NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 31, 2023

by | May 31, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 31, 2023

Leafs to hire Brad Treliving as general manager, Predators fire John Hynes and hire Andrew Brunette as head coach, the Capitals hire Spencer Carbery as their new head coach, the latest Stanley Cup Final news and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TSN: Darren Dreger broke the news that the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to hire Brad Treliving as their new general manager. Treliving spent nine seasons as GM of the Calgary Flames before stepping down last month.

Former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving. (NHL.com)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs were reportedly seeking someone with management experience to replace former GM Kyle Dubas. Treliving certainly has that but whether he can succeed where Dubas failed in terms of ending the Leafs’ 57-year Stanley Cup drought remains to be seen.

Under Treliving, the Flames reached the playoffs five times and finished atop the Pacific Division in 2018-19 and 2021-22. During his tenure, he drafted Matthew Tkachuk, Adam Fox, Sam Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane, Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington and Dillon Dube. Treliving also traded for Dougie Hamilton, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Tyler Toffoli, Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Milan Lucic and Travis Hamonic.

However, the Flames also missed the playoffs four times and only reached the second round twice while Treliving was their general manager. He’s also had his share of failures, such as losing Johnny Gaudreau to free agency while the jury remains out on his swap of Tkachuk for Huberdeau and Weegar.

Treliving faces some significant issues with the Leafs. Topping the list is signing Auston Matthews to a contract extension. He must also determine the futures of Leafs stars John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander and the fate of head coach Sheldon Keefe.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators fired head coach John Hynes on Tuesday, replacing him with Andrew Brunette. An assistant coach this season with the New Jersey Devils, Brunette was a 2021-22 finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year after guiding the Florida Panthers to their first-ever Presidents’ Trophy.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Predators incoming general manager Barry Trotz is facing some criticism for leaving Hynes twisting in the wind while he sought new head-coaching candidates given his own history as a long-time NHL head coach.

Nevertheless, Trotz has signaled that change will be afoot for the Predators. He obviously wanted his own man behind the bench and was going to take his time to find him. Now that he has his new bench boss, his focus could shift toward making some roster changes this summer.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: The Capitals have hired Spencer Carbery as their new head coach. He spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs leading their power play. Before that, he spent three seasons as head coach of the Capitals’ AHL affiliate in Hershey.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Carbery will be under pressure to quickly reverse the aging Capitals’ fortunes after they missed the postseason for the first time since 2013-14. He’ll be reunited with defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who played under Carbery in Toronto until acquired by the Capitals before the March trade deadline. Meanwhile, Capitals assistant coaches Scott Allen and Bryan Murray will be returning next season. 

TSN: The Calgary Flames reached out to former New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, who is interested in their vacant head-coaching job.

LAS VEGAS SUN: The Vegas Golden Knights’ ongoing success is attributable in part to two former Florida Panthers. The Golden Knights selected Jonathan Marchessault in the 2017 expansion draft when the Panthers left him unprotected. Around the same time, they acquired Reilly Smith in a trade with the Panthers.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Patric Hornqvist has been sidelined since December by a concussion but he remains a valuable member of the Panthers. He’s been on the ice in a non-contact jersey during practices, peppering goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with shots while providing guidance and encouragement to other teammates.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hornqvist remains out for the season and the future of his playing career is murky right now. For the time being, he’s like another assistant coach for the Panthers.

TWINCITIES.COM: After spending several seasons with the Minnesota Wild as an assistant coach, Brett McLean is taking over as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Iowa.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said he has no interest in joining their front office. Inducted on Sunday into the IIHF Hall of Fame, Zetterberg is spending his days as an unofficial consultant with the Wings as well as with his former Swedish club (Timra) and the Swedish national team. His only active hockey work is helping out with his son’s practices as he puts his focus on his family and a life outside of hockey.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 24, 2023

by | Mar 24, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 24, 2023

The Hurricanes clinch a playoff berth, John Carlson makes his return to the Capitals, the Bruins continue their quest for the single-season wins record and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes dropped a 2-1 decision to the New York Rangers but still clinched a playoff spot for the fifth straight season. Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox scored for the 42-20-10 Rangers, who sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 94 points. Sebastian Aho netted his 31st goal of the season for the 46-16-8 Hurricanes as they sit on top of the Metro with 100 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers defensemen Ryan Lindgren missed this game as he remains plagued by a nagging shoulder injury that had sidelined him for 11 straight games.

The Hurricanes clinched that spot thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs downing the Florida Panthers 6-2. Auston Matthews scored two goals and John Tavares collected three assists for the Leafs (43-19-9) as they sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with 95 points. Matthew Tkachuk netted his 35th goal of the season for the 36-29-7 Panthers (79 points) as they remain one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Eric and Marc Staal of the Panthers became the latest NHL players to opt out of wearing Pride-themed warmup jerseys for their club’s Pride Night, citing their religious beliefs. However, Eric Staal took part in a similar ceremony with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021.

A handful of players opting out of Pride Night has overshadowed the fact that most of their teammates are willingly taking part in these events.

Some teams, like the Chicago Blackhawks, opted not to participate but those were reportedly front-office decisions. The Blackhawks cited safety concerns for their Russian players over potentially violating their native country’s homophobic law banning “gay propaganda”. However, that theory was punctured by Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky taking part in his club’s Pride-themed warmup.

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (NHL Images).

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson had a goal and an assist in a 6-1 romp over the Chicago Blackhawks. It was his first game since being in the head by a slapshot on Dec. 23 resulting in a fractured skull and severed temporal artery. Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom also had a goal and an assist for the Capitals as they improved to 34-31-8 to sit four points behind the Penguins with 76 points. Nikita Zaitsev scored for the 24-41-6 Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chicago forward Colin Blackwell underwent season-ending sports hernia surgery on Wednesday.

Speaking of the Penguins, they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Dallas Stars. Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn scored 31 seconds apart in the third period to take the lead while Joel Oettinger held off the Penguins with a 40-save performance as the Stars (39-19-14) hold first place in the Central Division with 92 points. Sidney Crosby and Pierre-Olivier Joseph replied for the 35-27-10 Penguins as they cling to the final Eastern wild-card spot with 80 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen set a franchise record for defensemen by extending his points streak to 12 games. Penguins starting goalie Tristan Jarry missed this game with a lower-body injury.

The Boston Bruins continued their quest for the single-season wins record by doubling up the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. David Pastrnak netted his 49th of the season while Tyler Bertuzzi scored his first goal since joining the Bruins before the trade deadline. Boston sits atop the overall standings with 115 points thanks to their record of 55-11-5. Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach replied for the 28-38-6 Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins have 11 games remaining in their regular-season schedule to break the record of 62 wins co-held by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, the injury-ravaged Canadiens announced Josh Anderson suffered a season-ending high-ankle sprain on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

A shootout goal by James van Riemsdyk gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild. Joel Farabee had a goal and an assist for the 27-32-10 Flyers. Matt Boldy scored twice for Minnesota (41-22-9) as they sit one point back of the first-place Stars in the Central Division. Wild defenseman John Klingberg missed this game with an upper-body injury.

The Vegas Golden Knights held off the Calgary Flames by a score of 3-2. Vegas goaltender Logan Thompson made 37 saves before leaving the game with an injury with six minutes remaining. Jonathan Quick stopped all five shots he faced as the Golden Knights (45-21-6) hold first place in the Western Conference with 96 points. Milan Lucic and Nazem Kadri replied for the 32-26-15 Flames (79 points) as they slipped six points back of the Winnipeg Jets for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was Thompson’s first game after missing 17 games with a leg injury. Golden Knights winger Reilly Smith also left the game with an injury during the second period.

Speaking of the Jets, they got a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks when Adam Lowry broke a 2-2 tie in the third period. The win improved their record to 41-29-3 and opened a five-point cushion over the Nashville Predators with 85 points. Cam Fowler and Frank Vatrano scored for the 23-39-10 Ducks.

Meanwhile, the Predators surpassed the Flames in the standings by nipping the Seattle Kraken 2-1 on shootout goals by Matt Duchene and Philip Tomasino. Kiefer Sherwood also scored and Juuse Saro stopped 27 shots for the 36-26-8 Predators (80 points). Daniel Sprong scored for the Kraken (39-24-8) as they sit one point up on the Jets in the first wild-card spot.

The Ottawa Senators kept their playoff hopes alive with a 7-2 upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alex DeBrincat and Brady Tkachuk each scored twice and Mads Sogaard stopped 27 shots for the 35-32-5 Senators (75 points) as they sit five points out of the final Eastern wild-card berth. Brayden Point tallied his 45th goal of the season for the Lightning (42-25-6) as they hold third place in the Atlantic Division with 90 points.

Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko set a franchise record for most goals by a first-year player with 35 in a 7-2 drubbing of the San Jose Sharks. The Canucks improved to 32-34-5 on the season while the Sharks are 19-38-15.

The St. Louis Blues held off the Detroit Red Wings 4-3. Joel Hofer made 25 saves for the win as the Blues improved to 32-33-6. Simon Edvinsson tallied his first career NHL goal for the 31-31-9 Red Wings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blues forward Richard Thomas was a late scratch due to an illness.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 24, 2022

by | Jun 24, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 24, 2022

Patrice Bergeron reportedly returning with the Bruins, the Golden Knights close in on a new contract for Reilly Smith, the Senators win a bid to construct a new arena in downtown Ottawa, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Patrice Bergeron is returning for another season with the Bruins. Longtime Bruins beat reporter Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette tweeted last night that the 36-year-old Bruins captain is set to sign a one-year, incentive-laden contract worth a potential total of $6.8 million.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (NHL Images).

Earlier this month, Bergeron won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward for a record-setting fifth time. He’s spent his entire 18-season NHL career with the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bergeron’s re-signing is good news for the Bruins, ensuring they’ll have their best center back for one more season. It also buys management time to find his potential replacement as well as add a second-line center.

We won’t know until Bergeron’s new contract is officially announced what the potential cap hit will be. The estimated $6.8 million would be roughly what he earned as the annual average value of his expiring contract. Whatever the amount, it could force management to make a cost-cutting trade or two. Cap Friendly shows them with just $2.83 million in cap space with 22 players under contract for 2022-23.

Teams are allowed to exceed the cap by 10 percent during the offseason but must be cap compliant when the regular season begins on Oct. 11. The Bruins can remain over the cap ceiling by placing sidelined stars such as Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy on long-term injury reserve but they must be under the cap when those players are ready to return to action.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports the Vegas Golden Knights are closing in on a three-year contract extension for Reilly Smith. Seravalli said it’s a verbal agreement for now and won’t be officially announced until the Golden Knights address their salary-cap issues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word yet on the annual cap hit of Smith’s new contract. The Golden Knights are currently above the $82.5 million cap by over $2.6 million with 16 players signed for 2022-23.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators’ hope of building a new arena in downtown Ottawa is closer to becoming a reality. The club and its partners have a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission to construct an arena complex on LeBreton Flats. Construction on the project could begin in late 2024.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the culmination of several years of stalled negotiations and lawsuits for the Senators. A downtown arena will make it easier for fans to attend their games, providing a big boost to their hockey-related revenue.

There’s still more work to be done before this becomes a reality. Nevertheless, it’s a big, positive step in the right direction.

NHL.COM: The Tampa Bay Lightning hope to extend the 2022 Stanley Cup Final with a win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 on Friday in Denver. The back-to-back defending champions hope to overcome a 3-1 series deficit and win the Cup.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The odds are against the Lightning. Teams that are down 3-1 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final are 1-35. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team to accomplish that feat and they were down 3-0 in their series with the Detroit Red Wings.

THE DENVER POST: A solid bounce-back performance by goaltender Darcy Kuemper in Game 4 was a crucial factor in the Avalanche winning that contest.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars are working toward a contract extension with general manager Jim Nill.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Flyers signed goaltender Felix Sandstrom to a two-year contract with an annual average value of $775K.

NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets have extended their affiliate agreement with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 13, 2022

by | May 13, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – May 13, 2022

A look at the Wild’s offseason priorities and the latest on Golden Knights winger Reilly Smith as he approaches UFA eligibility in today’s NHL rumor mill.

WHAT NEXT FOR THE WILD?

ESPN.COM: Kristen Shilton looks at the Minnesota Wild’s keys to the offseason following their first-round postseason elimination by the St. Louis Blues. General manager Bill Guerin goes into the summer with roughly 15 percent of his salary-cap payroll eaten up in dead cap space from last year’s buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

Minnesota Wild winger Kevin Fiala (NHL Images).

Contract negotiations with Kevin Fiala will be a priority. The 25-year-old winger is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights coming off a one-year, $5.1 million contract after a career-high 85-point performance.

Goaltending will also be an issue with Marc-Andre Fleury slated to become an unrestricted free agent. Cam Talbot has one season remaining on his contract but they’re in need of a reliable backup. Guerin must also re-sign RFA defenseman Jacob Middleton.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly indicates the Wild have almost $79 million invested in 23 players for next season, with over $12 million of that going to Parise and Suter.

Fiala enjoyed a terrific performance, providing invaluable scoring punch to their lineup. However, he was held to just three assists in the Wild’s six-game series against the St. Louis Blues and appeared frustrated at times over his lack of production. That could have an effect on contract talks with Guerin.

Coming up with the cap space for Fiala, Middleton, and a new backup will mean shedding some salary via trades. Unless Guerin ships out Fiala and Middleton and goes with cheaper replacements, he might have to peddle Matt Dumba, who’s frequently surfaced in trade rumors over the past two years. Dumba is slated next summer for UFA status and carries a $6 million cap hit for 2022-23.

LATEST ON REILLY SMITH

LAS VEGAS SUN: Danny Webster reported Reilly Smith could be a hot commodity in this summer’s free-agent market. The 31-year-old winger is slated to become a UFA and had 38 points in 56 games this season until sidelined by injury for the final six weeks of the schedule.

Webster stated there was mutual interest between Smith and the Golden Knights on a contract extension. However, the club is already $500K over the $82.5 million cap for next season with only 18 players under contract. They’ll have to decide if trading someone like Evgenii Dadonov, William Karlsson, Laurent Brossoit or even Robin Lehner is worth bringing back Smith.

Smith is completing a five-year deal with an annual cap hit of $5 million. The Golden Knights won’t go that high but Webster suggested clubs like the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils or Ottawa Senators might be willing to pay that much.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s going to be interesting to see what the Golden Knights do after missing the playoffs for the first time in their short franchise history. Smith could be allowed to walk away or they could shake things up with some cost-cutting deals that also enable them to bring him back if he’s willing to accept a bit of a pay cut to stay in Vegas.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 6, 2022

by | May 6, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – May 6, 2022

Check out the latest on Shea Weber and Jeff Petry plus a look at which players have skated in their final games with the Golden Knights in today’s NHL rumor mill.

LATEST ON THE CANADIENS

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marco D’Amico cited TSN’s Darren Dreger claiming the Canadiens came close to shipping the contract of sidelined defenseman Shea Weber before the March trade deadline to the Arizona Coyotes. However, Coyotes management grew impatient over the amount of time it took to sort out the insurance issues and opted instead to acquire Bryan Little’s contract from the Winnipeg Jets.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber (NHL Images).

Dreger feels it’s only a matter of time until Weber’s contract is shipped to the Coyotes or perhaps to another club interested in acquiring long-term injury reserve relief.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some readers have wondered why a team like the Coyotes would be interested in acquiring the contract of a player on permanent long-term injury reserve. In the case of a budget team like the Coyotes, they must spend to reach the salary-cap floor but want to keep their actual payroll as low as possible. Weber’s $7.857 million cap hit over the next four seasons would allow them to do so.

At the other end, there could be a handful of teams pressed against next season’s $82.5 million cap ceiling looking for an LTIR player to allow them to legally exceed the cap by up to the sidelined player’s annual cap hit. The downside to this is they cannot accrue cap space over the course of the season that can be put toward acquiring players by the trade deadline.

D’Amico also believes Jeff Petry’s improved performance after Martin St. Louis took over as coach should make it easier for the Canadiens to trade him in the off-season. RDS analyst Marc Denis thinks the Habs would still have to include a draft pick as a sweetener in the deal to make the 34-year-old defenseman more enticing in the trade market.

However, D’Amico pointed to Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes claiming he’d had conversations about Petry with several teams leading up to the trade deadline. Hughes indicated he came close to moving the veteran blueliner but the deal failed to materialize. Interest in Petry should pick up in the offseason, enabling the Canadiens to move him without bundling a draft pick or prospect in the deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Petry’s age and $6.25 million annual average value through 2024-25 remain sticking points. Hughes might have to work quickly to find a suitable trade partner willing to take the blueliner’s full contract off his hands without adding a sweetener before teams start spending their available cap space.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Pat Hickey believes Hughes won’t be able to make any significant moves until he’s got more clarity about Carey Price’s status for next season. If the 34-year-old goaltender requires more surgery on his knee and misses part or most of next season, the Canadiens GM can place Price and his $10.5 million cap hit on LTIR.

Hughes will have to use the savings to bring in a goaltender. Backup Jake Allen struggles under a heavy workload while Samuel Montembault and Cayden Primeau aren’t up to filling the starter’s job on a full-time basis.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We should learn more about Price’s status before the draft in July. If he’s going to miss substantial time again, Hughes will have to go shopping for a replacement.

Hickey suggested several options via the free-agent market. The St. Louis Blues’ Ville Husso, Colorado Avalanche’s Darcy Kuemper and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Jack Campbell are among those who could be available this summer, but the Habs will have competition for their services.

WHO HAS PLAYED THEIR FINAL GAMES WITH THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS?

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Owen Krepps looked at several players who have probably skated in their final games with the Golden Knights.

Reilly Smith is among the few remaining original Golden Knights. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. A consistent performer coming off a multi-year deal worth $5 million per season, the 31-year-old winger probably won’t be back unless he agrees to a pay cut.

The Golden Knights had a deal in place at the March trade deadline to ship winger Evgenii Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks. However, it was overturned by the league when it was discovered his no-trade list was still valid and the Ducks were on it. He could be shopped this summer as a cost-cutting move.

Mattias Janmark, Laurent Brossoit and Nolan Patrick could also be cut loose this summer. Like Smith, Janmark is eligible for UFA status this summer. Brossoit and Patrick each have a year remaining on their contracts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly shows the Golden Knights sitting at just over $83 million invested in 18 active players next season. Somebody’s gotta go if they hope to be cap compliant and ice a full 23-man roster when the season opens in October. Dadonov and his $5 million cap hit still make him their most-likely salary-dump candidate.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 29, 2022

by | Apr 29, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – April 29, 2022

More speculation about the Golden Knights’ offseason plans plus updates on Evander Kane and Andrew Copp in today’s NHL rumor mill.

LATEST ON THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS

DAILY FACEOFF: The job security of Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon was among Frank Seravalli’s 10 burning offseason questions facing the 16 NHL non-playoff clubs.

Seravalli acknowledged the plethora of injuries that walloped the Golden Knights roster this season. However, he cited the almost daily drama that dogged the franchise this season, from shedding Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury last summer to backing the bus over Robin Lehner and a lack of teamwork among their players as they seemingly look over their shoulders wondering who’s next.

The Golden Knights have no salary-cap space, no top draft picks and a shallow pool of prospects. Seravalli feels it’s inevitable that head coach Peter DeBoer will be cut loose but he also wondered if McCrimmon will follow him out the door.

SPORTSNET: Rory Boylen also wondered about the futures of McCrimmon, DeBoer and Lehner in Vegas. He felt that moving on from Lehner would create a problem between the pipes for the Golden Knights.

Vegas Golden Knights winger Reilly Smith (NHL Images).

McCrimmon could be on the hot seat this summer along with president of hockey operations and former GM George McPhee. Their lack of cap space will affect efforts to re-sign original Golden Knight Reilly Smith. Winger Evgenii Dadonov could be moved in a cost-cutting deal to a team on his list of preferred destinations.

NBC SPORTS: Adam Gretz has little sympathy for the Golden Knights as he believes they’re to blame for their plight. He believes the club’s problems run deeper than their injuries this season, pointing out their spending on big-ticket stars created havoc with their salary-cap payroll and cut deeply into their roster depth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly shows the Golden Knights with $83.8 million invested in 18 active players for 2022-23. With the cap sitting at $82.5 million, they have little choice but to shed some salary, especially if they hope to re-sign Smith.

Dadonov seems the most likely candidate given their failed attempt to move him at the trade deadline. He has a $5 million annual average value through 2022-23 with a 10-team no-trade list but finding a suitable trade partner might not be easy.

Moving Lehner would free up another $5 million but that would mean giving the inexperienced Logan Thompson as their starter. The 25-year-old did a good job filling in for the sidelined Lehner but it could be asking too much of him to take over that role on a full-time basis.

OILERS HOPE TO SIGN KANE, RANGERS HOPE TO RETAIN COPP

TSN: Darren Dreger reports the Edmonton Oilers will make a concerted attempt to re-sign Evander Kane while the New York Rangers will do the same with Andrew Copp.

Both forwards are slated to become unrestricted free agents in July. Kane has meshed well alongside Oilers captain Connor McDavid while Copp has been a perfect fit on Artemi Panarin’s line. Dreger wondered if term could be an issue for Kane and the Oilers, wondering if three years would be too much.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane’s next contract could be determined by the outcome of his ongoing grievance hearing over the San Jose Sharks terminating his contract last January. He had three years at $7 million annually remaining on that deal.

Kane and the Sharks could agree to a settlement with the winger getting something between $4 million and $5 million annually over the next three years. The Oilers could then sign him to a three-year deal worth between $2 million and $3 million. Considering how well he’s playing alongside McDavid, Kane might accept that type of deal.

Copp is completing a one-year deal worth over $3.6 million. He’ll likely seek around $5 million annually on a long-term deal with the Rangers or another club via free agency. The Rangers have around $11 million in cap space with 16 active players under contract for next season and second-line center Ryan Strome also eligible for UFA status. Re-signing those two will eat up most, if not all of that cap space.