Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey NHL Rumors! The roster freeze for the holidays (December 20-27) is in effect, but has not silenced trade and free agent rumors. The general manager is still looking to improve his roster, with about 50 games remaining in the 2024-25 season.

NHL rumors in this edition include:

Are the Vancouver Canucks and struggling Buffalo Sabers working on a trade? Will the Anaheim Ducks move forward with Frank Vatrano at the trade deadline? Can the Colorado Avalanche get a much-needed bottom-six forward?

Vancouver Canucks – Elias Pettersson

Rumor: By – Elliotte Friedman – sportsnet.com. Will the Canucks trade Elias Pettersson to the Buffalo Sabers for Dylan Cozens And Bowen Byram?

There appears to be some disagreement between JT Miller and Elias Pettersson, and that’s never a good thing in the clubhouse. So, which player will be traded? Of the two, Pettersson is the most likely to be fired. We all know that the Sthe trees are struggling, to say the least. They are 0-10-3 in their last 13 games and need something to remedy that situation.

Although Pettersson might not be traded, mainly due to a disagreement with Miller, he has been mentioned in NHL rumors. The salaries also match. Pettersson has an eight-year contract worth $11.6 million AAV. Cozens has a seven-year contract worth $7.10 million AAV. Byram has a $3.85 million contract expiring after this season when he becomes a restricted free agent (RFA).

Pierre LeBrun (TSN, The Athletic) cited league sources as saying that The Vancouver Canucks are looking for a top-four defensemana need further underlined by the absence of Filip Hronek as he recovers from a lower body injury. Byram is young (23 years old), has four goals and 14 assists in 33 games.

We’ll have to see if this proposed trade goes down.

Anaheim Ducks – Frank Vatrano

Rumor: By – Eric Stephens – nytimes.com. Will the Ducks keep Frank Vatrano or move him at the deadline?

Vatrano is in the final year of his $3.65 million contract. He is and always has been a regular scorer. He has five goals and three assists in his 10 matches. “I feel like I’ve been like that my whole career,” Vatrano said. “I will get through these crisis periods and then score points in groups. I’ve always done that throughout my career. Obviously, when I’ve started like this year, you can kind of grip your stick a little too tight. I think at the end of the day you don’t have to worry about scoring goals. You have to worry about the things that make you score goals.

General manager Patrick Verbeek must decide now whether to keep Vatrano or see what he brings at the trade deadline. Verbeek is evaluating which players he wants to keep when his team is finally competitive again. Vatrano may be his favorite guy to help make the club a contender. Of course, that may depend on what kind of offer he gets and how long the rebuild takes.

Calgary Flames: Calgary Flames weigh all trade options

Colorado Avalanche – Last six attackers

Rumor: By – Aarif Deen – coloradohockeynow.com. With Jonathan Drouin outside, the Avs need help on the bottom six forward lines.

Deen mentioned Yanni Gourde in Seattle, but he’s an expensive pick at $5.166 million. Nicolas Robertson in Toronto or Jonathan Berggren in Detroit might be more reasonable options. Or even Juuso Parssinen in Nashville.

Robertson is an RFA with a cap hit of $875,000. Berggren has an $825,000 pact and is also an RFA. Parssinen is at $775,000 and is also an RFA. These caps are low enough to entice the Avs to check them out. They could be a failure or a solution to their needs.

Of course, the best solution would be for Drouin to return, but he has been out for two weeks and is expected to return on December 27. Injuries are difficult to assess for a return timetable. The Avs are feeling the pressure as the Utah Hockey Club breathes down their neck in the playoff race. The Avs have played three more games than Utah and only lead them by three points. It is therefore necessary to act quickly to occupy the available space on the line of the last six lines before.

That ends our NHL rumors for now. Be sure to read our next article. Thanks for reading!

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