it was more about did they really want to come back with the same Tandem and the fact was that Jerry with a longer term deal would be more challenging to move so do they go in a different direction and at the end of the day the answer is no they brought back n delovic i they would suspect after kind of examining the market and what they had for options they didn't see any reason to really jump into another situation there but um you know looking at a variety of teams that have gending question marks going into training camp uh certainly keep your eye on Tristan Jerry according to Pittsburgh hockey now they feel that Kyle DUIs might see an opportunity that he may not be able to pass up and he could be on the move I do think it would be great for a change of scenery for him I know he's been uh somebody who's battled a lot of injuries and inconsistencies and uh for Pittsburgh that's going to be a big part of their future and being able to stay competitive as well and there was also some more uh articles I came across about cako few different places but kind of some of them were making predictions on who could get traded this off SE or this not this offseason but this going into this season uh some prime names to watch early in the year and koo's name did come up and of course once again linked to the Montreal Canadians um of course I think that's largely because of the connection to Jeff Gorton the fact that he was there when he was drafted and all that um right now I can say that Koo is definitely a player that I would say has a high probability being move this year but I think Chris jury definitely wants to be patient here and not rush because he doesn't want to s super low this guy's is a former number two overall pick and he has struggled and he doesn't have very much value right now if he has a good start to the year I think jury would be wise to take advantage of that while the value goes up and to make the move and get what you can um because you know at this point he hasn't proven that he can be consistent on a higher level long term and if you do want to make a move you got to pick your spot sometimes teams wait too long and then the value dissipates and then there's there's nothing really to get you end up letting the player walk as a free agent eventually and then you move on that way but uh does koo have a long-term future with the Rangers I don't think he does right now um and I do suspect if he has a good start to the year that he would be a prime candidate of a you know take advantage sell High while the value is up would Montreal be in that mix maybe but it's going to boil down to the price uh I do believe that he is a player that they had um a look at this off season but I I think they want to see more before they consider it and I think there might be some other types of players they look at first so I understand the connection to Montreal kaco has been continuously linked there um we'll have to wait and see I'm not sure exactly that's going to be where he ends up if he does end up getting moved but time will tell let me know your thoughts on all today's news and rumors in the comment section we'll discuss further if you're new to the channel make sure you subscribe and stick around we'll keep you up to date with the latest news rumors and announces of all 32 NHL teams thanks for watching I'll catch you next time [Music]