On the St. Louis Blues …
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Blues were likely one of the teams that checked in with the Colorado Avalanche about forward Matt Duchene.
With the Avs wanting a top young defenseman, a first round pick and a prospect, it’s likely they Avs would have asked for Colton Parayko.
The Blues have a lot of money tied up in their centers for next year – about $15 million for their top four – so they would have had to get creative. Would be more of an offseason deal for the Blues if they wanted to pursue.
Avs GM Joe Sakic said he was in no rush to make a trade.
“To make a big deal, I’ll do whatever deal that’s going to help our franchise long-term,” he said. “But if it’s not going to happen, I wasn’t going to make something up just to say I did something.”
On the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames …
Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: As much as the Washington Capitals say they’d like to have Kevin Shattenkirk back next season, it will be a difficult task.
Evgeny Kuznetsov will likely jump to the $6 million a year range from his current $3 million. Dmity Orlov could look for around the $5.25 million that Torey Krug gets. Brett Connolly will also be looking for raise.
Pending UFAs for Capitals include Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams and Daniel Winnik.
The Boston Bruins could go after Shattenkirk in free agency, but they’d have to clear some room on the right side. They have Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins could lose defenseman Kevin Miller or Adam McQuaid in the expansion draft. Colin Miller is also a righty.
The New York Rangers will also be in the mix for Shattenkirk this summer.
The Calgary Flames would be a logical landing spot for Ben Bishop this offseason. The Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes could also be destinations for Bishop.