Contract extension talks between the Oilers and Nugent-Hopkins quiet
Ryan Rishaug: Have been told that there are no contract extension talks between the Edmonton Oilers and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins camp.
Before this season started contract talks ended abruptly and there has been nothing since.
Nugent-Hopkins has made it known that he is interested in staying with the Oilers long-term.
Ryan Rishaug: The Oilers have said that they want to keep him around, but term and money may not be as easy. The flat salary cap is making things trickier.
Conor McDavid likes playing with him, he kills penalties and is on their first power play unit.
Ryan Rishaug: Nugent-Hopkins is also a big part of their dressing room.
If the Oilers were to look on the open market to replace someone like him, it wouldn’t be easy nor cheap.
It is a complicated deal to work out teams have to be considerate of every dollar that they spend on players.
Ryan Rishaug: The Oilers are not in a position to just letting Nugent-Hopkins walk for nothing in free agency. It would be a big set back for the organization.
Binnington setting himself up for a nice new contract
Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic: St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington is off to another good start this season. It is also a contract year for Binnington. Since last season, Binnington’s numbers are right up there with the best in the league.
He’s a pending UFA and currently carrying a $4.4 million salary cap hit. Blues GM Doug Armstrong is trying to keep any contract talk out of the media.
“Yeah, we try and keep (contract negotiations) behind closed doors,” Armstrong said. “But you know, we drafted him, and he took the long road to get here, but since he’s been here, we’ve had success, and obviously we’re hoping to find a way to keep him here.
“If you look at this age and you look at what he’s accomplished, you know most teams have a No. 1 guy, and we have a No. 1 guy. Certainly, if he’s not here, we’re going to have to go find another partner for Husso. So our goal is to keep him here, obviously.”
Sources say he could be in line for a five- to seven-year deal at between $5.5 and $6.5 million. Comparables are:
- Jacob Markstrom‘s six-year deal at a $6 million salary cap hit.
- Robin Lehner‘s five-year deal at a $5 million salary cap hit.
- Matt Murray‘s four-year deal at a $6.25 million salary cap hit.
The 27-year old Billington will likely want a bigger deal than each of them.
Top five pending UFA goaltenders