On Pavel Datsyuk …
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman reported that Pavel Datsyuk could leave the Red Wings after the season and return to Russia. If he left, it would be for family reasons. He is expected to sit down with his management team and the Red Wings after the season. Datsyuk’s contract is a 35+ deal, so his cap hit would remain.
The Oilers and Kings are among the favorites to sign college free agent goalie Alex Lyon. A decision is expected in the next 48 hours.
Brendan Savage of MLive: If Pavel Datsyuk did leave for the KHL after next, the Red Wings wouldn’t get any salary cap relief. Datsyuk has one year left on his contract at $7.5 million.
“I watched it on TV, I have no comment,” Holland said after the Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Air Canada Centre. “I haven’t talked to him. He has a year to go.
“I’m going to sit down with all our players at the end of the year one by one and talk to them all. Obviously, I’ll sit down with Pav.”
That won’t happen until after the season, and Holland doesn’t see a point in addressing the rumor with only three games left in the season. The Red Wings said that Datsyuk would be available on Monday. Datsyuk’s agent wouldn’t comment. Holland on if the report was news to him.
“Are the rumors news to me?” he asked. “I hear lots of rumors. There were rumors last summer, there were rumors the summer before. There will be rumors next summer. There were rumors on Nick Lidstrom for about three years before (he retired in 2011).”
On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Simmons was told a week before Jimmy Vesey informed the Nashville Predators that he wouldn’t be signing with them, that Vesey was definitely going to be signing with the Maple Leafs.
On the Tampa Bay Lightning …
Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times: Lightning GM Steve Yzerman said again yesterday that his goal is still to sign Steven Stamkos to a contract extension. Stamkos is out for one to three months. They don’t have any immediate plans to recall someone, but Yzerman admitted that they have to consider recalling Jonathan Drouin.