NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets, Canucks, Oilers, Flames, Panthers, and the Cap

Leafs GM and president on William Nylander

Luke Fox: Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving on William Nylander’s next contract: “We’ll continue to work away at it quietly in the background.”

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan on the importance of a Nylander extension.

“It’s incredibly important,” Shanahan said. “William is a very important player for us. And the conversations have gone well. We’re not going to do this thing through the press, but everything has gone very well. We’ll continue to work quietly on that and remain optimistic.”

The Blue Jackets looking to move a defenseman

Puck Pedia: Sources are saying that the Columbus Blue Jackets have been talking to some teams lately about moving a defenseman off their roster. The Blue Jackets have let teams know that they are looking for more flexibility on the blue line.

2023-24 NHL Divisional Rankings: Central Division

Quick hits on the Canucks, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Flames, Panthers and a very preliminary cap number

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Conor Garland‘s contract (three years left at $4.95 million) is a challenge to move and the Vancouver Canucks had been trying. They are willing to retain some salary.

The Toronto Maple Leafs called the Edmonton Oilers about their potential interest in Sam Lafferty. The Maple Leafs asked the Oilers about Vincent Desharnais. The Oilers coaches really like Desharnais.

At this time, the Ottawa Senators won’t be putting Josh Norris on the LTIR. If they did, they’d have room to sign Shane Pinto and could worry about the cap issue in a couple of weeks. The Sens and Pinto aren’t close on a one-year deal but are on a bridge deal. The more time Pinto misses, the higher value his cap hit becomes.

Elias Lindholm is thought to be looking for around $9 million. The Calgary Flames could use Mark Scheifele‘s new $8.5 million deal.

The Flames have gone back to defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev to see if they can work out an extension.

NHL Rumors: Vancouver Canucks – Could They Eye a Defenseman, and Elias Pettersson

The Florida Panthers were aggressive on the Patrick Kane front this offseason and the Buffalo Sabres are another team to watch.

The very early, very preliminary salary cap number for the 2024-25 season is $87.7 million.