Craig Custance of ESPN: Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier will likely find himself in a different uniform next season.
“Everybody is high on Bernier,” said an NHL scout. “There’s no question he’s been brought along nicely by L.A. I think there’s a number of teams in the NHL that need a goaltender that covet Bernier.”
Bernier is set to earn $1.25 million next year and will be a RFA. Tampa Bay is the favorite to land Bernier. Yzerman is looking for young goalie to lead the team, and they have 2 1st round picks in this years draft. The Blue Jackets are another option, though they may be looking someone with a bit more of a track record. Roberto Luongo would be an intriguing option, but would he want to play there, especially if Rick Nash is traded? The Maple Leafs are a long shot. Bernier is not a Francois Allaire butterfly goalie. Plus the Leafs may be looking for a veteran goalie, such as Tomas Vokoun.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Garrioch lists 5 Senators that could be traded this offseason: 1. Nick Foligno – he’s a RFA and will get a qualifying offer, but he likely won’t sign it. 2. Sergei Gonchar – the 35 year old will make $5.5 million next year with a no-movement clause. 3. Robin Lehner – he could challenge Ben Bishop for the backup position if not moved. They weren’t that thrilled with the way he developed last year. 4. Zack Smith – could be moved due to the depth at center, especially if they are able to bring back Chris Kelly. 5. Bobby Butler – moving Butler and his $1.2 million contract may be a miracle. He only scored 6 goals in 56 games last year. If they could get a late round pick for him, they should take it. Buying him out and living with a $200,000 cap hit for the next 2 years could be an option.
Josh Rimer via twitter: Rimer has been told by a very solid source that the Canadiens still haven’t decided on who will be their next head coach. They are still talking to candidates. It could still be a couple weeks before they decide. Bob Hartley is a finalist with 2 or 3 others.
Calgary Sun: RDS’s Vincent Damphousse said that Bob Hartley has had a 2nd interview with the Flames. There have been reports that the Hartley was to be named the Canadiens new head coach. There may also been some issues with his current coaching contract according to Darrent Dreger:
“It’s my understanding that there’s some complications with his contract over (in Europe),” Dreger told TSN Radio 990. “It’s a multi-year contract and the people in Zurich aren’t about to rip it up and say ‘Good luck.’ ”
Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Tribune: There is no chance that Dominic Hasek will play for the Lightning next season if he decides to return to the NHL. The Lightning may only offer Riku Helenius a two-way offer if he wants to return to the NHL. GM Steve Yzerman said they do have an interest in bring him back to North America.
Bruce Garrioch via twitter: There have been no formal talks between the Senators and Erik Karlsson, Filip Kuba or Matt Carkner yet.
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch: The Blues and defenseman Barrett Jackman met after their 2nd round loss, and plan to meet again at some point.
“He’s a St. Louis Blue, he’s been a St. Louis Blue, this is all he knows. He’s a big part of our team. But again, this isn’t just a one-sided decision. You play a long time to get the right to see what you’re worth ……With a guy like Jacks, he has half the cards.”
Jackman had a $3.6 million cap hit and may consider a hometown discount.
Katie Stang of ESPN New York: Rangers Mats Zuccarello is still deciding on what he wants to do next year. He doesn’t want to be on a 2-way contract going up and down between the AHL and NHL. He has agreed in principle to a deal with Metallurg of the KHL, though playing in the NHL is his top priority.
“I have some opportunities. I haven’t really decided yet, but it will come soon. I’m not going to lie, there is some part of me that wants to go, but at the same time this is where I want to be,” Zuccarello said.
“I want to be a New York Ranger. I love the players, all the guys here. The fans are unbelievable and I just love playing in New York with the team. This is where I want to be, don’t get me wrong, but I have to think about what’s best for me.”
Josh Cooper of the Tennessean: Talks are going to happen between the Predators and Ryan Suter in the coming days. “David and I plan on talking sometime this week,” Sheehy said.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:The Senators will try to trade Sergei Gonchar’s $5.5 million contract. Garrioch wonders if the Senators would trade either Robin Lehner or Ben Bishop if they get an offer they can’t refuse. They aren’t in a hurry to trade either goalie. The Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs, Lightning and maybe the Devils could be looking for goaltenders. They wouldn’t make a deal with a Leafs. The Lightning want to build around a young goalie. The Blue Jackets may get a goalie in a Rick Nash deal. The Senators showed some interest in Nash, but moved on after Howson asked for Mika Zibanejad, Mark Stone, a 1st round pick and a roster player. The Sens current plan is to bring Lehner and Bishop to camp to battle it out for the backup position.
Louis-Andre Larivere of QMI in the Toronto Sun: The Maple Leafs receive no compensation for the losing Rick Dudley to the Canadiens, except for assurance that he won’t have any input on draft day. Burke has been pushing for teams to get compensation for losing front office employees. Burke on Roberto Luongo trade speculation:
“There has not been significant discussion (with the Canucks) about that player,” Burke said.