On the Colorado Avalanche …
AP in USA Today: Forward Gabriel Landeskog is hopeful that he remains with the Avalanche to help turn things around.
“I want to be here and figure this thing out,” Landeskog said. “From the bottom of my heart, I want to be here and build this thing, because this is truly rock bottom.”
Trade rumors will continue to follow Matt Duchene this offseason.
“Whatever happens, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be an Av,” said the 26-year-old Duchene, who moved into the top 10 this season in franchise scoring. “We’ll see what happens.”
Notable UFAs: John Mitchell, Rene Bourque and Fedor Tyutin.
Notable RFAs: Matt Nieto, Mikhail Grigorenko, Patrick Wiercioch, Nikita Zadorov and Sven Andrighetto.
Adrian Dater: The Avalanche won’t start making any in-depth personnel decision on existing personnel (ie Francois Beauchemin) until early May.
Adrian Dater of BSN Denver: The Avalanche are only able to protect one of Semyon Varlamov or Calvin Pickard for the expansion draft in June.
Sources telling BSNDenver that they will be protecting Varlamov.
The 28-year old Varlamov has two years left on his deal at a $5.9 million salary cap hit. The 24-year old Pickard has one year left on his deal at a $1 million cap hit.
GM Joe Sakic met with Will Butcher and his advisor on Tuesday and they are expected to talk again next week. The Avs thought their initial meeting was “very positive.”
Mike Chambers of the Denver Post: The Avalanche will have until August 15th to sign defenseman Will Butcher or he will become a free agent. Butcher is not interested in signing an entry-level deal at the moment, and there is a possibility that he won’t.
“I told him I didn’t want an offer yet,” Butcher told The Denver Post. “I wanted to sit with him, talk with him about my year, what they’re thinking, what their philosophy is going to be. My parents are coming in this weekend for the banquet, and I want to talk to my parents before they offer me anything.”
GM Joe Sakic had said they’d have a contract offer for him as soon as his season at the University of Denver was over, which it is now.
Butcher met with Sakic on Tuesday.
“He came in and gave me his whole spiel about changes in the program, going younger and everything like that. I told him I’d get back in touch with him,” Butcher said. “I’m weighing all my options right now. I want to take my time. I don’t have anything to rush into right now. I’m not going to play anywhere right now. So I might as well take my time.”