On the Philadelphia Flyers …
Dave Isaac of the Courier Post: The plan from the start of the season for the Flyers may have been to have Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth duel each other in an internal competition for a long-term contract extension. If both didn’t play well, they could look at the free agent market after the season.
Ben Bishop is likely to hit the open market on July first and could be looking for more than the $5.9 million he’s making this season. The Flyers have a history of throwing big money at free agent goalies, which is why they should maybe proceed with caution.
Mason would prefer to start contract extension talks with Flyers GM Ron Hextall. Hextall seems to prefer to wait until after the season.
Over the past three seasons, Mason has a save percentage of .918 and Bishop has a save percentage of .919. Mason has made 34 more saves than Bishop.
Mason likely wouldn’t get more than a $1 million raise from his $4.1 million cap hit.
“I’m just trying to continue to build a body of work here on top of what I’ve already done in my previous years,” Mason said. “Hopefully in the end I’ll give them no reason not to sign me.”
On the Vancouver Canucks …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Pierre LeBrun was on TSN 1040 talking about the Vancouver Canucks. They are back in the playoff hunt, could they become buyers at the deadline?
“Hmm,” considered NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun when asked the question Wednesday morning on Vancouver’s TSN 1040. “I don’t know that Jim Benning has a huge appetite for giving up futures at this point. Again, let’s look at where they are in the standings a month-and-a-half from now, but I think that the desire to build up the reserves while staying competitive – which is a very delicate balance – I think that’s still going to lead the way.
“It doesn’t really make sense for the Canucks. Let me be as delicate as I can. Even if the Canucks made the playoffs, what’s a rental player going to really make a difference? The idea of adding, to me, at the trade deadline, is for teams that truly think they can win the Stanley Cup this year.”
