- Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times: The Blackhawks will be $1.3 million or $2.2 million over the salary cap depending on whether Teuvo Teravainen is given a roster spot. The Blackhawks need to shed at least one contract and GM Stan Bowman doesn’t appear to be worried. Trade talk usually picks up in September.
“Everyone likes their team right now,” Bowman said. “But once training camp rolls around and you start playing some exhibition games, you realize maybe that the way you drew it up in June and July isn’t playing out the way you hoped. I’m not saying we’re waiting until training camp, but that is another time period when things do change more often.”
- Tracy Myers of CSN Chicago: Blackhawks Brandon Saad would love to have a contract extension by now, but he isn’t really worried about it.
“Obviously it would be nice to get it done and have that out of the way, I guess, instead of focusing it on the year. But if it doesn’t happen there’s not much you can do. You play the season,” Saad said. “Hopefully it happens during the year and, if not, next summer. So we still have quite a bit of time to get it done, and we’ll see when it happens.”
Saad is entering the final year of a deal that pays him $832,000 and he’ll be getting a nice raise from that on a new deal.
- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: At the draft Panthers GM Dale Tallon was considering trading back to draft William Nylander. The Maple Leafs ended up drafting him and may be leaning towards sending Nylander back to Sweden to play next year.
- Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: The Stars still have RFAs in Antoine Roussel, Brenden Dillon and Cody Eakin to re-sign. Once they are locked up, they’ll have 14 forwards under contract including Rich Peverely who may not be able to play and six defensemen. The Stars and Roussel are scheduled to go to arbitration and he could get a deal in the $1.5 million per season range. Heika thinks Dillon could get contract in the $1.5 million per season range as well.