Snapshots: Schedule, Shattenkirk, Salary Cap, Coyotes, Red Wings, Malkin, Dallas Defense

The NHL released their 2016-17 schedule on Tuesday.  Here are some of the important dates:

Wednesday, October 12: Regular season begins
January 27-30: All-Star Break
Tuesday, February 28: Trade deadline
Sunday, April 9 Final day of the regular season

Elsewhere around the league:

• The market for St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk appears to be heating up, writes Joe Haggerty of CSN New England. Boston, Edmonton, and Philadelphia have already expressed an interested in acquiring Shattenkirk who is one year away from unrestricted free agency with a cap hit of $4.25MM.  Haggerty also notes that Shattenkirk is looking to play on the East Coast following this coming season.
• Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that teams should learn the salary cap figure for next season at some point today. If the NHLPA exercises their 5% inflator, an option given to them each season in the CBA, the cap should be somewhere around $73MM.
• The Coyotes are open to trading up or down from the seventh overall pick in Friday’s NHL Entry draft, writes The Arizona Republic’s Sarah McLellan. GM John Chayka acknowledged he received a “pretty impressive offer” last week with regards to trading down in the draft.
• If Detroit wants to move the cap hit of now-retired Pavel Datsyuk, GM Ken Holland may have to give up a top young prospect. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that other teams are asking for 2015 1st rounder Evgeni Svechnikov or speedster Andreas Athanasiou to be included as a sweetener for them to take on Datsyuk’s $7.5MM cap charge.
• Steve Zipay of Newsday hears that the Blackhawks are “seriously kicking tires” on Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin. Considering Chicago is in a tough spot with their free agents and cap situation, they would have to find a way to clear up a lot of cap space in order to take on Malkin’s $9.5MM contract.
• Dallas GM Jim Nill said Tuesday that he expects free agent defensemen Jason Demers and Kris Russell to test the free agent market, reports ESPN’s Craig Custance. Nill noted that they’re content going with a younger group of defenders.