NHL Rumors: Golden Knights, Penguins, Rangers, Maple Leafs – The Hockey Writers NHL Rumors Latest News, Analysis & More

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of signing defenseman Brayden McNabb to a contract extension. Meanwhile, will Evgeni Malkin refuse a trade regardless of the win/loss record of the Pittsburgh Penguins? Are the New York Rangers going to look for help on defense? Finally, there is good and bad news when it comes to Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Golden Knights to Sign McNabb

Brayden McNabb, 33, was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. His current contract carries a cap hit of $2.85 million per season. Chris Johnston of TSN tweeted, “There’s still some paperwork to be squared away, but it sounds like the Vegas Golden Knights are closing in on a multi-year extension with Brayden McNabb. The OG Golden Misfit was eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.”

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It’s not clear what the contract will look like, but a three-year deal somewhere in the range of the contract he’s on now might be realistic. The defenseman is in the final season of a deal that pays him $2.85 million per season.

Malkin Says He Doesn’t Want to Be Traded Despite Rumored TearDown

Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin said he has no interest in being traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins, even if they completely tear down the roster and start again. Amid a rough start to the season, rumors are everywhere with the Penguins and GM Kyle Dubas reportedly said everyone is available except Sidney Crosby.

“It’s my second home here,” Malkin told reporters. “I’m glad to be here. It doesn’t matter if we win or we lost, I want to be here always together with (teammates) Sid (Crosby), with Tanger (Kris Letang). We understand it’s a tough time right now. We traded Lars (Eller) yesterday. I want to stay together … We will fight every game, you know?”

Rangers Might Shop for Blue Line Help?

The New York Rangers are off to a solid start with a 9-4-1 record, but according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, key issues persist, particularly in puck control and defensive-to-offensive transitions.

Rosen points out that turnovers have plagued the team, most notably in their recent 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, where several goals came from turnovers. The Rangers’ struggles with zone exits are evident and the team relies too heavily on Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick to make big saves. This kind of success is unsustainable.

General manager Chris Drury may need to consider adding a physical, shot-blocking defenseman with strong puck-handling skills. Rosen writes:

I do think the Rangers need more of a shot-blocking, bruising presence on their back end; a reliable, predictable defenseman who can eat some minutes and some pucks, be smart when he gets it and has a solid enough first pass to help with exiting the defensive zone. That might be on general manager Chris Drury’s shopping list as we get closer to the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline on March 7, but for now the Rangers have to be better at everything I mentioned above.

Matthews Still Out For Toronto, But Good News

As per a report by Chris Johnston on TSN Insider Trading, there is optimism when it comes to Auston Matthews’ injury situation. It sounds like he won’t be in the lineup when the Leafs take on the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, but when he does return, the belief is that whatever is ailing him will be behind him.

Johnston notes that not only is his recovery believed to be moving in the right direction, but there is a sense that when he does return, he will be completely over this issue. This rest period is supposedly all he needed to get back to 100 percent.