Off-Season Watch: Trouba likely staying in New York, Kakko on the way out?

The NHL's off-season has arrived with the first round of NHL Draft set for Friday night and the opening of Free Agent Frenzy looming on July 1. TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

New York Minute

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports the Rangers are not considering a buyout for captain Jacob Trouba with the window set to open. He adds that sources are divided on whether the team will weigh trading Trouba once his full no-move clause turns into a 15-team no-trade clause on July 1. 

Brooks argues, however, that even at a rich cap hit of $8 million for two more seasons, trading Trouba likely does not make sense for the Rangers. The team is not interested in changing captains two years after giving Trouba the "C" and while he may drop to the third pairing, he remains the team's top penalty killer on defence.

The 30-year-old blueliner posted three goals and 22 points in 69 games this season, adding one goal and six assists in 16 playoff games. He revealed after the season that he suffered a broken ankle in March, which forced him 11 games and the status of his health in the playoffs remains a mystery.

While Trouba appears set to stay on Broadway, former No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko is firmly on the trade block, according to Brooks. He reports the Rangers are aggressively shopping the 23-year-old and have considered packaging him with the 30th overall pick in Friday's draft to move up in the first round.  

Kakko just re-signed with the Rangers on a one-year, $2.4 million deal earlier this month, which Brooks writes was a trade proxy. He recorded 13 goals and 19 points in 61 games with the Rangers this season and added a goal and two points in 15 playoff games.

Drafted second overall by the Rangers in 2019, Kakko has 57 goals and 117 points in 300 career games.
 

Red Wings Pay Up to Clear Cap Space

The Detroit Red Wings raised eyebrows on Tuesday as the team sent a second-round pick to the San Jose Sharks to move Jake Walman's contract, receiving future considerations back in the deal.

Walman, 28, is signed through 2025-26 at a cap hit of $3.4 million. He appeared in 63 games this season, posting 12 goals and 21 points while sitting tied for third on the team with 19:46 of average ice time.

The Red Wings have close to $33 million in cap space after the deal, per CapFriendly, with 12 players signed for next season. 

Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports the Red Wings aren't expected to use that money to add free agents to their blueline. She writes that the Walman trade was made to clear a logjam on defence, with Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson expected to be a part of the team's roster next season, joining Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Jeff Petry and Moritz Seider. She did not mention Justin Holl, who is signed for two more years at a cap hit of $3.4 million. 

The Red Wings will have to use a portion of their cap space to re-sign Seider, who is a restricted free agent this summer after leading the team in ice time this season. The 23-year-old is coming off another strong campaign in which he posted nine goals and 33 points in 82 games. 

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun also reports that the Red Wings are continuing to talk to pending unrestricted free agent Shayne Gostisbehere to see if they can retain his services on defence.

Detroit has just six forwards under contract for next season, with Lucas Raymond and Joseph Veleno set for restricted free agency. LeBrun also said Tuesday that the team is still speaking with veteran Patrick Kane, but it's tough to say how that situation will unfold. 

The Red Wings were the most active team Tuesday, acquiring a second-round pick in a prospect swap with the Nashville Predators. Follow every deal that goes down with TSN's Trade Tracker. 
 

Guentzel Update

The Carolina Hurricanes are still trying to get prize trade-deadline addition Jake Guentzel re-signed ahead of reaching free agency on Monday, but it appears to be an uphill battle.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports talks are ongoing between the two sides, but he adds it's going to be tough for Carolina to keep Guentzel from testing his value on the open market.

The Hurricanes paid up to acquire Guentzel in March, sending forward Michael Bunting, prospects Vasily Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen, the rights to forward Cruz Lucius, a conditional first-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick back to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

If he reaches the market, Guenztel is likely to be the top name available after finishing the season with 30 goals and 77 points in 67 games with the Penguins and Hurricanes. He added four goals and nine points in 11 games during the postseason with Carolina.

The 29-year-old is a two-time 40-goal scorer and has hit the 30-goal mark in each of the past three seasons.