The San Jose Sharks need to add some veteran leadership
Sheng Peng of NBC Sports Bay Area: The San Jose Sharks need to ‘create a more positive, competitive environment’ for top prospect Will Smith and expected first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini.
The Sharks aren’t in a position and it doesn’t make sense to offer the top pending UFAs a big, max-term deal or giving up meaningful assets to trade for someone like Mitch Marner.
If Logan Couture can’t play a full season, they’ll be a little thin down the middle. They could use a veteran middle-six center. The New York Islanders will be looking to shed salary and Jean-Gabriel Pageau with two years at $5 million per is a possible option.
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A gritty, scoring winger could be on GM Mike Grier‘s offseason radar. Would Canucks pending UFA Dakota Joshua be an option?
They could use a couple of right-handed defensemen. Dylan DeMelo and Sean Walker might interest them.
The Boston Bruins could be eyeing a couple of centers
Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins had tried to trade for center Elias Lindholm before. He’s a pending UFA that might make it to July 1st. Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that Vegas Golden Knights’ pending UFA center Chandler Stephenson could be another option.
“So I am expecting them to be in on him if he hits the market. Someone else said to me — throw Chandler Stephenson’s name in there. I think there are a lot of people expecting that Stephenson will be on Boston’s radar. People definitely believe Boston is going to get a center.
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When the Bruins say they’re going to do something, they tend to do it. And they tend to attract good players to them because they’re generally a very well-run organization. So I think there’s — whether it’s Lindholm or Stephenson or somebody we’re missing right now. There’s definitely a belief Boston is going to do something here down the middle as they have promised.”