On the Detroit Red Wings …
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Detroit Red Wings are close to signing 2013 draft pick David Pope. The Wings drafted Pope 109th overall, and he finished his senior season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. A two-year entry-level deal could be done soon. They had put talks on hold while he finished his classes.
On the San Jose Sharks …
Greg Wyshynski of ESPN: Looking at the keys to the San Jose Sharks offseason.
1. Go after John Tavares – If Tavares goes to free agency, which indications are pointing that way, the Sharks will interested. They’ve been linked to him the trade deadline. If they were able to sign him, it could give them future cap concerns with Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski UFAs in 2019 and Tomas Hertl an RFA.
2. Figure out what do with Evander Kane – He fit in well since being acquired at the deadline. If they can get him re-signed at a good price, it’s something GM Doug Wilson would consider.
3. Keeping adding youth to their roster – Some of the Sharks youngsters saw regular ice-time during the playoffs. They need to see what they have in Dylan Gambrell and Maxim Letunov.
On the Boston Bruins …
Greg Wyshynski of ESPN: Looking at the keys to the Boston Bruins offseason.
1. Stay the course – They have some veterans that are still in their primes and have a solid collection of young players that can contribute. They are a team that is close.
2. Find a player like Rick Nash, but not Rick Nash – The trade for Nash didn’t really work out as well as they’d hoped. The Bruins could use a veteran power forward to play with David Krejci on the second line. Krejci carries a $7.25 million cap hit through 2021 with a full NMC.
3. Add a center – Teams that make a deep run usually are three deep at center. The Bruins could use another veteran option for their third line.
