On the Stars …
- Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: (mailbag) Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, Jamie Oleksiak and Jordie Benn will be free agents after the season. Re-signing Goligoski and Demers may depend on how well they play, what their cost is and if they want to test the open market. If injuries allow some of the kids to step in, and if those kids play well, one of Goligoski, Demers or Benn could be made available. If the team continues to play well, you ride it out and worry about it in the summer.
- Up front, Colton Sceviour, Patrick Eaves, Vern Fiddler and Travis Moen will be free agents and may not be brought back if the kids are playing well. If the young kids are playing well, pending free agents could be moved.
- Jamie Benn has another year left on his contract. When it’s up, he could be looking for a six or seven year deal, and is probably an $8 or $9 million player in today’s NHL.
Weekend notes …
- Damian Cox of Sportsnet: As of the this past weekend, no team as approached the Maple Leafs for permission to talk with Randy Carlyle. Before the Sharks had hired Pete DeBoer this past offseason, they asked the Leafs for permission to speak with Carlyle.
- The Blue Jackets have been looking for help on the blueline for awhile. When they made the Nathan Horton for David Clarkson trade with the Maple Leafs, they also discussed a bigger deal that included prospect Kerby Rychel and a Leafs defenseman.
- Wild’s Niklas Backstrom is healthy and wants to play. His agent, Jay Grossman said they’d consider options if the Wild want to trade him. He is in the last year of his deal and makes $3.4 million.
- UFA Olli Jokinen will have shoulder surgery soon, and it’s not known if he’ll try to come back to the NHL when healthy.
- Penguins Eric Fehr and Pascal Dupuis could be close to returning to the lineup, so GM Jim Rutherford will have a decision to make regarding Daniel Sprong.
On the Kings …
- Dennis Bernstein: (answering question about the Kings going after Lightning’s Braydon Colborn) … Not now with the way Brayden McNabb has been playing with Drew Doughty on their top pairing.