Friday's FTB: A rest is as good as a change?

The list of players who wanted or were rumoured to want or maybe wanted trades in July is still about the same as it was then.

Werenski says things were ‘misconstrued’ this summer, wants to win with Blue Jackets

Defenceman Zach Werenski met with reporters in Columbus on Thursday and maintained his desire to win as a member of the Blue Jackets.

TSNTSN.ca Staff

Morrissey hopes Hellebuyck remains with Jets, ‘confident’ team can bounce back

Josh Morrissey is well aware of the talk around Connor Hellebuyck’s future with the Winnipeg Jets that has loomed over the team’s off-season.

TSNTSN.ca Staff

The Red Wings have gone into GM hiring stasis, so nothing has been said about Dylan Larkin.

Other people writing on this topic:

Morgan Rielly trade rumours have disappeared as offseason continues

<p>Remember when the talk of Toronto was trading Morgan Rielly this summer? Turns out, all of the chatter has transitioned to the sound of crickets. After Rielly&#8217;s struggles last season, and with John Chayka taking over as general manager, many felt the longest-tenured Leaf was a prime trade candidate heading into this offseason. From there,&#8230;</p>

The Leafs NationJeremy Tingly

The NHL-wide stasis is not actually just about the calendar, although it's mostly that. It is partly cap space.

Just using PuckPedia's projected in-season cap space (because you know that's not offseason space right?) the Red Wings have lots, but no boss. Then come a host of teams not spending while they pretend not to tank like Seattle, Calgary, Columbus.

The Flyers have room, so do the Penguins. The Hurricanes have less than $10 million and an RFA defender in Alexander Nikishin to sign. He's a guy they don't actually seem to want, but haven't traded, and if they do manage it, they need another defender.

Montréal have just under $10 million and Arber Xhekaj to sign. They are a plausible team who both could and would make a deal if there was a deal to be made.

Anaheim is stuck with a similar amount of space and Cutter Gauthier to sign, so they can't so anything right now about their astonishingly bad defence.

There's a clutch of teams with around $5 million in space who don't seem to be sure which direction they're going in. Members of last year's muddy middle, Boston, Utah, St. Louis, New Jersey, the allegedly good Sabres are in there and Nashville – now mysterious under a new GM.

Vegas who can always make a deal are actually right at the cap when they put Pietrangelo on LTIR.

Dallas has no room, the Wild could add a very low-AAV player as could Tampa, but Colorado is full up and that pretty much leaves the Sharks, always rumoured to always be the destination for everyone.

The Sharks have space. They have Logan Couture's $8 million to put on LTIR plus about $3 million more. , and I have kept a clever scheme in the back of my mind all summer. If the Sharks want to trade that contract so they can accrue cap space this year for a deadline buying spree... so if they believe they are good enough... a team who already has LTIR on the books might be willing to make that deal.

And if I actually knew Max Domi's status, I'd start to wonder about the Leafs doing that. That said, the only really likely trade the Leafs might make is to add someone in place of Morgan Rielly, and that doesn't seem like Sharky type business.

But it is a clever scheme, and I hate those, even my own. So no, it's not happening.

There's some legitimate NHL forwards out there as UFAs quietly waiting for deals (or waiting for teams to be ready to file deals they've already signed). Some things will happen. Likely not today though.

Today is more T25, and the first week summary is tomorrow where the Community Vote is counted down. See you then!