Yesterday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (audio link) that there was a snag in Vancouver’s hub city bid with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre clarifying that it pertains to contingency plans around a potential positive test. It appears that the NHL’s concern is rather significant as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the league has shifted towards more detailed conversations with Edmonton and Toronto regarding their bids. It’s not necessarily the final nail in the coffin for Vancouver but right now, the odds of them being a host city seem lower than they were earlier this week. Vegas is believed to be the other presumptive frontrunner.
Elsewhere out West:
- While the salary cap not increasing like originally anticipated would seem like a problem for the Blues when it comes to re-signing defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch posited in a recent chat that it could actually work to their advantage. A lower Upper Limit means there will be fewer teams with significant cap space that could put together a top dollar offer to try to lure him away. If that causes the offers to come in lower than anticipated, the captain re-signing with St. Louis becomes more of a possibility. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old is in line for a notable jump on his current $6.5MM AAV.
- Although he’d be unlikely to play for them, Peyton Krebs should on the Golden Knights’ expanded postseason roster, argues Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas. Injuries limited the 17th pick last June to just 38 WHL games this season (where he had 60 points) so some extra practice time with the big club would certainly help his development. Krebs is already signed so he would be eligible to be on their roster and unless he got into ten postseason games, his contract for this would still slide.