The latest on Matt Duchene, Pavel Datsyuk, Milan Lucic, Steven Stamkos and more in today’s NHL rumor mill.
Update on Lucic’s contract negotiations.
Contract talks continue between the Kings and Milan Lucic.
ESPN.COM: Pierre LeBrun reports the Los Angeles Kings and pending UFA left wing Milan Lucic have had contract talks for a month but have yet to reach an agreement on a new deal. He speculates talks could be set aside once the playoffs begin. LeBrun also claims it appears a sizeable gap remains between the two sides.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: As LeBrun notes, it’s the Kings lack of cap space for next season that’s the problem. Lucic loves playing in Los Angeles, but he might have to leave some money on the table if he hopes to land a long-term deal with the Kings, or they’ll have to shed some salary to make room for his raise.
Highlights from Friedman’s latest “30 Thoughts.”
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman touched upon Colorado Avalanche coach Patrick Roy’s criticism of center Matt Duchene’s celebration of his 30th goal of the season during a 5-1 loss to St. Louis. Friedman feels any decision on Duchene won’t be a “rush job”. He notes when Duchene’s name popped up in trade rumors earlier this season, the Avs made it clear he won’t be moved unless the return makes sense.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Denver Post’s Terry Frei reports Roy and Duchene discussed the goal celebration incident and cleared the air, with the center claiming it’s not an issue going forward. If so, that should bring an end to the trade speculation. Still, don’t be surprised if the incident and the earlier trade rumors abut Duchene crop up again heading toward the NHL Draft weekend this June.
The agent for former Nashville Predators winger Alex Radulov is gauging interest in his client around the NHL. “Everyone assumes Colorado, but there are more teams.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The link with the Avalanche is because Radulov played for coach Patrick Roy during their years with the Quebec Remparts. However, Radulov won’t help them address their porous defense, which is their biggest area of concern for next season. As for other teams, I’m sure they’ll only be interested if Radulov accepts a very cheap, one-year “show-me” contract. Yes, Radulov has put up good numbers in the KHL and had decent stats during his earlier NHL tenure. He also has a reputation as a selfish, one-dimensional player, and his disastrous return with the Predators in 2012 doesn’t help his value.
If Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk decides to return to Russia next season, Friedman is among those who feel the Wings could get cap relief by shipping the remaining season of Datsyuk’s contract ($7.5 million cap hit) to a club in need of reaching the salary-cap floor. He also suggested the NHL and the Wings could try blocking Datsyuk’s move back to Russia.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Given all Datsyuk’s given to the Wings during his career, I doubt they try to stop him from going home to Russia.
If the Tampa Bay Lightning are unable to re-sign Steven Stamkos, Friedman suggests they could try to trade him before July 1, hoping the opportunity to re-sign him to an eight-year deal (compared to seven if he becomes a UFA) might prove attractive. Given Stamkos’ recent vascular surgery, interested teams will want a chance to have their doctors examine him.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stamkos’ recent surgery adds to the uncertainty over his future. If the Bolts can’t re-sign Stamkos, I believe they will try to shop him. If so, I don’t see why interested clubs wouldn’t be given the opportunity to give Stamkos a medical exam.
Sabres shopping list.
WGR550: In assessment the Buffalo Sabres season, Howard Simon reports GM Tim Murray “still needs to improve the offense by bringing in another scoring winger for one of the top two lines and another top four defenseman would be nice too.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Expect Murray to have another busy summer as he continues to rebuild the Sabres. He has plenty of depth in draft picks and prospects to use as trade bait, as well as sufficient salary-cap space to dive into this summer’s deep UFA pool.
I wouldn’t sign Alex Radulov – let him play for an expansion team if he wants to prove himself.
Why not take a chance on Radulov? Montreal did with Semin and although that didn’t pan out they just moved on, his failure didn’t hurt Montreal. But if Semin had returned to his former glory Montreal could have had a much better season.
I think Radulov is way better offensively than Semin. Look for Montreal or someone to try the same strategy again next year.
Why waste a roster spot, like the Habs did this year with Semin? Offensive skills is one thing, using them in a team effort is another.
Semin signed a cheap one-year “reclamation” deal with Montreal, knowing he had no leg to stand on due to his poor performance in Carolina. Radulov won’t sign for a minimal deal like that. In his mind his past NHL numbers coupled with his more recent KHL numbers means he should be able to get a multi-year deal worth several million a year. He thinks he is better and proven, and obviously thinks teams will give him what he wants. I hope it isn’t Toronto.
thirsty – you can have him. I will be curious to see who, if any team takes a flier on Radulov.
I’m with Hanson – why waste a spot?
If memory serves me, I believe Radulov wasn’t great in the locker room anyway.
Frankly I would rather give the spot to a kid trying to earn it. You’ll get more hustle, effort and a better attitude. If you want to win, you need to create an environment of winning and Radulov doesn’t meet that.
4th Hanson brother – I didn’t mean to imply Toronto wants him, or that I want him playing for Toronto. I don’t want him on the team, and I doubt the team wants him.
thirsty – I really think just about every team will pass on him. Leafs don’t need him for sure – Buds are short on talent (as of now) but not short on effort.
Tim Murray needs to get that 4th defenseman if the Sabres are going to contend. Either thru trade or free agency, though the UFA market doesn’t look too deep for a defenseman, maybe Yandle.
I think Jason Demers is another really good and under rated UFA. And given his age he might even be a more attractive target for many teams such as Buffalo on July 1.
I like Demers, but the Sabres need a real good young #4 that might be able to move into the #2 spot after Gorges leaves next year. Goligoski maybe?
This is 1 of the deepest UFA markets for Dman in more than a decade. Murray has a ton of options available that will cost nothing more than cash & can be addressed with out having to give up assets.
Go look at UFA Dman on Capfriendly.
Buffalo is probably 1 more season from being a legitamate playoff team. I wouldn’t sacrifice any assets to address their needs unless it’s a team giving up a player under value to solve their cap issues.
Striker – suggestions? I am looking at the market and I see a few good players, Demers might be one of them, maybe Russell. Remember – we are looking for a guy that can play top 4, maybe top 2 spots. Someone that is better than current options on the Sabres’ roster or in their system.
The top 2 spots in Buf are filled. Risto & Bogosian. The 2 kids need to play but more sheltered minutes in McCabe & Pysyk, as 5,6, 7 guys. Georges has 2 more years & Franson 1 & with expansion coming in the summer of 2017 no point commiting to a protection problem. Buffalo’s 3 keepers at D are Risto, Bogosian & McCabe so we want a short term solution. 1 to 3 years as who ever it is will be exposed in expansion.
I want a 2ND tier UFA that will come in at reasonable value. In or around 4 mil. Gologiski will push way more than that probably even hit 6. I’m thinking Demers, Russell, Campbell, Quincey, Hamhuis, Schenn, Polak, K. Miller Benn etc.
Buffalo really just needs 1. C. Nelson will be expansion exempt & with Risto, Bogosian, Georges, Franson, McCabe, Pysyk, & Nelson it’s getting crowded. The 3 kids could rotate in & out as Bos was doing with Trotman, Morrow & C. Miller. The only D in that group not waver exempt next season will be Nelson.
I think Dysyk will be dealt for a left-handed D
The Wild will be in cap trouble this offseason, if I was Murray im looking at a guy like Brodin or Spurgeon to solidify the top 4
& have to expose McCabe in the expansion draft
I’m sure that anyone trading for Stamkos will want it to be a conditional pick where the condition is that Stamkos signs with the new team.
This means that it’s likely that Tampa will move Stamkos before the draft so that they don’t have to wait another year for the pick.
But given that Stamkos has a no trade clause the return for Tampa won’t be huge. It is in Steven’s best interest to allow for a trade to the team he ultimately wants to sign with so he can get an 8 year deal, but by signalling where he wants to go the team trading for him will know that they don’t have to give up a lot to get him.
Therefore I think the best Tampa will get is a conditional 3rd or late 2nd round pick.
Perhaps a team with 2 first round picks would be willing to give the later pick up….hmmm what teams out there would like a guy like Stamkos and have a couple first round picks to do such a deal?…hmmm
I wonder what team would be dumb enough to give up a first for ufa after the season end? hmmmmm…… I wonder what rebuilding team would sign a guy coming off a broken leg and blood clot when they are years away from being competitive?…..hmmmm
I would be ok with trading Pittsburgh’s first for Stamkos, conditional if he signs of course. It’s likely in the late 20’s anyway. As long as the media doesn’t paint him as our saviour and the fans understand that we still need to build a complete team and this is only one piece. It’ll have take a spin job on managements part.
I still think he’s crazy if he leaves TB, but if he does i’m all for signing him.
I bet your Habs would bigbear lol
I (often accused of being a leaf hater) have been saying this for 6 months. Leafs will be speeding up their re-build and sign Stamkos. Ownership will be losing patience-as can be seen by one more Rogers hockey exec. losing their jobs this week.
it would be a risk for the leafs speeding up the rebuild signing stamkos! kinda like when burkie wanted truculence and traded up to get tyler biggs and Anaheim ended up with rakell and john Gibson! lol
@bigBear-I would say that picking Biggs is more of a poor assessment of talent. I am think in 2 years we will be saying the same thing about Mark Hunter for trading down from Travis Koneckny and taking Dermott and Bracco.
Yes every gm has their hits and misses, not sure what any of this has to do with Stamkos but ok.
The blood clot doesn’t concern me and the broken leg is healed.
If the clot was in a his leg where it could travel to a lung or in the lung yeah I’m concerned. I believe it is in the arm. Doctors will easily treat him, With blood thinners and possibly surgery. His prognosis will be absolutely excellent and this will be forgotten as Stamkos continues his playing career for a long long time. This is nothing to suggest this will be a chronic illness requiring him to remain on blood thinners.
It’s by his collar bone & he did have surgery & is on blood thinners. His thrombosis is some what common & no long term issues just like the leg.
Stamkos will have an ultra sound in 2 weeks. If positive flow rates are shown he will be taken off blood thinners & be back in a month. If not they wait another 2 weeks & so on. Once off blood thinners it’s about 10 days to bring blood chemistry back to normal.
one blood clot can lead to another because of the thinners its always a risk in the future from a hockey standpoint ask kimmo timonen
Stamkos’s clot is related to a vascular resrtiction of the artery essentially a birth defect. A little different than what Timonen or Dupuis were dealing with.
so if its a birth defect does mean he cant have more? my friend ended up having 3 in 3yrs he was constantly flying for his work and some people believe flying has effects of the clotting
I don’t know how else to explain it to you. It’s nots clot specificly but a sever restriction effecting blood flow. Of course he could have another as could you or I but it’s not a condition that requires long term blood thinners which would end his career.
striker I don’t think you understand how one clot (yes clot that’s what it is) has a much higher chance of another one who especially for a professional athlete
I think there are probably at least 3 teams Stamkos would possibly entertain signing with & unfortunately the only way I see him returning to TB is if he is willing to max out at 9. If he wants more I just don’t think he’s deserving of being paid in today’s top 10 never mind top 5 or potentially even #1 if these 11 mil per rumors are true.
If this scenario plays out it will be interesting to see what a team might pay to gain that year & the extra negotiating time it would provide.
Milan Lucic will be seeking a raise and if he can’t get one with LA I have no doubts that he’ll pick up and move elsewhere. As much as its been reported that he likes the area and the team (BTW basically what every professional player is fine tuned to say)… he is going to want a raise, even if it’s slight, but I’d expect a raise with this next contract and longer term. I don’t think the Milan Lucic scenario with LA is going to be an easy one…
I can’t possible see how LA can make Lucic’s contract fit with significant raises coming for Tiffoli & Pearson after next season as well as numerous UFA’s needing to be replaced especially at D this summer.
Striker,
Absolutely agree, I think it’s going to be very difficult to make work… even if by some miracle they convince him to take $6m per as was his previous contract, they’ll need to move salary and there’s just not much available to them by means of trades that’ll open up a lot. I think Lucic will likely look for something around $7m per but will be around $6.75 per for something like 5 years. He’s at that age that he’ll want a long term deal.
I agree chad it will be tough but if they could move dustin brown, versteeg,vinny,lewis and schenn will be gone. I could see pearson have to be throwing in just to move brown if at all possible
Striker its not hard to figure out actually. Its been reported that the Kings feel Kopitar can hit yet another level, and to do this its speculated that they will be making him the captain this off-season to go along with his new contract, and there is no way DL is dumb enough to strip his captain of the title and leave him on the team.
So in saying that expect Brown and possibly Greene traded and their $8+ million in cap to be cleared. Add that to Vinny retiring and possibly Scuderi and the slight raise in the cap to $74 mill, the Kings will have plenty of money to sign Lucic and give Toffoli and Pearson raises.
The trade by LA to acquire Lucic has worked out amazing for DL, as he has shown chemistry with whatever center (Kopitar/Carter) that Sutter puts with him, so look for him to do whatever it takes to sign the one of a kind player.
Bigbear, have to throw in Pearson just to move Brown? are you serious? Get a grip buddy. If Dion was movable than the only US born captain in history to lead a team to two stanley cups is as well.
Like I’ve said many times before, Kings aren’t going to get anything for him other than the cap relief, but with his speed, leadership and ability to hit hard and consistently, he is definitely movable, and NO Pearson won’t be a throw in.
What are they giving up to convince someone to take Brown with 6 more years at 5.85 per
king you make a point with dion lol but brown is not worth his contract and something will have to be throwing in order for someone to take that contract imo
Toronto took back significant salary to facilitate moving Phaneuf. Michalek & Greening will make a combined 7.2 next season. 6.75 this season prorated with Cowen’s 3.7 this season Ottawa saved money this year as well. That savings amortized over the life of Phaneuf’s contract gets his cap hit under 6.
Phaneuf is a solid #2 NHL Dman. The only problem with Phaneuf was his cap hit. Dumping those 3 contracts moving forward addresses that. This was a great trade for both teams.
Given a choice of Phaneuf even at 7; although Ottawa saved what today is 11.7 next season on Michalek, Greening & Cowen in actually sallary, or Brown at 5.875 I’ll take Phaneuf. Dman don’t grow on trees especially 1’s that can play 24 minutes a night. Wingers that can hit & provide leadership shouldn’t cost 5.875. That’s 1 of the worst contracts in the NHL today.
I think the general consensus with most NHL followers, even the ones who barely watch would agree that Dustin Brown is in no way shape or form worth the contract he has and what’s left. Any NHL GM with 1/2 a brain wouldn’t trade for that player straight up… LA will need to make that deal attractive by adding significant value or eating a large amount of that contract. Either way, the Lucic situation doesn’t seem as clear cut to me as it does to Canadian King.
I thought I read somewhere a while ago that lucic was open to a discount to stay in LA as he enjoyed it so much there? I could be wrong though.
On the Avs front, trade Roy, keep Duchene.
Ya good luck on that one. Who’d take him
agreed – Roy needs to go back to juniors
You can also throw in a good backup goalie for injury prone Lehner to their needs as well and a bump in pay for Ristolainen. Unless they dump some guys they could be up against the cap next year with those listed additions (and I don’t think that’s a good thing). Wonder if they can get rid of Kane, lol. All year Bylsma has been saying he wants him to go to the middle of the ice. Who knows, maybe if they shrink the goalie gear his silly little shots from the outside might go in a bit more. Maybe trade him for Tavares and get Moulson going again.
…cause Moulson ain’t going anywhere.
Kane would never fetch a return like Tavares.
This is a joke right? If you watched Buffalo games this year Kane is one of the last players you would trade, hes a physical winger with excellent speed and can score as well, and I cant understand how a goalie with two injuries in his career is considered injury prone….don’t get that at all, the Sabres are also stacked in top goalie prospects like cal Peterson and Jason Kasdorf. I thinkl the Sabres will surprise a lot of people next year, hell they are currently only out of the playoffs by like 10 points or 5 wins, not bad if you ask me.
Buffalo has 15 players signed & 26 million in cap space for next season. The only RFA seeing a significant raise is Risto & he will be bridged at about 4ish for 2 or 3.
They could sign Stakos for 10+ per; not saying they will just an example, add a #4/5 dman at 4ISH + Risto’s raise & still have 8 mil to flush out their roster. No cap issues in Buffalo what so ever.
Also they way their contracts are structured never mind lossing salary in expansion they have no cap issues for at least 3 more seasons. Legwand, Coliacovo & Johnson come off this summer, Franson & Gionta the following summer & Georges & Kane the next.
Yep. You’re right. I was way off. They got over 20mil easy.
Just a feeling, Stamkos signing with Habs
Drouin joining him to the habs as well for prospect and picks
Not a chance in hell Stamkos signs in Mtl. Mtl has less than 10 mil in cap space next season. Stamkos isn’t choosing Mtl. Highest tax’s in the NHL.
It’s nice to have dreams though.
^ this lol
This morning I had a feeling the Bruins were gearing up for a cup run… then I woke up
Haha! Arrrrrr
Thats a bit hard striker “Not a chance in hell”
Theres always solutions
Example:
Trading T Pleckanec,L Eller
(That free’s up 9,5 M in cap space)
So to say not a chance in hell is a bit harsh Striker,
I know your a Leafs fan and you will love for him to sign in toronto but fact is he will sign in Montreal before Toronto, Trust me?
Striker, “Tony” is a troll.
Improbable to impossible scenarios, trade or otherwise, and invariably involving “Lars Eller”.
It’s how he gets off.
Ignore him
Tony.
I’m not saying Montreal can’t make the cap space specifically. You are only allowed to exceed the cap by 10% in the summer or when signing players in future seasons. They call it tagging in the CBA.
It has far more to do with business choices most addressed prior.
The tax implications are huge playing in Quebec. I believe a while back they had to pay Eric Cole 4.5 mill a year to play there when he would have taken 3 mill ish a year elsewhere. Correct me if I’m wrong on the numbers.
Strictly due to the tax situation there.
I just realized the tax situation is quite low for a player in Florida as well. I believe they only pay federal tax there which is about 20% max
If TO is going to trade Pitt’s 1st pick to Tampa let it be for Vasiliev the goalie. Stamkos will be free in July and if they don’t get him for $9,000,000.00 or less he is too expensive.
that pick wont get vasilevsky but your right just wait till he is free would be the smart move
tugboat1955,
Stamkos is going to be paid more than $9m, just a matter of where. As many hopeful fans have pointed out the majority of the NHL can make something work if they really so desire, whether that be moving out core players, not resigning RFA’s, trades… ect. The one thing that has remained quite consistent is that the player is going to be paid in the upper echelon of the league.
Also, as bigbear pointed out that 1st round pick wouldn’t get Vasilevsky… at this juncture of the season that pick is around 27th overall, not entirely good place to be picking from. Might as well be considered an early 2nd round pick as most of the players in this years draft at end of 1st and beginning of 2nd are all of the same caliber.
If Stamkos signs with TB they have the player & cap issues.
If he leaves,they keep everybody, can take longer with the goalie decision, and buy a good two way faceoff winner center at 4-5 MM, or, perhaps more likely, stay with the offence currently playing, and in the system, and build more defensive depth. It will be what 91 wants at this point – & the Bolts will likely continue to be competitive either way.
Tampa should have moved Stamkos they now risk losing him for nothing.
Lucic should take the biggest contract he can get.
Claude Julian will be fired after they don’t make the playoffs again.