On the Montreal Canadiens …
Eric Engels: (asked if he feels Max Pacioretty wants to be traded out of Montreal) “I think he wanted to stay, but once it became clear that was unlikely he wanted to just get it over with. He told us to remember he’s only human. Feeling that way would only be human. Now I think he’d like to remain.”
Mick Hatten of SC Times: (S/T Habs Links) Canadiens prospect Ryan Poehling doesn’t sound like he’s in a hurry to turn pro.
“Anything can happen, but at the same time, the NHL isn’t a developmental league anymore,” he said. “When you’re in (the NHL), you better be ready to play.
“As a 19-year-old, I’m still a young kid and I’m still growing into my body. The training and the development in college has been tremendous for me. When I do enter the professional league, I want to be fully developed and ready to play hockey.”
On the Vancouver Canucks …
Rick Dhaliwal: The Canucks haven’t started contract extension talks with pending unrestricted free agent Darren Archibald. Archibald’s play has put him in a position to re-sign with Canucks, but if not, he should get a deal elsewhere.
On the San Jose Sharks …
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: wonders if the Sharks would sign forward Dylan Grambrell (University of Denver) and put him in the lineup for the rest of the year.
On the New York Rangers …
Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post: The 25-year old Vladislav Namestnikov is the final year of his two-year, $3.875 million deal – a $1.938 million cap hit.
A new deal would likely see Namestnikov in the $3 to $4 million range. Is he part of the Rangers short-term or long-term plans? If the Rangers aren’t sure yet, they could offer him another two-year bridge deal. Going to arbitration for a one-year deal is another option.
Other pending restricted free agents for the Rangers includes Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Spooner, and Brady Skjei.