Keep up to date on the latest rumours and speculation around the NHL beat with TSN.ca's Rumour Mill.

Thinking Ahead?

Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2019 and he’s already thinking about the monetary value of his contract.

In a recent interview with Craig Custance of The Athletic, Doughty said he’d like to stay in touch with Ottawa Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson - also a UFA in 2019 - ahead of the process, so the two can gauge their value together.

And it appears Doughty does already have a benchmark in mind.

“Right now, I guess we’d be gauging off what P.K. [Subban] makes. I think both of us deserve quite a bit more than that,” Doughty told Custance.

Subban has the highest cap hit of any defenceman in the NHL at $9 million with the contract he signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 2014. Brent Burns owns the second highest cap hit among defencemen at $8 million. He signed an eight-year, $64 million extension with the San Jose Sharks last November.

According to CapFriendly, Doughty has a $7 million cap hit, while Karlsson carries a $6.75 million AAV.

Both Karlsson and Doughty will be 29 in the summer of 2019. As TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun pointed out Wednesday, staying in touch won’t be hard as they’re both clients of Newport Sports Agency.

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Good for the Kids?

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello joined Overdrive on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto on Wednesday and said facing adversity can be good for the team's young players. Both Mitch Marner and William Nylander have struggled to find the back of the net in their sophomore seasons, but Lamoriello believes those struggles could serve as a teaching point for duo.


Spark from Within?

The Ottawa Senators dropped their seventh straight game on Wednesday night and have now won just twice since making a blockbuster move to acquire Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche.

The Senators called up 2015 first-round pick Thomas Chabot earlier this week, but he sat out against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. TSN 1200’s Ian Mendes believes Chabot should be in the lineup Friday against the Islanders simply as a spark for the team’s lacklustre power play.

Chabot has three assists in five games with the Senators this season. He also has two goals and seven points in 13 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

Ending their skid in Brooklyn won’t be an easy task for the Senators. The Islanders not lost in regulation at home this season, owning an 8-0-2 record.


Unlikely Match?

According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, the Colorado Avalanche are among the teams who have interest in Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Ian Cole, but a trade seems unlikely.

As Dater notes, the Avalanche - despite their 12-9-2 start - are not in a position acquire rental players and already have prospects who could by NHL-ready on the blue line by next season. 

He believes the Avalanche would want Cole to sign an extension with the team in any deal, but wonders how interested the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion would be in signing with last season's worst team.

Cole has been a healthy scratch in three straight games for the Penguins and it's unclear if he'll rejoin the lineup on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie shut down rumours that a trade is imminent and believes Pittsburgh will only trade Cole for the right return.