Zach Hyman interest from the Calgary Flames
Hailey Salvian of The Athletic: There is definitely mutual interest between Zach Hyman and the Calgary Flames. The question becomes can Calgary sign the forward. Better yet, can they agree on a reasonable amount and term.
The talk is that Hyman could easily generate $5.5 to $6 million AAV on a six or more year contract. That appears to be a lot of money but it has become the going rate of sorts. This is based on the Josh Anderson deal. (7 years, $38.5 million). It makes quite a bit of sense.
Now, a question is this. Hyman is now 29. Can Calgary really afford to go six or seven years on a deal? With multiple knee injuries, there is a concern. However, the forward offers so many options for Calgary.
Zach Hyman also has serious interest from Pittsburgh
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey NOW: The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking at Zach Hyman. Hyman can get an eight-year deal. This is because if something can get agreed upon, Toronto will do a reverse sign and trade.
An eight-year contract decreases the AAV ever so slightly. Simply, the serious interest is clear. It is not known if Pittsburgh has offered the forward or his camp a concrete offer just yet. One thing is certain. They will keep trying until next week.
Gauging the San Jose Sharks Trade Options
JD Young of San Jose Hockey NOW: Again and again, any Brent Burns trade would be complicated at best but no player is truly untouchable in Doug Wilson‘s world. Again, an Evander Kane has required retention written all over it like any Burns deal.
The most intriguing player arguably may be Kevin Labanc. Labanc has three more seasons at $4.725 million AAV. Teams wonder if his 28 points in 55 games is an indication of more slumping to come. Or was it just the pandemic? The forward is almost 26 and coming off two not-so-good seasons.
Yet, enough teams think the 56-point Labanc can be found again. That is the player which could generate the most value for San Jose. That is, if the Sharks actually try to trade the forward.