- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: Blackhawks RFA Marcus Kruger remains unsigned, and Shinzawa thinks it would be a good time for a division rival to attempt to sign Kruger to an offer sheet. The Blackhawks would either let him go for the draft picks, or match it and then look to move out salary with another roster player trade. The Avalanche would have enough room to try this.
- Dan Herbeck and Lou Michel of the Buffalo News: New details involving Patrick Kane. The woman is saying that Kane took her back to his waterfront home after meeting her in a bar. She had bite marks on her shoulders and a scratch on her leg. Source saying that Kane invited the woman and her friend back to his place last Saturday. Source saying the woman went into a room by herself, then Kane entered and allegedly raped her. The woman and her friend left house, called a relative after the attack, and then went to a local hospital for an examination. Source saying the police were called after. The owner of the bar and several employees notice that a woman was “hanging all over” and “being very forward, very flirtatious with him.” The owner only casually knows Kane, and is not sure if it was the same woman who followed Kane out as he left.
“I’ve got no skin in this game. I am only telling you what I observed,” Croce said. “(Kane) was acting like a typical young guy his age, out having fun with some of his buddies. A lot of people were coming up to him, asking to have pictures taken with him. He was a gentleman. Pat had a couple of drinks and maybe a couple of shots. He was having a good time, but he wasn’t stumbling or doing anything obnoxious.”
- USA Today: The Ducks signed Jakob Silfverberg to a four-year, $15 million contract on Friday. Though it took several weeks to get it done, Silfverberg wasn’t worried.
“I’m super excited,” Silfverberg told reporters in a phone interview from Sweden. “It might have taken a little longer than I expected, but that’s how it is. … We had good talks throughout the summer. I knew the talks were going in the right direction, so I wasn’t nervous about not getting anything done. We were on the same page throughout the whole negotiation.”
The Ducks still have over $10 million in salary cap space with Carl Hagelin their only major free agent still unsigned.
- Michael Russo of the Star Tribune: (Q & A with Wild’s Mike Reilly) On the decision process to sign with the Wild over other teams who were interested.
“I think I just feel comfortable. There are a lot of great coaches that like to work with young players. There are going to be ups and downs, a learning curve especially as a young defenseman coming in. But I think there is a lot of great leadership on the team. It’s a great mix of young guys, too, who want to win, and they’re all kind of hitting their prime.”