A few weeks before the trade deadline in the National Hockey League (NHL), the rumor mill is in full swing and speculation can refer to both upcoming transactions and canceled projects.
Until March 8, general managers will try to improve their roster with an eye on the end of the campaign and the playoffs or free themselves from certain more or less cumbersome contracts in order to consolidate their reserves of prospects and draft picks for the years to come .
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With the New York Rangers, the first in the Metropolitan Section, GM Chris Drury recently apparently tried to make a big move. According to TSN hockey expert Darren Dreger, he was willing to give up the Blueshirts' first-round pick in 2024 to get his hands on forward Elias Lindholm; On January 31st, he was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks.
But one man intervened to curb Drury's enthusiasm: the dealership's owner, James Dolan. However, according to Dreger, the reasons for the big boss's intervention are not necessarily related to ice hockey.
“I was told that they had made an offer for Elias Lindholm… but it obviously wasn't accepted [par] James Dolan. He wanted to protect the 2024 first-round pick so the Rangers could get the spotlight in the Sphere since Dolan owns the place. The club wants to be part of the show in Las Vegas,” explained the journalist, referring to the location of the auction planned for June 28th and 29th.
Lindholm, for his part, made his debut with the Canucks and scored two goals in a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.