On David Desharnais …
Igor Eronko: Have heard that David Desharnais could be heading over to the KHL next season.
On the Anaheim Ducks …
Jim Matheson: Ducks GM Bob Murray was happy with the work of center Derek Grant this year and he is hopeful to be able to re-sign him.
On the Colorado Avalanche …
Emily Kaplan of ESPN: Keys to the Avs offseason.
1. Add more depth scoring – After Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen, production drops off. Rookie Alexander Kerfoot recorded 43 points, but no other forwards had 40 points. The Avs have lots of young players, but they should look at adding a veteran through free agency.
2. Consider a Mikko Rantanen contract extension – They already have MacKinnon, Landeskog and Erik Johnson locked up long-term, Rantanen should be next.
3. Address their goaltending – The injured Semyon Varlamov has a year left on his deal and Jonathan Bernier is a pending UFA. They could look to re-sign Bernier or try to find another backup that is capable of starting if Varlamov gets injured again.
On the Carolina Hurricanes …
Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer: Hurricanes coach Bill Peters opted out on Friday and will be joining the Calgary Flames, though it’s not official yet. The Canes are also without a GM now after owner Tom Dundon reassigned Ron Francis.
Potential coaching candidates include Mike Vellucci (Charlotte AHL) and Rod Brind’Amour (Hurricanes assist coach). Vellucci was the Canes assistant GM, but he was a longtime coach and GM of the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL.
Dundon assessing the Hurricanes season.
“It’s fairly obvious on the hockey side we aren’t good enough to make the playoffs. The record tells you who you are. We were pretty healthy, and we weren’t good enough.
“We’re probably not hard enough to play against. We probably don’t score enough. And there’s something missing in terms of our engagement.”
Jared Clinton of The Hockey News: If the Hurricanes don’t promote Brind’Amour, four coaching candidates include Dave Tippett, Alain Vigneault, Sheldon Keefe and Todd Nelson.