Five Key Stories: 5/24/21 – 5/30/21

While it was a busy week on the ice with the second round mostly being set, it was a bit quieter off of it although there were still some notable reports which help comprise the top stories.

Rask, Bruins Table Extension Talks: While there is certainly an expectation that Boston and goaltender Tuukka Rask will get a new deal done, it won’t be happening during the playoffs as the two sides agreed to put those talks on hold until their postseason run comes to an end.  The 34-year-old has been a regular in Boston’s goalie tandem since 2009, making over 650 career appearances between the regular season and the playoffs.  While Jeremy Swayman looks like he’ll be part of their long-term plans between the pipes, there is definitely a spot to bring Rask back though it will likely need to come at a dip in pay from his $7MM AAV.

Flames Listening To Offers For Monahan: With Calgary missing the playoffs this season and the fact the only playoff round they’ve won over the past six years was the Qualifying Round in the bubble, there is an expectation of change for the Flames.  To that end, a report surfaced that the team is listening to offers for center Sean Monahan.  After an 82-point season in 2018-19, Monahan’s numbers have dropped significantly (and not just because the years were shortened due to the pandemic as his per-game rates were near the lowest of his career) but the 26-year-old would definitely be an intriguing addition as a change of scenery candidate.  Monahan has two years left on his contract and with impact centers to come by, there should be considerable interest despite the recent struggles.

Jones Won’t Sign Extension: While the Blue Jackets got an answer from Seth Jones, it wasn’t the one they were hoping for as the defenseman has declined to engage in extension talks with a preference to test unrestricted free agency next summer.  The 26-year-old has been a fixture on the back end in Columbus for the past six years, logging nearly 25 minutes per game along the way.  As we saw last fall, even in this market, top-pairing defenders are going to command a sizable contract which means Jones will be in line for a sizable raise on his current $5.4MM AAV.  Meanwhile, GM Jarmo Kekalainen may be a bit hesitant to risk losing Jones for nothing a year from now so as a result of this news, his name has already come up in trade speculation.

Breakdown In Talks For Nugent-Hopkins: After a decade with Edmonton following his first-overall selection in 2011, it has been widely suggested that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would find a way to work out an extension with the Oilers.  However, talks have apparently broken down between the team and the pending unrestricted free agent.  The 28-year-old has been on a relatively team-friendly $6MM contract for the last seven years and even in this cap environment, a small raise doesn’t seem to be too unrealistic, especially since he can play down the middle (although he has been on the left wing more in recent years).  Free agency is still nearly two months away so there is still time to get discussions back on track but all of a sudden, the odds of him hitting the open market are much higher than what they would have been not long ago.

Nygard Heads Home: The other news out of Edmonton involved another pending UFA winger Joakim Nygard.  Rather than try to catch on as a role player with another NHL team, the 28-year-old opted to go home, signing a six-year deal with Farjestad of the SHL, the longest contract in team history.  Nygard was an intriguing free agent pickup back in 2019 with his speed making him a possible threat on the wing but it didn’t materialize to much in the way of production as he managed just nine points in 42 games.  Nevertheless, a six-year deal to go back home is a nice consolation prize after struggling in the NHL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.