On the New Jersey Devils …
Chris Ryan of NJ.com: Looking at five players who may not be back with the Devils next season.
Jacob Josefson – Josefson struggled with consistency and injuries this past season. They could let him walk to free up a roster spot for a younger player.
Devante Smith-Pelly – Had surgery in March and requires a few more weeks of rehab. Could be an option for the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft.
Marc Savard – His $4 million cap hit comes off the books.
Seth Helgeson – Played in only nine games this past season. Plays similar to Dalton Prout and they may not look to re-sign the pending UFA.
Luke Gazdic – Pending UFA who spent more of the season in the AHL.
Chris Ryan of NJ.com: (mailbag) If the Devils get off to a slow start next season coach John Hynes could be on the hot seat pretty quick.
The Devils have 11 picks in this year’s draft and could look to move a couple for an NHL ready player like they have in the past – Kyle Palmieri and Beau Bennett. Could happen before the expansion draft.
The Devils could target both Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner in free agency. 26-year old Dmitry Kulikov could be another option.
Avs forward Matt Duchene could be the type of player the Devils would want. The price would be high, in the range of a first round pick, another pick and a player
Defenseman Damon Severson could get a $2 million a year on a short-term deal. A bit more money on a longer-term deal.
On the Dallas Stars …
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: (chat) The Stars will decided between defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and Stephen Johns for who to protect in the expansion draft. Up front it will likely be between Antoine Roussel and Cody Eakin and they would likely protect Eakin.
thinks they could look to trade Eakin before the expansion draft. Coach Ken Hitchcock wants Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza and Radek Faksa up the middle. Eakin has some trade value as he could be a good second or third line center.
The Stars will look to draft the best player available when they pick.