On the 2018 Olympics …
Pierre LeBrun: Gary Bettman has said the owners aren’t really interested in going to the 2018 Olympic’s in South Korea, but Donald Fehr (executive director of the NHLPA) thinks they’ll be going.
“I’m more optimistic now that I ever have been, at least as far as we’re concerned, that we’ll be able to reach an appropriate agreement with the IIHF to allow for the players to go,” Fehr, the executive director of the NHL Players’ Association, told assembled media before the Centennial Classic.
“So I assume there will be further discussions over the course of the next several weeks and I choose to be optimistic on this one. We’ll see.'”
On the Columbus Blue Jackets …
Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: The Columbus Blue Jackets have some bad contracts and will need to move someone at some point to fit in the new contract that Alexander Wennberg will need for next season. They have $4.75 million in Scott Hartnell, $5.85 million in Brandon Dubinsky through 2021 and $5.25 million to David Clarkson through 2020.
On the Chicago Blackhawks …
Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times: After signing Artemi Panarin to a two-year, $12 million contract extension last week, the Blackhawks now have about $66.6 million committed to 15 players next season. That doesn’t include performance bonus overages that could be applied – up to $2.575 million potentially for Panarin.
If the salary cap ceiling is around $73-75 million, the Blackhawks could be left with $5-7 million for seven or eight players.
The Blackhawks will lose someone in the expansion draft, possibly Marcus Kruger ($3.08 million), Trevor van Riemsdyk ($825,000), or Ryan Hartman ($863,000).
GM Stan Bowman said it’s “way to premature” to talk about who could stay or be moved out.
With the salary cap leveling off the past few seasons, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews‘ $10.5 million contracts look like albatrosses. At the time they signed the deals, they were considered below market value.
“The same could be said for all of our guys,” Bowman said. “I think Artemi’s the latest guy. When I talk to these players and their agents, the one thing you have to try to convey is that everyone who’s come before you has not tried to get every last penny, because there’s something special here and they want to be part of it. … Success will do that. We hope to have more of it as we go forward.”