Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Penguins GM Ray Shero wants settle their coaching situation so he can focus on Evgeni Malkin, then Pascal Dupuis and Kris Letang. It could cost the Penguins around $10 million a year to keep Malkin, and ownership has given Shero authorization to keep him at almost any cost. Shero had a “productive” meeting with Malkin’s agent, J.P. Barry.
Aaron Portzline: Blue Jackets and Sergei Bobrovsky contract talks have picked up the past couple days. The sides have been waiting to see if Bobrovsky wins the Vezina Trophy, but Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has found away around it.
“I said, ‘Let’s just proceed as if he’s already won it,” Kekalainen told The Dispatch today. “Let’s take that out of the equation. Let’s assume he’s won it, and move forward from there. But … “
It doesn’t appear that a deal is imminent.
“His representation is doing what they feel is best; I don’t blame them,” Kekalainen said. “We’re doing what we think is best. I’m not discouraged at all. This is part of the process that both sides have to go through to get a deal done.
“But it’s something we’d like to work at, get settled and put behind us.”
Chris Nichols of Sportsnet: Daniel and Henrik Sedin were on TEAM1040 radio on Monday and said they hope to remain with the Canucks beyond next season. The Sedin’s haven’t talked with their agents or the Canucks yet. Henrik:
“No, we haven’t talked about it yet, actually. It’s only been a few weeks since we lost here. We’ve always been in a position where everything is going to get worked out if both sides agree that they want the same thing. We’re not panicking. Like Daniel said, we’ve been very up front that we like it here. That’s all we can do.”
Katie Strang: The Rangers and Ryan McDonagh have held preliminary talks, but nothing is serious yet.
Mark Lazerus: Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said he’ll do “everything we can” to keep Bryan Bickell.
Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago: Bickell said yesterday that he’d like to re-sign with the Blackhawks.
“Yeah, definitely, (I’d like to re-sign with the Blackhawks),” Bickell said during the Stanley Cup finals media day. “I got drafted in ’04 with this team. I think this is a second home to me. To be brought up through the minor leagues and being here the last couple years has been an honor. I feel this is a home to me. I have a lot of friends and family with me in the city. I enjoy it a lot here.”
When asked about a hometown discount.
“I don’t know about that,” Bickell said of giving the Blackhawks a hometown discount. “We’ll see. We’re just concentrating on the finals. Me and my agent will come together, and we’ll negotiate that at the end of the season.”
Chip Alexander: There is no offer on the table, but Dan Ellis and the Hurricanes are “talking back and forth.” In a “holding pattern.”
Elliotte Friedman: Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said that the Andrew Raycroft trade to the Maple Leafs was going to be either Tuukka Rask or Jiri Tlusty. The Leafs wanted it to be Tlusty, while the Bruins wanted Rask.
Naoko Funayama: Bruins Gregory Campbell had successful surgery on his broken right fibula.
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Blues have told Vladimir Tarasenko that he must improve his conditioning.
“We’ve given him a clear mandate on what we expect when he gets back here, what we’re going to see from him on a conditioning level, the grind that he’s going to have to do,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said recently.
Gare Joyce: Joyce spoke with three scouts on Monday. None had Seth Jones at No. 1. Two didn’t have him at No. 2. One had him at No. 4 behind Barkov.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: Heika on the Sergei Gonchar trade/signing for the Stars:
Had this happened last summer, I would’ve pooh-poohed the trade and said, “No way, too old.” But watching Ray Whitney last season, watching Jagr last season, these guys can do it. I don’t know how they do it, but they keep themselves in shape and I guess when you’re that level of player, even if you’re 90 percent of what you once were, you’re still pretty darn good in the NHL.
Katie Strang: John Tortorella was in Vancouver yesterday for an interview with the Canucks.
Renaud Lavoie: The Canucks have talked with Jacques Martin about their coaching position.
Josh Rimer: Both the Stars and Canucks have spoken with Jacques Martin. The Stars over the phone and in person last week with the Canucks.
David Amber: Stars GM Jim Nill said he’s already interviewed 6 potential coaching candidates. Plans on talking to John Tortorella.
Josh Rimer: Source said that Paul Maurice could be an associate coach with the Oilers this year.
Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Penguins coach Dan Bylsma spoke with Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle yesterday, with GM Ray Shero meeting with them afterwards (excluding Bylsma). Shero made a push to sign Bylsma to an extension.
Lisa Dillman of the LA Times: Kings GM Dean Lombardi will continue to take calls on Jonathan Bernier this offseason.
Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press: It’s sounding like Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is virtually untradeable. Accredited Jets blogger Pete Tessier wrote that Byfuglien weighed 302 pounds by the end of the season.
“The Jets have never been, and never will be, in the habit of commenting on rumours started on Twitter,” wrote a team spokesman in a text message.
Byfuglien will make $5.75 million this season. He’s had run-ins with coaching staff and his play regressed last year as his conditioning slipped. He hasn’t been playing a disciplined game. He can’t be traded in is present state. Byfuglien has become a problem for the Jets, one in which the GM Cheveldayoff must try to solve.
Andy Strickland of True Hockey: The Blues could use Kris Russell and Ian Cole as trade chips this summer. Strickland doesn’t see why some want to one of their forwards like a David Perron. Only way they might move one would be if trade makes them immediately better.
Igor Eronko: An exec from Traktor (KHL) said they made an offer to Kings RFA defenseman Slava Voynov, but there is no belief that he would accept it: ‘We know it’s almost unreal, but we’re going to try to sign Voynov until there is a chance’
Gary Lawless: Blake Wheeler’s camp said there has been no talks with the Jets yet. Bryan Little contract talks are “very preliminary.”
Michael Traikos: Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis on Leo Komarov: “We made him an offer that we thought was fair. If he chooses to play in RUS for more $, nothing we can do about it.” Dmitry Chesnokov: Komarov will sign with Dynamo Moscow today. His Dynamo deal would not preclude him from exploring NHL options.
Darren Dreger: If Leafs Paul Ranger decides to return to the NHL, the Oilers would be high among the 20 plus teams that would be interested in him due to the Eakins hire.
Igor Eronko: Alex Kovalev signed in the Swiss league.
Darren Dreger: Sergei Gonchar’s deal with the Stars includes a full no-movement clause with a limited trade window from January 2015 to the trade deadline in the 2nd year of the deal.
Craig Custance: Oilers RFA Teemu Hartikainen will play for Ufa of the KHL.
Nashville Predators: The Predators sign defenseman Roman Josi to a 7-year, $28 million deal. Salary breakdown: 2.5 million in 2013-14, $3 million in 2014-15, $4 million in 2015-16, $4.25 million in 2016-17, $5 million in 2017-18, $5.25 million in 2018-19 and $4 million in 2019-20.
Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun: Francis thinks that if Jarome Iginla wants a serious shot at the Stanley Cup, he’d have a take a big pay-cut. It would be due to the fact that Cup contenders would have a tough time fitting in a bigger contract. How many teams would/could fit in more than $3 million a year for him? The Ducks could be a fit, especially his Teemu Selanne retires. San Jose might be able to fit him in on a one-year deal. The Blues could fit him in on the right side, but would he fit in Ken Hitchcock’s system?
Lisa Dillman of the LA Times: Kings GM Dean Lombardi’s top priorities will be UFA Rob Scuderi and Dustin Penner. He also has RFA Slava Voynov and Jonathan Bernier to sign. The Kings could let Penner hit the open market and open a top six spot for Tyler Toffoli or Tanner Pearson.
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Blues have only had preliminary talks with RFAs Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Stewart and Patrik Berglund.
“We haven’t really moved ahead with anyone yet,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “We’ll probably do that, I’d say, 10 days before the draft (June 28) to two weeks before the draft. We’ll talk to guys if they want to get something done sooner, we’re prepared, but history shows that these guys usually don’t sign until after the free-agency period starts.”
They may get an offer sheet from someone, but that is not a concern for GM Doug Armstrong.
“Offer sheets aren’t a concern,” Armstrong said. “It’s part of the business and you know that they’re there. But the salary cap is coming down, and the mechanisms that would drive (current) teams away … that’s not available in the new CBA.”