- Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Penguins Marc-Andre Fleury will be a UFA at the end of the season and according to GM Jim Rutherford, it’s unlikely that he’ll get an extension before the start of the season.
“I’m not in a hurry to do a contract with him,” Rutherford said.
Fleury’s agent Allan Walsh said that they are fine with that.
“We’re actually on the same page,” Walsh said. “It’s of no consequence at all.”
Fleury would like to remain with the Penguins long-term, and he could be in Rutherford’s plans as well.
“From my point of view, he’s our goalie,” Rutherford said. “There’s no reason why he can’t be our goalie for a long time.”
Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet will work with the forwards and power play units. Gary Agnew will work the defense and penalty kill.
- Josh Gold-Smith of theScore with h/t to Kukla’s Korner: Nicklas Lidstrom turned down an offer to be Mike Babcock’s assistant in Detroit.
“It’s true that he called and asked if I was interested in taking one of the spots as an assistant coach for the upcoming season,” Lidstrom told SportExpressen in Sweden. “I was very proud of the offer, it was really flattering. We are doing well here in Sweden after the move and the children thrive in school, so it never occurred to to move back.”
Lidstrom didn’t rule out the possibility of coaching in the NHL at some point.
“You should never say never. We’ll see how we feel when we’ve been home for a few more years.”