A Matthews offer sheet may have been in the Coyotes plans
Matt Layman of Arizona Sports: Elliotte Friedman said on Barstool Sports’ Spittin’ Chiclets that he believes that the Arizona Coyotes were intending to offer sheet Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews last season if he wasn’t re-signed by July 1st. The Maple Leafs thinking this as well.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs 100% believed that if Auston Matthews got to July 1 last year, Arizona was going to offer-sheet him seven years, the max,” Friedman said. “And I’ve looked at it, and people around the league have told me they believe that to be the case.
“Nobody has said to me that’s false. I think the Leafs believed it, I think the Coyotes were going to do it and I think the league knew it. So the attitude is moving.”
The Bruins and Krug will have some decisions to make
Matt Porter of the Boston Globe: If next season’s salary cap comes in at $84 million, the Boston Bruins will have about $23 million in salary cap space.
They have pending UFAs in Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara and Jaroslav Halak and pending RFAs in Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Anders Bjork, and Karson Kuhlman.
Pending UFAs Kevan Miller and Joakim Nordstrom will likely not be re-signed.
How far are the Bruins willing to go with an extension for Krug is the big question. Charlie McAvoy‘s friendly $4.9 million is up after 2021-22 and they’ll need to take into consideration his large pay raise.
Will the Bruins be willing to go over $7 million a season for Krug? Would another team like the Detroit Red Wings be willing to go $8 million if he hits the open market? The Bruins are the only team that can offer eight-years, so that might help lower the salary cap number a bit.
Will Krug want to remain with Bruins or will he want to maximize his money?
“That’s a question you’d better ask him,” team president Cam Neely told the Globe. “He’s been a great player for this franchise. He’s a great teammate. His teammates love him. We certainly love what he brings to us on the ice. But that’s a question for him, not me.”