Islanders center Mathew Barzal is one of the prominent restricted free agents of the 2020 class but it appears as if there is at least some interest in getting an early extension done. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that the team has already held preliminary discussions with his Barzal’s agent J.P. Barry and that the two sides plan to sit down sometime over the next little while to really kick start discussions. With 147 points over 166 games in his first two NHL seasons and a top-line center role, it’s possible that Barzal could command close to $10MM on a long-term deal based on some of the comparables around the league over the past year. It’s worth noting that New York already has more than $66MM in commitments for 2020-21 to 16 players so Barzal’s next contract will wind up pushing them right towards the Upper Limit.
Other notes from the Metropolitan:
- While there is no definitive timetable for his return, Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer that he doesn’t intend on placing center Nolan Patrick on LTIR at this time. The 21-year-old was diagnosed with a migraine disorder late in the preseason which has put the start of his 2019-20 campaign on hold. By holding off on putting him on LTIR, it appears that Philadelphia is hopeful that Patrick will be back within the first ten games or 24 days of the season.
- Although Devils goaltender Cory Schneider left Friday’s game with what was believed to be an injury, the issue isn’t a serious one. The team announced (Twitter link) that he was dealing with cramping and that it was effectively managed by the training staff which allowed him to travel with the team and be available to play against Buffalo tonight.