Speculation Station (8/13)
Today's edition of the #PuckReport Speculation Station features Mike Matheson, Kris Letang, Brandon Montour, The Nashville Predators, and more.
Notes from Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the latest “31 Thoughts: The Podcast”
Elliotte Friedman says it’s getting to the point for the Toronto Maple Leafs where “talk is cheap.” It’s going to be an interesting off-season. They’re going to throw a lot of players out and test the market on them and see what comes up.
Friedman wonders if the Oilers look at potentially trading Oscar Klefbom or Adam Larsson. Says Ken Holland will take a hard look at moving Larsson if he feels they can’t sign him (one year left on his deal). Also adds he sees Thomas Greiss as a sneaky good signing in net for Edmonton if Mike Smith leaves and they can afford it.
Jeff Marek says Mike Matheson has fallen out of favor with the Florida Panthers. Doesn’t see a lot of teams wanting his contract ($4.875M x 6) though. Friedman adds he can see the Panthers making a push to keep Evgenii Dadonov, but they won’t be able to sign all of their UFAs.
Friedman says he could definitely see Henrik Lundqvist playing somewhere else next season. Says a buyout was the most likely option before the pause, but now doesn’t know what the New York Rangers will do with him.
Elliotte Friedman says one of the RFAs that may not get a QO because of the tight cap and new arbitration rules is Buffalo Sabres defender Brandon Montour.
Friedman believes Nashville Predators UFA forwards Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith will walk. Wonders if they buy out Kyle Turris at $2M/yr for 8 years. It just hasn’t worked for him there whatever the reason.
Speculation Station (8/13):
Nashville Predators GM David Poile: “Some players aren’t going to be brought back... We’re not satisfied, and we’re going to make some changes. We have to manage better, John Hynes and his staff have to coach better, and the players have to play better.”
Chad DeDominicis: If the Buffalo Sabres don’t plan to qualify Brandon Montour this off-season, they need to trade him ASAP. Can’t lose him for nothing. He never reached his potential with the Sabres but they didn’t put him in positions to succeed either. Another example of asset misuse at the club.
TheAthletic (subscription required): The Pittsburgh Penguins are planning to limit their salary cap spending to the “low-to-mid $70M range” for next season, citing lost revenues. The team will seek to trade multiple veterans, ownership favors that over buyouts. GM Jim Rutherford told reportershe prefers to keep Crosby, Malkin and Letang together. However, rival executives expect him to explore a Letang trade.
Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin: “I’ve got to figure out what’s the issue. Why have we been falling short? The teams are good. The guys play hard, but there’s something rooted here that it’s not working and it’s not just trading players and changing the GM and things like that. It’s something in the way we operate every day. It’s something in the culture, and we need to change it.”
Per Elliotte Friedman, the Chicago Blackhawks are interested in re-signing Robin Lehner this off-season but aren’t willing to offer him more than a two-year contract. He wants at least three years on a deal this off-season.
Winnipeg Jets forward Bryan Little is unsure if he'll play in the NHL again. Little acknowledged the possibility his NHL career is over has “constantly been in the back of my head.” He adds: “There’s going to be some decisions that are going to have to be made about what’s next. I’m not really thinking about it until I know for certain. Until then, I'm going to keep preparing myself to be ready. That’s my plan.”
