E.J. Hradek of ESPN: Hradek talked to Scott Niedermayer on if he’ll retire or not. A decision will be made in the next few weeks, Hradrek thinks he’ll retire. Where Ilya Kovalchuk signs is anyones guess, but Hradek doesn’t think it will be in New Jersey, with LA making the most sense. Paul Martin will have many suitors if he hits free agency. Marty Turco may be a good option for San Jose Sharks if they don’t bring back Evgeni Nabokov. He also goes on to say that if the Florida Panthers could move Tomas Vokoun, Turco would be a good fit. Dan Hamhuis could get plenty of interest if he doesn’t re-sign in Nashville, but it may come down to his asking price. Matthew Lombardi will get plenty of interest as well, he’s a solid 2-way player with a good offensive game, who’ll need a raise from his $1.817 million cap number. The St. Louis Blues would like to keep the 34-year old Chris Mason, but he may want to see how much more than the $3 million (last year’s number) he can get on the open market. Alexander Frolov may have worn out his welcome in LA (wanting $5 million plus will probably scare away many team).
Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald: Teams are getting an extended look at the Chicago Blackhawks during their Stanley Cup run, and are getting excited about what players might be available over the summer as the Hawks look to shed contracts. Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp are the most likely candidates. David Bolland would have been a potential candidate to moved, but his value has increased during the playoffs, and they may look to keep him. Dustin Byfuglien value has also increased tremdously and may have earned him another year in Chicago. After talk from the GM meetings, no teams are interested in taking on Cristobal Huet or Brian Campbell’s contract. The Blackhawks also have to worry about offer sheets for Hjalmarsson, Niemi and Ladd.
Jean-Francois Chaumont of Radio-Canada: After coming off a 70 point season, Tomas Plekanec is hoping to cash in a nice contract, rumored to be in the $5-6 million range. He’d like to stay in Montreal, but his asking price may be too high for the Canadiens. Plekanec’s agent, Brian Curran, met with Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier after the Canadiens were eliminated and are expected to meet again soon. I don’t see him returning to the Canadiens, unless it’s in the $4-4.5 million range (and that might not be possible either). Some question his playoff performance. What may help Plekanec get more money than he may deserve would be a weak offensive free agent class.
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Alexander Svitov is looking to return to the NHL after bolting to Russia two years ago. Columbus still owns his rights after qualifying him last summer, but they have no plans on him returning to the team next season. He’ll become a unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
