Stamkos would be ready if the season gets going again
Joe Smith of the Athletic: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos had core muscle surgery back in early March, and according to a video on the team’s twitter account, he could be ready to rejoin the team whenever the season gets underway.
“With the timing of all this, it was devastating at the beginning because I thought I would possibly be missing some playoff games,” Stamkos said. “And the stoppage happened, and we didn’t know how long it was gonna be. So the silver lining in that was I’ll be ready when we resume. So I’ve been able to still use this time to rehab. I’ve been going to the rink … about three times a week to skate and just start feeling normal again.”
Looking at three potential landing spots for Dustin Byfuglien
Rory Boylen of Sportnet: The Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien mutually agreed to terminate his contract and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent for next season if he decides to play. He is not eligible to play for any team for the 2019-20 season.
Byfuglien is 35-years old and coming off major surgery. Will he be able to return to form next year if he plays or would someone be getting a lesser version of his past play?
Toronto Maple Leafs – It wouldn’t be easy for the Maple Leafs to fit him in, but they are a contender that could use a right-handed defenseman. Byfuglien would have to sign for less than market value, and the Leafs would still likely need to move out salary.
Minnesota Wild – Byfuglien is from Minnesota and the Wild have the financial flexibility to possibly offer him a competitive offer. Defensemen Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba have been in the rumor mill for a while. Even if they kept Dumba, Byfuglien could be third pairing behind Jared Spurgeon and Dumba.
Florida Panthers – The Panthers need work on their blue line. They have three pending UFAs upfront in Mike Hoffman, Evgenii Dadonov and Erik Haula that may not be re-signed, so some cap space may be available. Byfuglien won a Cup in 2010 with GM Dale Tallon and coach Joel Quenneville in Chicago.