On the Tampa Bay Lightning …
Matt Larkin of The Hockey News: Larkin looks at some storylines the Lightning will have this offseason.
Steven Stamkos – his blood clot could bring the price down a bit. It may not financially be a good idea to re-sign him to a big deal considering the other players that will need new deals in the next year or so.
Jonathan Drouin – he’ll be a RFA after next season. It may be too early to make a big, long-term commitment.
Andrei Vasilevskiy or Ben Bishop – is it time to trade one for their goalies? The Penguins and Ducks could also have a goalie on the market
Nikita Kucherov – Vladimir Tarasenko‘s eight-year, $60 million contract could be the starting point for the pending free agent. Kucherov has 41 playoff points in 43 games the past two seasons, and he’s two years younger than Tarasenko.
Their 2017 free agents – Next year they could have free agents in Victor Hedman and Brian Boyle as UFAs, and RFAs in Drouin, Vasilevskiy, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. It might be smart for GM Steve Yzerman to try and look up Johnson and Palat this offseason after they had down years. The price could go up next year if they both have a good season.
On the Detroit Red Wings …
Ansar Khan of MLive: (mailbag) Khan doesn’t think the Red Wings would be willing to give up the amount of assets to get a defenseman like Dougie Hamilton (Khan doesn’t think he’ll be traded) or Jacob Trouba. Every team would ask the Wings for Dylan Larkin, and they aren’t moving him.
They need to give their blueline a different look next season. Doubt that Kyle Quincey will be back. They could look to trade Brendan Smith. Xavier Ouellet and Ryan Sproul require waivers next year, so they’ll need a roster spot for them or they’ll have to trade them.
Could the Red Wings be able to trade for Kevin Shattenkirk without giving up Larkin? He’s the type of player the Red Wings need. Would probably include at least Gustav Nyquist or Tomas Tatar.
Upfront, Andrew Ladd and Troy Brouwer are likely at the top of their free agent wishlist, with Jamie McGinn Plan B or Plan C.
The Ducks have extra defensemen and could be looking to make a move, with Sami Vatanen the most likely to be dealt.
Ansar Khan of MLive: The Red Wings plan on interview around 50 of the 114 draft prospects at this weeks scouting combine. They plan to talk to each for 20-25 minutes.
“You’re hoping to extract some personal information, get a feel for the kid’s personality, what’s his game plan, does he have an idea of what he is as a player, what he needs to work on, what types of things he does well,” Martin said.