NHL Rumor Mill – July 20, 2024
NHL Rumor Mill – July 20, 2024
Check out the latest on some of this summer’s notable restricted free agents in today’s NHL Rumor Mill
SPORTSNET: Luke Fox and Rory Boylen recently looked at where things stand with 12 of this summer’s notable remaining restricted free agents. Here are some of the more notable ones:
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman didn’t file for salary arbitration. Some observers wonder why the Bruins didn’t already have a “hush-hush handshake deal” with the Swayman camp in place before trading Linus Ullmark to Ottawa last month.
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins have over $8.6 million in cap space for 2024-25 with the 25-year-old Swayman the only active roster playing to be signed. He’s two years away from UFA eligibility.
Swayman will get signed, it’s just a question of for how long and how much. The two sides could agree to a long-term contract or a two-year deal. The average annual value could be between $6.5 million and $7.5 million.
The Carolina Hurricanes hold the hammer in contract talks with Seth Jarvis. The 22-year-old winger is coming off his entry-level contract and lacks arbitration rights.
General manager Eric Tulsky could go for a short-term bridge deal or attempt to lock up Jarvis to an eight-year deal. His camp could seek a long-term deal worth over 8.35 million annually.
Tulsky isn’t worried about someone signing Jarvis to an offer sheet, pointing out they have the cap space to match.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Terminating Evgeny Kuznetsov’s contract gives the Hurricanes $13.9 million in cap space. That’s more than enough to match an offer sheet for Jarvis.
Speaking of the Hurricanes, Martin Necas has been the subject of trade speculation since their playoff elimination in May. The New Jersey Devils, Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames were believed to be monitoring the 25-year-old winger’s situation.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fox and Boylen considered Necas most likely to be traded when this list was published on July 17. Since then, GM Tulsky said he’s not closing the door on a potential deal but it’s looking more likely Necas will remain with the Hurricanes.
Tulsky pointed out that teams have a lot less flexibility than they did a month ago, making it harder to do deals in the trade market. In other words, the clubs interested in Necas lack sufficient cap space to acquire him.
Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti had an inconsistent 2023-24 performance but still finished fifth among their leading scorers. The departures of Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan could lead to a fresh start for the 22-year-old forward under new head coach Scott Arniel.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press observed the Jets tend to sign players like Perfetti to bridge contracts. However, there is precedence for a long-term deal, citing Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers.
In that case, his camp could seek an average annual value between the $5 million AAV that Anton Lundell received from the Florida Panthers and the $6.25 million the Los Angeles Kings are paying Quinton Byfield.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko filed for arbitration on July 5. With Patrik Laine facing a doubtful future in Columbus, the 23-year-old Marchenko could get a nice raise.
The Rangers and Ryan Lindgren remain in contract negotiations despite the latter filing for arbitration. A one-year deal for the 25-year-old defenseman could cost $3.6 million. A longer deal will cost more due to the cost of his UFA years.
