Following a strong stretch after being acquired at the trade deadline, the Devils are interested in re-signing pending unrestricted free agent winger Patrick Maroon, reports Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, it’s already out there that New Jersey is also looking to make a bigger splash either in free agency or the trade market which could play a role in whether or not they can keep him around.
Maroon, a St. Louis native, was brought in from Edmonton just prior to the deadline and he certainly made an impact with the Devils, posting 13 points (3-10-13) in 17 regular season games while adding a goal in five postseason contests. Add in his 30 points with the Oilers and he has positioned himself to be a highly sought after free agent and should land considerably more than the $1.5MM cap hit that he played under this season on his next contract.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While Washington locked up their top goalie prospect earlier today, it doesn’t appear that the Islanders will be doing the same with their netminder of the future in Ilya Sorokin any time soon. Arthur Staple of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) notes that Sorokin does not want to be subject to the entry-level restrictions on his salary; he would be forced to sign a two-year, entry-level deal given that he’s 22 years old. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express adds (via Twitter) that Sorokin is the highest-paid player with CSKA Moscow so he’d undoubtedly be taking a pay cut to sign at this time. Because there is no player transfer agreement between the NHL and Russia, the Isles can continue to hold his rights indefinitely.
- Capitals winger Andre Burakovsky skated for the first time on Friday since undergoing surgery to repair an upper-body injury back in the first round, notes Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post. However, he is not expected to play at all in the remainder of their series against the Penguins and the team is still listing him as out week-to-week.