Keys to the Washington Capitals offseason
Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski of ESPN: Looking at some of the offseason questions and decisions the Washington Capitals are facing.
Goodbye Braden Holtby? There weren’t any contract extension talks between the Capitals and pending unrestricted free agent during the season. The Capitals may not be interested in signing him long-term, especially with Ilya Samsonov on an entry-level deal.
Blue line fixes: Coach Todd Reirden had trouble finding chemistry with his defensive pairings. There is a mutual interest to re-sign trade deadline acquisition Brenden Dillon. He’ll be looking for a raise from this $1.635 million. Radko Gudas is a UFA and may not be back.
Is Reirden the right man to coach the Capitals? He’s lead them to good regular seasons but have been knocked out of the playoffs early each year. This strange year may have boughten him another shot.
Don’t expect any big free agent signings for the Blue Jackets
Craig Merz of NHL.com: Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said they won’t be looking heavily into free agency this offseason.
“I don’t believe in the signings to be the answer or recipe for success,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Friday. “We’ve done a good job building through drafting and having some depth.
“That was tested this year obviously with the injuries, but a lot of the guys that got that opportunity lived up to the expectations or exceeded it.”
Pierre-Luc Dubois will be a restricted free agent and will need a big, new deal. He had 10 points in 10 playoff games.
Blues aren’t concerned about Pietrangelo
Sportsnet: The St. Louis Blues don’t appear to be that concerned with pending unrestricted free agent Alex Pietrangelo.
“The one thing I hear a lot about… is there’s time,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman explained during the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. “We’re still seven weeks away from free agency period. We know the interview period is over now, and there hasn’t been a lot of negotiations. But this is a complicated time and a complicated situation.
“I think at the end of the day, most people believe that Alex Pietrangelo would like to remain with the St. Louis Blues, and there is time for both sides to get serious and work this out.”