We saw Drew Stafford go off the board earlier today in a late-summer free agent signing, and now Darren Dreger of TSN told The Instigators on WGR 550 in Buffalo that he believes the Detroit Red Wings still have interest in bringing back Thomas Vanek.
Vanek’s name is at the top of the page. I think that Detroit legitimately does have interest in Vanek. Between Florida and the Red Wings he scored what, 17 goals last year? I think they’d like to add him, but at what cost—they don’t have a lot of cap space.
We’ve discussed many times the cap trouble that the Red Wings are in as they start their rebuild, but there remains this underlying hope that the team can get back to the playoffs this year. Vanek could legitimately help that cause, and be a potential trade deadline flip should the Red Wings fall out of it again. The team would likely need to make a subsequent move in order to fit him in.
- Dreger also speaks on the potential of a Matt Duchene trade, saying that the Avalanche still want a top young defenseman in return. Dreger has said in the past that it would be awkward for Duchene and Colorado to start the season together, but makes it clear that the forward is a professional and would not make a public show of his frustration. Nashville and Montreal are mentioned as possible destinations, but not as anything more than speculation from the insider.
- CapFriendly sorted out the details on Alex Kerfoot’s entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche, reporting that it will be for the maximum $925K each season (salary+signing bonuses) while it also carries $212.5K in performance bonuses. With Kerfoot likely to jump right to the NHL, many of the bonuses will be in his reach, which could cause his cap hit to creep over $1MM.
- Eeli Tolvanen got off to a great start with his KHL team, and the Nashville Predators’ prospect spoke about where his future lies as he continues to develop. Tolvanen was denied admission to Boston College just before the draft, likely causing him to fall to the Predators at 30th-overall. Tolvanen says that Boston College told him he could join the university after Christmas, but he’s now dedicated to Jokerit where he’s playing against other professionals. Tolvanen has one of the most remarkable wrist shot releases in this year’s draft class, but he won’t compare himself to the best just yet: “When I was young, I dreamt about shooting like [Alex] Ovechkin. Hope that one day I can be at his level.”