On the salary cap …
Sonny Sachdeva of Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman said over the weekend that depending what the NHLPA wants to do, next years salary cap could be around $80 million. The Board of Governors meetings are this week, so there should be an update.
Cap hits by season:
2013-14: $64.3 million
2014-15: $69 million
2015-16: $71.4 million
2016-17: $73 million
2017-18: $75 million
On the Philadelphia Flyers …
Sportsnet Headlines: Nick Kypreos: Wayne Simmonds may be a name that comes up more before the trade deadline. Don’t think the Flyers are actively shopping him as of yet, but with each loss comes tougher decisions for GM Ron Hextall. One executive told that Simmonds in the Flyers most valuable asset. It would be a premium time to move Simmonds to maximize the return. Claude Giroux and Jakob Voracek are locked up long-term at over $8 million, and when Simmonds becomes a UFA after next season, they likely isn’t enough money for him.
Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News: It appears that the Flyers have stopped playing for head coach Dave Hakstol. had initially thought that Hakstol would have until the start of 2018 to get things turned, but not so sure now.
The Flyers start a three-game road trip to Western Canada tonight, and if they lose all three games, they’d be winless in 13 and potentially have a new coach by the weekend. It wouldn’t easy for Hextall to fire Hakstoll.
Potential replacements could be former LA Kings head coach Darryl Sutter or former Coyotes coach Dave Tippett. Their AHL coach Scott Gordon would also make some sense as an interim.
On the San Jose Sharks …
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic: (last weeks mailbag) Too early to say what the Sharks might be thinking to do at the trade deadline, but they could consider moving pending UFA backup goalie Aaron Dell in a deal to bring in some depth up front. Dell isn’t in a rush to sign a contract extension. Hard to say what his value is. Is he a back or would some team view him as a potential No. 1?