Patrik Laine drawing interest from at least six teams
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period: Among the teams believed to have some level of interest in Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine include Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks.
Could the Oilers move Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period: Could Edmonton Oilers explore the idea of moving forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has one-year left on his deal? Some think that he won’t be easy for GM Ken Holland to re-sign.
They have several areas of need to fill – two top-six forwards, a third-line center, a top-pairing defenseman, a stay-at-home defenseman, and a goaltender.
Trading RNH would fill some needs, but would also leave Connor McDavid without another winger.
Keys to the offseason for the Dallas Stars
Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski of ESPN: Looking at some of the questions and decisions the Dallas Stars will be faced with this offseason.
Lock up the youngsters – Restricted free agents in Denis Gurianov, Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa. Gurianov and Hintz will likely sign bridge deals but the Stars may be better off to try and get them locked up long-term. Miro Heiskanen will be an RFA after next season and will need a huge deal.
Some veterans stay, some go – They have five pending UFAs in Anton Khudobin, Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, Roman Polak and Andrej Sekera. Perry could be an option on a short, cheap deal. Janmark and Sekera likely won’t be back. Polak is playing in the Czech Extraliga next year. Khudobin may have priced himself out of Dallas after his playoff run.
Taking stock of leadership – The Stars have over $19 million in projected cap space. They could look to add some free agents or give some younger players a shot. The head coaching position is Rick Bowness‘ if he wants the interim tag removed.