On the Washington Capitals and Ilya Samsonov …
Igor Eronko: There is a report out there that goaltender Ilya Samsonov will join the Capitals once his season with Metallurg is over. Samsonov himself doesn’t confirm the report and said that he’s still undecided. Metallugh has already offered him a contract extension.
On the New York Rangers …
Brett Cyrgalis of the NY Post: The Rangers traded pending UFA forward Michael Grabner to the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline. Grabner is open to the idea of signing back with the Rangers this offseason.
“I’m open,” Grabner told The Post before the Devils beat the league-leading Lightning 2-1 on Saturday night in Newark. “I haven’t thought about it, but I’m open to anything. I’m trying to play out my season here, try to have the best possibility of my play here the rest of the year, then see what happens after.”
If the price is right for Grabner, the Rangers would be interested. The same could be said for winger Rick Nash.
It seems very unlikely though that GM Jeff Gorton would be interested in handing out any deal over two years for a veteran free agent.
On the Detroit Red Wings …
Craig Custance of The Athletic: It’s not a surprise that the Red Wings will get younger next year.
“In my mind, I was conservative in 2016,” Holland said. “Last year at the trade deadline, we sold. This year, we traded Tomas Tatar. As I look towards next year’s team, it’s going to look to put more young kids in the lineup.”
GM Ken Holland will continue to have more meetings with the president and CEO Christopher Ilitch about the Red Wings future, as well as his own.
One source who is close to the Red Wings situation said that it would be a shock if Holland didn’t get a three-year contract extension.
There has been speculation that Holland could be moving upstairs or as a GM candidate for Seattle. There has been speculation that maybe current Lightning GM Steve Yzerman could return.
“He would have to get his head checked,” said an NHL source on Yzerman’s possible return to Detroit. “(Tampa) is going to be good for the next five to seven years.”
