Teams waiting for Evander Kane investigation to finish
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts on the Evander Kane situation.
“There are some teams who have said they will not go in Evander Kane’s direction. But there are a couple who are hoping to see next week if there is clarity on whether or not Evander Kane will face any further penalty for potentially going over the border illegally from the United States to Canada on Dec 29.
“Now, he has maintained that he did nothing wrong, the NHL is investigating it, and the Canadian border services are believed to be investigating it, although they would not say anything about any specific case when they were asked about it this week.
“The NHL has said they will not provide a timeline, they will not commit to a timeline on when this investigation will be closed, but some teams are hoping to know next week if they will be able to sign Kane or whether or not he will face any further punishment.”
Top 12 2022 NHL free agents
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: A look at the top 12 2022 unrestricted NHL free agents.
1. Johnny Gaudreau – Has a five-team trade list. Given the Flames’ position in the divisional standings, it doesn’t make sense to trade him.
2. Tomas Hertl – Has a three-team trade list. GM Doug Wilson has said he wants to get a contract done.
3. Kris Letang – Holds an 18-team trade list.
4. Nazem Kadri – A 10-team no-trade list. Both sides appear to be okay with letting this season play out. The Avalanche likely don’t have the cap room to re-sign him.
5. Filip Forsberg – Could he get $8 million on the open market?
6. John Klingberg – The Stars have already invested in three other defensemen – Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Ryan Suter.
7. Patrice Bergeron – Bruins GM Don Sweeney has said they will hold extension talks after the season.
8. Evgeni Malkin – Joe Pavelski‘s three-year, $21 million could be a comparable.
9. Jack Campbell – There is a mutual interest from both sides, but the Maple Leafs don’t have a lot of cap space.
10. Bryan Rust – Underrated player and maybe GM Ron Hextall most important decision.
11. Hampus Lindholm – What will the interim GM do at the trade deadline if they are in the playoff race?
12. Darcy Kuemper – Avs and Kuemper may let the season play out.