Five Key Stories: 1/3/22 – 1/9/22

The first full week of 2022 brought some notable surprises which are highlighted among the key stories of the week.

Klingberg Unhappy? Stars defenseman John Klingberg is one of the top blueliners that’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.  He was hoping for an extension but that clearly hasn’t happened yet and that isn’t sitting well with him.  A report surfaced earlier in the week that he had requested a trade and while Klingberg tried to walk that back a little bit when speaking with reporters including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News, he didn’t accomplish that too much.  While he acknowledged he’d like to stay, he also admitted he doesn’t “feel like I’ve been appreciated”.  The 29-year-old is set to command a max-term contract and if an extension doesn’t come over the next couple of months, his name is going to start to come up frequently in trade speculation.

Leaving Early: It’s rare that a college player leaves midseason to turn pro but desperate times called for desperate measures for Carolina, who signed goaltender Jack LaFontaine to a one-year, entry-level contract.  The 24-year-old was the goalie of the year in the NCAA last season while being a Hobey Baker finalist while posting a 1.79 GAA along with a .934 SV%.  The plan was for him to remain at Minnesota but with the team having several injuries among their goalies on NHL contracts, they’ve had to turn to him a little earlier than expected.  LaFontaine immediately loses his NCAA eligibility and will not be able to return to the Golden Gophers once the injury situation for the Hurricanes stabilizes.

Kane Released: The Sharks have parted ways with winger Evander Kane, terminating his contract after he cleared unconditional waivers.  In doing so, they are trying to rid themselves of the remaining salary and cap hit on his contract (roughly $23.5MM between now and 2024-25).  The team is citing a breach of contract and failure to abide by AHL COVID protocol which is believed to revolve around a flight he took to Vancouver during his isolation period and an assertion that he didn’t return when he was supposed to.  The NHLPA and his agent have already stated that they intend to grieve this decision so this story is far from over.  In the meantime, Kane technically becomes an unrestricted free agent but if his grievance comes with an intent to restore his original contract in San Jose, it’s possible that he holds off on signing for the time being.

Another Deal Terminated: Kane’s contract wasn’t the only notable termination of the week.  Following a breakdown over who was covering additional costs on Calgary’s arena project, the deal was terminated as a January 1st decision deadline came and went without an extension or an agreement reached.  The Flames have played in their current arena since 1983 and a new facility for them has been high on the priority list for them for several years now.  However, they’ll be going back to the drawing board now and will continue to play out of the Saddledome for the foreseeable future.

Crouse Receiving Interest: The more notable veterans in Arizona are the ones drawing attention – look no further than the reported asking price for Jakob Chychrun – but one player that’s more under the radar that is garnering interest is winger Lawson Crouse.  The 24-year-old is on pace for a career year offensively and has two years of team control remaining after this one at an affordable $1.533MM cap hit.  That has the Coyotes well-positioned to yield a strong return for Crouse if they decide that he’s not a part of their long-term plans.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.