Goaltending Unrestricted Free Agents This Fall
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: Again, the problem with unrestricted free agents when it comes to goaltending is often, too many stay put. The big one of this class may just be Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom expects to stay with Vancouver as both sides have a good thing going.
Robin Lehner intrigues many even in the most narrow of circles. He is young enough and desires stability. Several teams competing for his services include Carolina and Edmonton for starters (both could use goaltending). Pittsburgh employs a couple RFA’s but which one will get traded remains the question.
All of this pails in comparison to the goaltending carousel in Dallas. Anton Khudobin testing free agency is all but a lock but does he go elsewhere? That seems likely but not a foregone conclusion. Khudobin enjoys Dallas but the dollars have to work.
Then there is Braden Holtby. He is not what he used to be but does someone take a chance? He may go back even on a short-term deal. Corey Crawford signing a one-year deal or so with Chicago would not be surprising either. Again, it is so early in the process that even with Cam Talbot and Calgary, all there is, is goaltending speculation.
Nashville Predators err David Poile Feels the pressure
Adam Vingan of The Athletic: The pressure is squarely on David Poile. He has been the only general manager Nashville has ever known. However, the exit at the hands of the Arizona Coyotes in the playoff round sparked many questions. Is his future in jeopardy? It seems like it.
Nashville enjoys little wiggle room with the flat $81.5 million salary cap. Worse, they are loaded with a lot of bloated contracts. An NHL scout noted that Poile has made moves he did not really want to make. Most of those bold moves have not panned out. See Matt Duchene, Kyle Turris, Mikael Granlund, etc.
So, now what? Even goaltending is a bit of an issue with Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros. With the cap, expect a youth movement of sorts while retooling for Nashville. It is clear that John Hynes is going nowhere.
Does Poile bring in additional help from outside? That could be helpful as well. He needs a fresh set or two of eyes to assess what is important for this organization as the pressure mounts.