- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Simmons thinks Phil Kessel could fall between Corey Perry’s $8.6 million and Ryan Getzlaf’s $8.2 million. Dion Phaneuf’s new contract could be more complicated. Simmons wonders if the Flames would be interested in John-Michael Liles. Teams entering training camp over the salary cap: Red Wings, Flyers, Bruins, Sharks, Kings and Penguins.
- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: The Rangers and Derek Stepan are believed to be apart by $1 million over two years. Stepan is thought to be looking for $7 million on a two-year deal, with the Rangers thought to be offering just under $6 million. The Rangers have between $3 and $3.5 million in salary cap space, depending on who earns the final roster spot. Ryan Callahan’s and Carl Hagelin’s injuries could lead to ‘AHL’ replacements, which would increase the cap space. Brian Boyle is entering the final year of his deal. He carries a $1.7 million cap hit and could become available if the Rangers want to make some moves.
- Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Simon Gagne isn’t too happy with Flyers GM Paul Holmgren as he felt he was misled about getting a deal with the Flyers.
“All summer, the Philadelphia Flyers kept hinting that they wanted to offer me a new contract, and I even told Robert Sauve, my agent, not to negotiate with other teams,” Gagne told LaPresse, a French-language daily in Montreal. “We trusted them. We put all our eggs in one basket and we got caught. We never thought we’d be stuck in this situation at this time of the year.”
- Gary Lawless: Lawless likes defenseman Ian White’s chances of making the Jets. They only have about $2 million in cap space. He’ll likely have to take a bit more than $1 million.