Blackhawks looking to add up front …
David Pagnotta: Have been informed that the Chicago Blackhawks have been in trade talks with the Montreal Canadiens about Max Pacioretty and the Carolina Hurricanes about Jeff Skinner. The Blackhawks will have around $8.5 million in salary cap space.
Still plenty of time for the Canucks and Boeser to work out an extension …
Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: Canucks forward Brock Boeser has another year left on his contract, but he’s now eligible to sign a contract extension. Talks could pick up this offseason.
“I talked to his agent (Ben Hankinson) this past week and we’ll have more time in the next couple of weeks to talk about it (extension) internally and then hear from their side,” Canucks general manager Jim Benning said Wednesday. “If we’re going to do something, we’d do it then.”
Benning added that it’s too early to say if they would be able to get it done before the start of training camp.
Lack of signing bonuses in contract extension offer for Erik Karlsson …
Chris Stevenson of The Athletic: A source has said that the Senators eight-year contract extension offer to the Erik Karlsson was closer to $11 million per season than to $10 million, below the LA Kings-Drew Doughty deal of $11 million per season.
If the Senators had been serious about re-signing Karlsson they would have blown him away.
The source is from outside of the Senators organization.
The source said the Senators offer may have been close in terms of dollars, but the signing bonuses were well short. With the potential of work stoppage in a few years, players are looking to get as much up front as they can.
Stevenson thinks that the Senators may not have included big signing bonuses as they are “cash poor.”
Stevenson adds that GM Pierre Dorion may not give in to his perceived fair value asking price and could start the season with Karlsson – Miro Heiskanen from the Dallas Stars and Brayden Point or Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning.