- Craig Custance of ESPN: Kings GM Dean Lombardi is having contract extension talks with Martin Jones and Tanner Pearson. With Lombardi’s past, they’ll most likely get done sooner than later. Contract talks for pending UFAs Justin Williams and Jarret Stoll will happen after the season. Anze Kopitar will be eligible for a contract extension after July 1st, and it won’t be a cheap one.
“We have to focus on the guys who are up,” Lombardi said of the Kopitar contract. “It doesn’t mean you don’t start working on it.”
The Kings would be interested in keeping Andrej Sekera around, but that may only happen if Slava Voynov’s contract comes off the books.
If the players and league don’t trigger the cap escalator, next year’s cap could be in the $68 million range. That would hurt teams that are already close to the cap, as well as pending UFAs like Martin St. Louis, Antoine Vermette, Cody Franson, Mike Green and Justin Williams.
“The guys whose contracts are up definitely want the cap to go up; the guys whose contracts aren’t up don’t want the escrow,” said one NHL source. “The whole purpose of a union is everybody has the same interest. That’s generally how it works. You could have a situation where the interests are diametrically opposed. I can’t think of another situation in a union where membership would be split so hard-core.”
- David Strehle of The Fourth Period: Source saying that as of Sunday morning, there have been no contract talks between the Flyers and pending UFA forward Ryan White.
- Shawn Simpson: Colin Greening has no future with the Senators, and it may be a great time to insert Shane Prince into the lineup.
- Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun: With the Leafs currently sitting 27th in the league, they are in the area to have a chance at drafting 6′ 3″ center Dylan Strome (if they don’t win the lottery). The draft lottery is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th.
- Sportsnet: Doug MacLean saying that he’s hearing rumblings that the Sabres could be looking to make a “big time run at somebody.” Possibly at the head coaching position, with Ted Nolan’s fate up in the air.