On the Pittsburgh Penguins …
Scott Brunside of ESPN: There is the sense that the changing of the guard in net could be taking place in Pittsburgh – from Marc-Andre Fleury to Matt Murray.
With an expansion draft possible, teams may only be allowed to protect one goalie, and it’s very likely they’d keep Murray.
“There’s no dilemma,” said one NHL executive of the choice between which goalie to protect. “Murray is younger, better, cheaper.”
Fleury has three years left on his deal at a $5.75 million cap hit. Fleury has a no-movement clause and a limited no-trade clause. Fleury might have to accept that if he wants to be a starter again, it might have to be somewhere else.
“Based on playoff body of work and age, they have to keep Murray,” said longtime NHL executive and ESPN.com contributor Frank Provenzano. “If I was a team trying to manage this, I would be proactively asking early for acceptable destination lists from my goalie who is not on my protected list once the rules get sorted out.”
On the Detroit Red Wings …
Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News: If Steven Stamkos hits the open market, the Red Wings could be in a bidding war with Maple Leafs, Sabres, Bruins, Canadiens, Canucks and Rangers. The Red Wings would need to move Pavel Datsyuk’s cap hit – if he decides to leave the Wings. GM Ken Holland will be checking out the free agent market.
“We’re going to explore free agency like we’ve done,” Holland said. “Those players that are out there on July 1, for the most part, are support players, secondary players, and they’re not players that carry franchises around.”
Potential Red Wings targets could include Stamkos, David Backes, Darren Helm, Alexander Radulov, Milan Lucic, Troy Brouwer, Andrew Ladd, Keith Yandle, Kris Russell and Dan Hamhuis.
