On free agent Matthew Benning …
Bob Stauffer: Have been told that multiple teams have interest in free agent defenseman Matthew Benning. Benning was an unsigned draft pick of the Boston Bruins. The Kings, Oilers and Canucks would make sense.
On the Colorado Avalanche …
Terry Frei of the Denver Post: The Avalanche are looking for a coach who would be a “teacher”-type.
Blue Jackets assistant coach and former Avalanche forward Brad Larsen is a candidate. AHL coaches Jared Bednar and Travis Green, and NHL assistants Scott Arniel and Lane Lambert are also being considered.
On the St. Louis Blues …
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: (repost) Blues GM Doug Armstrong said the other day that Vladimir Sobotka will returning to the Blues according to his agent.
“I talked to the agent yesterday, and he said (Sobotka) will be here,” Armstrong wrote in a text message to the Post-Dispatch.
Igor Eronko: The GM of Avangard of the KHL: ‘Sobotka will join us as soon as he’s healthy. Forget about St. Louises and other nonsense’
On the Calgary Flames …
Aaron Vickers of NHL.com: Flames GM Brad Treliving was able to lock up Sean Monahan long-term last week. He’ll continue to work on getting their other big RFA, Johnny Gaudreau, locked up to a long-term deal.
“I think there’s some uniqueness when you have two young players like this, relatively the same age, coming out at the same time,” Treliving said. “Is there uniqueness? Sure there is. Does one impact the other? There’s a marketplace. We’ll continue to work away. That’s all you do. You pick away at it every little day. You try to find common ground.
“We know Johnny is an important guy, as all our players are. He’s a terrific young player. He wants to be here. We want him here. You keep working away at it. We have every confidence that we’re going to find a deal that’s fair and works on both sides.”