The Latest On Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang
Rob Rossi of The Athletic: It is the decision that Pittsburgh will be talking about over the coming weeks and eventually months or even years. Decision time looms for Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. What will Ron Hextall and the Penguins do?
Offers have been made but no frameworks are even out there. The focus initially is on Letang first and no one knows how that will impact Malkin negotiations. Both players are in the 35+ category, so expecting them to get a raise above their current salaries feels unlikely.
However, nothing is ever certain. Keep in mind Sidney Crosby, Letang, and Malkin have spent 16 years together. No wonder why a decision has not been rushed nor will it be.
The New York Rangers Impending Free Agents
Mollie Walker of The New York Post: New York has a total of 11 restricted or unrestricted free agents. That means a lot of decisions to be made. There are some easy choices and some more difficult ones on the horizon.
Ryan Strome is the most critical decision and New York has little wiggle, err, cap room when it comes to slotting the forward into their plans for 2022-23. Can New York look elsewhere and maintain team chemistry? If they can somewhat, Strome likely is allowed to walk.
Kaapo Kakko is an intriguing story but more than likely the RFA stays where he is at. New York will mend fences with the young player. His bridge number hovers around $2-3 million. It appears doubtful anyone would try to offer sheet the Finnish forward above $4 million. One never knows but for now, that is the latest.
Andrew Copp remains the perfect fit for a New York team going forward. Would he take a little less to stay with a potential Stanley Cup contender? If Copp believes New York is close, expect him to come back to the Blueshirts. If not, he will walk.
After that, Tyler Motte boils down to contract length on where his next stay may be. Frank Vatrano and Justin Braun easily could test the market. Sammy Blais (re-signed yesterday) and Grant McKegg are the most likely to return out of the rest on team-friendly deals.