Kings interested in Stutzle?
NHL Watcher: Bob McKenzie on TSN 1050 said he believes that the Los Angeles Kings may have more interest in Tim Stutzle than Quinton Byfield at the No. 2 slot.
Could the Oilers look at some Leafs wingers? Oilers notes on Athanasiou and Puljujarvi
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Would the Edmonton Oilers be a fit for some of the Maple Leafs wingers that might be available this offseason? The Leafs and Oilers had discussed a Connor Brown for Matt Benning and Jujhar Khaira before Brown was traded to the Senators.
With the flat salary cap and Andreas Athanasiou‘s arbitration eligible, don’t think the Oilers will qualify him.
The Oilers may have thought they were close to signing Jesse Puljujarvi, but it may not have been as close from Puljujarvi’s side of things. The Oilers trading Puljujarvi is still a possibility.
Quick hits on the Panthers, Wild and Predators
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Candidates for the Florida Panthers vacant GM position could include Chris Drury, Scott Mellanby, Laurence Gilman and Michael Futa.
During the season Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin showed he would listen to calls on Jonas Brodin and/or Matt Dumba. Will he listen again this offseason?
Will the Nashville Predators hold onto Kyle Turris for one more season or will they look to buy him out? He would count $2 million against the cap for the next eight years if they bought him out.
Keys to the offseason for the Nashville Predators
Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski of ESPN: Looking at some of the offseason questions and decisions the Nashville Predators are facing.
Two big free agents – Pending UFA forwards Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith. Can they re-sign both or do they choose one of the two, Granlund is two years younger and played well under John Hynes. Both would likely get a short-term offer from the Predators but likely at a number less than they had hoped.
Can the young guys step in? With $72.2 million committed to 17 players, they may count on some cheap, young players to fill out their roster. Eeli Tolvanen and Philip Tomasino could challenge for a spot.
Can Kyle Turris be salavaged? A $6 million cap hit for four more years. The Predators may want to cut ties at some point. He could be a buyout candidate.
