Vancouver Canucks pending UFAs are available now, but who knows what will happen closer to the deadline
TSN: Darren Dreger said that the Vancouver Canucks sent a memo to teams saying they would listen to offers on their pending UFAs, and not all of their veteran players. Names would include Kiefer Sherwood, Evander Kane, and Teddy Blueger. The Canucks have been looking for centermen. If they could get a younger player in return that they like, why wouldn’t they make the move sooner as opposed to waiting for the deadline chaos?
“But if they don’t do that, and they have to wait, they’re okay with that too. They need to get healthy, they want to continue to battle because they know what’s coming, and that’s the uncertainty around their captain, Quinn Hughes.
If this season doesn’t improve, then as you get closer to the deadline, perhaps all bets are off and you have to revisit Hughes’ future in Vancouver- either at the deadline or in the offseason.”
NHL Injuries: Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Oilers, Rangers, Penguins, Maple Leafs, Jets, and More
The Montreal Canadiens are among the teams interested in Ryan O’Reilly. The cost for O’Reilly would be…
TSN: The Nashville Predators will continue to get younger as they’ll be listening to offers on some of their veteran players. Teams will call about Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, both who have no-trade clauses, but the Preds are open to that if they are, according to Pierre LeBrun, who adds:
“The name that has the most interest is Ryan O’Reilly, which isn’t surprising – there are teams that called on him last year as well. The Predators decided to keep him at the time. He’s got a year and a half left on his contract at $4.5 million, very appealing to teams looking for a centre who’s a Stanley Cup champion.
The Montreal Canadiens are among the teams, I’m told, that have interest.”
Have been told the asking price for O’Reilly will likely be a first-round pick and an A-level prospect.
NHL Rumors: Don’t expect any coaching changes for three Canadian teams, and the Pittsburgh Penguins
Could NHL expansion fee break $2 billion?
TSN: The Seattle Kraken paid a $650 million expansion fee, but that number would be way higher now. Chris Johnston noted that people thought Dreger was crazy when he threw out a $2 billion expansion number a year ago, but recent NHL evaluations could back that.
“There’s been some evaluations, released by CNBC, in which they have found that in the last year, the overall valuations for teams have risen 15 per cent to $2.2 billion on average, which means that the average team is worth a little bit more than that potential expansion cost.”
Media rights have driven the number up. Three of the top five values are Canadian teams, with the Oilers coming in at number five, passing the Bruins.
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