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Injury Updates: Oilers, Varlamov, Foote, Rust, Dunn, Maatta

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Oilers winger Zack Kassian will suit up tonight after missing Edmonton’s season opener while in concussion protocol, the team announced (Twitter link).  He suffered the injury in a fight late in the preseason when his helmet came off.  To make room for Kassian, Edmonton has placed forward Devin Shore on IR with an undisclosed injury, notes Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link).  The placement is retroactive to last Saturday which means he’ll have missed seven days already which means Shore could be activated as soon as Tuesday’s game against Anaheim.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov missed training camp due to nagging soreness with head coach Barry Trotz expressing optimism that the veteran wouldn’t miss much time. However, Newsday’s Andrew Gross relays that while the netminder took a few shots at the end of practice on Friday, there remains no timetable for a return.  Trotz ruled out the possibility of a conditioning stint but it remains unclear when Varlamov will actually be able to suit up for New York.
  • Lightning defenseman Cal Foote is roughly a week away from returning, notes Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). He had surgery last month to repair a torn tendon in his hand which caused him to miss all of the preseason.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising if Tampa Bay asked him to start with a short conditioning stint first; he’d have to agree to the move as he’s no longer waiver-exempt.
  • The Penguins have ruled out winger Bryan Rust for tonight’s game against Chicago, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 29-year-old was injured early in the third period on a hit from Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar on Thursday.  The team is still evaluating Rust’s injury so there’s no timetable yet for his return although he has been placed on IR.
  • Vince Dunn will miss tonight’s game for the Kraken, relays Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link). The blueliner is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed issue.  Haydn Fleury will take Dunn’s place in the lineup.
  • The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated defenseman Olli Maatta off injured reserve. He’ll take the roster spot of Christian Wolanin who was claimed off waivers earlier today by Buffalo.  The 27-year-old had a sparing role with Los Angeles last season, logging less than 17 minutes a game in 41 appearances while recording just four assists.

Trade Rumors: Laine, Dumba, Rust

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While it is Frank Seravalli who produces TSN’s Trade Bait board, colleagues Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun backed up the trade statuses of a pair of players at the top of his board on this evening’s edition of Insider Trading. While he may be only 22 years old with four 50+ point seasons under his belt, don’t dismiss the rumors surrounding Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine as wild speculation, warns Dreger. He states that the Jets are “serious” and absolutely listening on the young scorer. In fact, the Laine noise has not been louder merely because the interest has been limited so far, either due to the asking price or other teams not truly believing that Laine is for sale. LeBrun notes that the Columbus Blue Jackets are one team that is definitely interested in Laine. The team sorely needs high-end talent up front as may have the top-four defenseman and young center that Winnipeg desires. Another team that also kicked the tires on Laine was the Carolina Hurricanes, but LeBrun believes that they balked at the asking price for the Finnish sniper and talks fell off after that. One team that hasn’t checked in on Laine yet? The Montreal Canadiens. While LeBrun acknowledges that the Canadiens could desperately use a player of Laine’s ability, they thus far have been hesitant to enter negotiations.

  • The trade availability of Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, No. 2 on the trade bait board, has been far more concrete, as teams and the media alike can look ahead to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft and see the conundrum coming down the line for the Wild. Yet, Dreger states that Dumba is on the block, but Minnesota is not in a rush to move him. He believes that the Wild will hold on to Dumba, perhaps even through the season, until the asking price is met. Right now, that price is believed to be a legitimate top-six center, which Dreger feels might be asking too much. The other option could be a high first-round pick and a young roster forward, which is a more likely return. The team will hold out for one of those two returns, as there is no urgency to move on from Dumba at a lower price.
  • One name that rival GM’s are asking about who isn’t necessarily on the block is Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust. Rust is coming off of a career year, but it seems like no one on the Penguins roster is safe, leading other teams to ask the question. GM Jim Rutherford tells The Athletic’s Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe that he will listen to any offer, but isn’t keen to trade Rust. However, another sources tells The Athletic that Rutherford would part with Rust for an NHL-ready prospect and another top prospect. That might be a heavy price to pay, but don’t rule out the possibility in an unpredictable off-season.

NHL Announces Player Gaming Challenge

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The NHL is trying desperately to stay relevant even as their season sits in limbo and have today announced a new feature for fans to tune into. The NHL Player Gaming Challenge will be a tournament of EA SPORTS NHL 20 games featuring players from each of the 32 organizations. The tournament will go for four weeks starting on April 30th. The league and EA will donate a combined $100,000 in support of COVID-19 relief.

Because the Seattle expansion franchise doesn’t have any players to represent them at this point, Luke Willson from the Seattle Seahawks of the NHL will carry the torch.

The full list of participants:

Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler

Arizona Coyotes: Conor Garland, Clayton Keller

Boston Bruins: Jake Debrusk, Charlie McAvoy

Buffalo Sabres: Brandon Montour

Calgary Flames: Noah Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk

Carolina Hurricanes: Warren Foegele

Chicago Blackhawks: Drake Caggiula, Alex DeBrincat

Columbus Blue Jackets: Elvis Merzlikins, Zach Werenski

Colorado Avalanche: J.T. Compher

Dallas Stars: Stephen Johns, Jamie Oleksiak

Detroit Redwings: Madison Bowey, Anthony Mantha

Edmonton Oilers: Caleb Jones, Darnell Nurse

Florida Panthers: Jonathan Huberdeau

Los Angeles Kings: Michael Amadio, Blake Lizotte

Minnesota Wild: Devan Dubnyk, Jordan Greenway

Montreal Canadiens: Victor Mete, Nick Suzuki

Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg

New Jersey Devils: MacKenzie Blackwood

New York Islanders: Matt Martin

New York Rangers: Chris Kreider

NHL Seattle: Luke Willson, Seattle Seahawks (NFL)

Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk, Chris Tierney

Philadelphia Flyers: James van Riemsdyk

Pittsburgh Penguins: Zach Aston-Reese, Bryan Rust

San Jose Sharks: Evander Kane, Marcus Sorensen

St Louis Blues: Colton Parayko, Robert Thomas

Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson

Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Hyman

Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko, Adam Gaudette

Vegas Golden Knights: Ryan Reaves, Alex Tuch

Washington Capitals: Evgeny Kuznetsov

Winnipeg Jets: Anthony Bitetto, Kyle Connor

Select games can be seen on NBC Sports and Sportsnet ONE. All matches will also air within NHL Network’s on-air programming or its Twitch channel.

Penguins Activate Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced several moves today, which included activating several of their players off of  injured reserve. The team announced they activated forwards Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust (who was on long-term injured reserve) and both are expected to play in today’s lineup against Dallas.

The Penguins also changed the status of several players as Sam Lafferty, Adam Johnson and Joseph Blandisi all had their emergency recalls altered to regular recalls.

Rust has missed the entire season after blocking a shot in the preseason with his hand. The 27-year-old winger has also been a major missing piece in the Penguins’ lineup which also is missing Evgeni Malkin. The hope is that Rust can immediately supply the top-six with a prominent winger and add some offense to a suddenly struggling Pittsburgh squad. Rust scored a career-high 18 goals last season.

Bjugstad hasn’t appeared in a game since Oct. 5 after going down with a lower-body injury and should be a big addition to a team in need of some healthy veterans. The 27-year-old center has only appeared in two games this season, but scored nine goals and 13 points as a bottom-six center for the team in 32 games after the Penguins acquired him from Florida in February earlier this year.

Minor Transactions: 10/02/19

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Now that the compliance deadline has passed, teams all around the league will likely tweak their rosters before tonight’s action gets underway. As always, we’ll be here keeping track of all those moves throughout the day.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled John Marino from the minor leagues, placing Bryan Rust on long-term injured reserve. Rust will have to miss at least ten games and is expected to be out “longer-term” according to his head coach yesterday. Marino, 22, was convinced to leave Harvard and sign a two-year deal after the Penguins acquired his rights from the Edmonton Oilers in July.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Urho Vaakanainen from the minor leagues, while sending Connor Clifton and Karson Kuhlman down to the AHL. These moves are simply cap maneuvering to maximize the space the Bruins can work with this season.
  • As expected, Christian Fischer and Kyle Capobianco have been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes to fill out their NHL roster. Fischer had been sent down on a paper transaction to become cap compliant, but is back up with the team and looking to make an impact at some point this season.

Injury Notes: Beaulieu, Rust, Makar

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The Winnipeg Jets already lost several defensemen this summer to various means, and now will be without another for the first month of the season. Nathan Beaulieu has suffered an upper-body injury and will be out for four weeks according to Murat Ates of The Athletic. Beaulieu was one of the players expected to pick up some slack this season after re-signing with the Jets for $1MM, but will have to work hard to get back into the lineup at some point in the future. The team claimed Carl Dahlstrom off waivers today to give them some more depth.

Ates also notes that Bryan Little did indeed suffer a concussion when he was hit by Luke Kunin in a game this weekend. Though there is no timetable for his return at this point, it comes as just another blow to a weakened Jets team that can’t seem to find any respite these days.

  • Another team that might be facing a lengthy absence from an important player is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today that Bryan Rust will be out “longer-term” after blocking a shot against the Buffalo Sabres. Rust took the shot right to the palm of his hand, though there has been no confirmation if it is broken at this point. Sidney Crosby, who also blocked a shot and suffered a minor injury, was back out on the ice today for the Penguins.
  • Alarm bells went off in Colorado today when Cale Makar was missing from practice with the Avalanche, but head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic that it was just a “little tweak.” Makar is expected to be ready for the start of the season.
  •  The same can be said about Mikael Backlund who skated by himself before Calgary Flames practice today. Backlund has a minor lower-body injury and according to GM Brad Treliving (via Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet) is expected to practice tomorrow and be in the lineup when the Flames take on the Avalanche on Thursday night.

Metropolitan Notes: Konecny, Kuznetsov, Rust, Van Riemsdyk

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There was some hope that after Ivan Provorov signed, the Philadelphia Flyers would put all their attention to their other unsigned restricted free agent, Travis Konecny with the hopes of getting him to training camp as quickly as possible. Instead, that hasn’t happened yet with Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi reporting today that no progress was made between the two sides on Saturday.

Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault expressed his disappointment that Konecny isn’t in camp yet as he will be missing valuable time learning the new coach’s system.

“I’m very disappointed that T.K. is not here,” Vigneault said after his first practice leading the Flyers (via NBC Sports’ Jordan Hall). “It’s the start of a new era, a new group, I felt that it was very important for everybody to be here.  With my time in the NHL, my experience, anybody that falls behind — whether it’s injury or in T.K.’s situation not coming to camp — usually it takes them a little bit of time to get back at it, especially at this time with a new coaching staff and new way of doing things. It’s unfortunate, but I’m going to work with the players that are here and going to work extremely hard with those players.”

Konecny could also find himself sliding down the lineup if he can’t get back to camp quickly. On day two of training camp, Vigneault used rookie Joel Farabee (in place of Konecny) with first-liners Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux, with the rookie faring quite well and getting praise from Vigneault.

“He showed that he belonged there,” said Vigneault.

  • With a three-game suspension hanging over Evgeny Kuznetsov to start the season for inappropriate behavior, Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden suggested that Kuznetsov is likely to get a lot of exhibition action during the preseason to make up for the three suspended games, according to Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. NHL.com’s Tom Gulliti adds that Kuznetsov’s $7.8MM AAV will not against the Washington Capitals salary cap during the suspension, which could be a benefit to the team, which is currently over the cap.
  • The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) writes in his most recent mailbag column that the Pittsburgh Penguins most valuable and likely trade chip is forward Bryan Rust. The 27-year-old scored 18 goals and 35 points last season and is a key depth option, but at $3.5MM per season, Rust is the perfect candidate to solve some of the team’s cap issues, although the Penguins’ preference is to find a team that would be willing to take on Jack Johnson and his four years at $3.25MM AAV contract.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes revealed that they don’t expect defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to be ready for the start of the season, according to NHL.com’s Michael Smith. The 28-year-old van Riemsdyk underwent surgery on his left shoulder in May and has been cleared to begin skating without contact after team practices. “I don’t expect him to be ready for the start of the season,” Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell said. “It just depends on how things go for him. There’s no reason to rush him back in game one or game two. It’s a long season. If we’re going to go deep, we’re going to need him. We’ll be very patient.”

 

Penguins Unlikely To Make Cap-Clearing Trade

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently over the salary cap limit, per CapFriendly, with $81.66MM committed to 23 players. That does not include restricted free agent defenseman Marcus Pettersson, who reportedly has been waiting for the Penguins to clear the necessary space to sign him to a long-term contract. GM Jim Rutherford even stated that he hoped to sign the 23-year-old blue liner to a long extension and would likely need to move out another roster player to do so. So, a trade is coming to Pittsburgh before the start of the season, right? Probably not, as it turns out. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe recently caught up with Rutherford who has changed his tune on making a deal. “It might turn out that we won’t be able to give Marcus the contract that we want to be able to give right now,” Rutherford said, “But if that’s the case, we’ll make everything work with the cap. And we can do that without trading anyone.”

Yohe speculates that the Penguins could fit Pettersson under the cap on a cheap one-year deal, even though that is not the preference of either side. By demoting one of the defensemen Pettersson would be replacing on the roster, Zach Trotman or Juuso Riikola, the salaries offset somewhat. Trotman in particular appears to be more of a placeholder on the roster if Pettersson is not signed by the beginning of the regular season, as the veteran did not see any NHL action last year. Yohe also adds that keeping Tristan Jarry at $675K as the backup goalie over Casey DeSmith at $1.25MM would also add much needed space, although would be a risky endeavor. DeSmith would be an attractive claim candidate for a number of teams as an affordable backup with term on his contract. The team could choose instead to trade DeSmith, but Rutherford clearly doesn’t see that as a possibility in the current market.

Making a trade remains the simplest way for Pittsburgh to clear space for Pettersson, but Rutherford’s hands appear to be tied. “You can’t make a trade when you can’t find anyone to trade with” he stated to Yohe. The Penguins have been a fixture on the trade market over the last few years and may be running out of willing partners. Last year alone, Rutherford made nine trades during the regular season, only to keep going this off-season with trades shipping out Phil Kessel and Olli Maatta. It could also be the competitors aren’t buying what Rutherford is selling. Defenseman Jack Johnson remains the player that the team would most like to move, but he has little to no market value at his inflated salary. The team also has reportedly tried to flip former Florida Panthers forward Nick Bjugstad, whose value has declined somewhat. As for their more homegrown products, defenseman Justin Schultz and winger Bryan Rust have come up in trade rumors, but have been associated with high asking prices as well.

By saying that no one will make a trade, Rutherford likely just means that no team is currently willing to bite on the players he is open to moving at the price he is willing to take. If that continues, and Pettersson is willing to take a one-year deal with the hopes of driving the price up on an extension next summer, then Rutherford and the Penguins would be better served not to make a desperation trade and instead try to squeeze the young defender onto the roster. It may be difficult season for Pittsburgh when it comes to roster flexibility, but it may be their best solution to the current issue.

Oilers Seeking Pick And Prospect For Jesse Puljujarvi

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The Edmonton Oilers quickly changed their tune today after forward Jesse Puljujarvi signed a one-year deal with his hometown team in Finland’s Liiga. The Oilers had been adamant that they were content to hold on to Puljujarvi, citing disappointing trade offers and a confidence that he could still be an effective member of the team. That changed after it became clear that he had no intention to play for Edmonton this season or possibly ever again. New GM Ken Holland was quick to clarify that Puljujarvi’s contract in Finland did not impact his trade value and that he could suit up in the NHL immediately if traded. Holland also took the opportunity to state that several new teams have made inquiries about Puljujarvi’s availability of late.

Interestingly, with the Oilers now seemingly focused on trading Puljujarvi, the asking price has arguably increased, despite underwhelming offers to this point. Previously reported as being an established third-line forward, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that Edmonton is now seeking a prospect with top-nine upside as well as a draft pick as their preferred return for Puljujarvi. He adds that an established player may still be a suitable return, but he would have to have term remaining on his contract beyond this coming season.

If the Oilers had struggled to this point to get a fair offer in their eyes for a player they weren’t shopping, it does seem odd that they feel they can increase the asking price when their priority seems to have shifted to moving Puljujarvi. Of course, some may feel that the asking price is of the same quality of lower, considering “third-line forwards” such as Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust and Boston’s Charlie Coyle have been among rumored targets of the Oilers, either of whom could draw a first-round pick and top-nine prospect from a contender in need. Either way, Rishaug’s report of a changing asking price at least confirms that the mindset has changed in Edmonton and the team is more focused than ever on parting ways with Puljujarvi, even if they continue to maintain that they will only do so on their terms.

Arbitration Breakdown: Evan Rodrigues

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Salary arbitration season is underway, as hearings were scheduled to begin on July 20th and extend through August 4th. While arbitration awards are very infrequent, with most cases settling beforehand, occasionally a binding decision is handed down by the arbitrator. What goes on behind closed doors before that point? The players, aided by their representation and the NHLPA, and their respective teams, aided by a select group of lawyers, each file at a certain salary over a one- or two-year term. The arbitrator may decide on any salary at or between those two points, based on the arguments in each sides’ written brief and oral presentation. While both sides will have themes to base their arguments on, rather than debate only the merits of the player, the bulk of the conversation in an arbitration hearing instead centers around comparable players. Each side will use a tailored group of statistical ranges, both career and platform year numbers, to show how the player compares to similar recent arbitration-eligible players. All statistics are available to use, but their persuasiveness is the key. The player side will look to show that the player is superior to a group of players at a salary lower than their filing number, while the team side will look to show that player is inferior to a group of players above their filing number. Whoever makes the most convincing argument will land the favorable decision.

Already, two players have gone to hearing and are awaiting an arbitrator’s decision: the Winnipeg Jets’ Andrew Copp and the Washington Capitals’ Christian Djoos. The next possibility is Buffalo Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues, whose hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Rodrigues really only has a season and half of experience as a regular player, but after an outstanding second half on 2017-18, he has established himself as a bona fide NHL talent and has plenty of ammunition ready for an arbitration battle. Here is a closer look at his case:

The Case of Evan Rodrigues

Career Statistics: 154 games played, 21 goals, 41 assists, 62 points, -22 rating
Platform Statistics: 74 games played, 9 goals, 20 assists, 29 points, -7 rating

Filing Numbers: Rodrigues – One year, $2.65MM, Sabres – One year, $1.5MM (midpoint: $2.075MM)

Player Side

Themes:

  • Top-Six Forward: among top six Sabres forwards in points and assists per game and points and assists total in platform season; fourth among Sabres forwards in ATOI in platform season; fourth in total shots and shots per game in platform season (victim of abnormally low shooting percentage)
  • Dependable Player: regular role on power play and penalty kill in platform season; third in face-offs taken in platform season; 59% defensive zone starts in platform season

Potential Comparable Players:

Melker Karlsson (2017)
Career Statistics: 185 games played, 34 goals, 31 assists, 65 points, +9 rating
Platform Statistics: 67 games played, 11 goals, 11 assists, 22 points, +7 rating
Salary: $2MM

  • Player’s argument: Rodrigues has better career points per game; Rodrigues has better points per game in platform season; Rodrigues is a center – deserves a premium
  • Team’s counter: Karlsson is better career goal scorer; Karlsson did not have same opportunity in platform season – ATOI, power play ATOI, line mate talent; Karlsson is better defensive player – plus/minus, hits, blocked shots, shorthanded ATOI

Alex Iafallo (2019)
Career Statistics: 157 games played, 24 goals, 34 assists, 58 points, -7 rating
Platform Statistics: 82 games played, 15 goals, 18 assists, 33 points, -17 rating
Salary: $2.425MM

  • Player’s argument: very similar offensive totals and per game numbers in platform season and career (over very similar NHL experience); Rodrigues with slightly better career points per game in less ATOI career; Rodrigues is a center – deserves a premium
  • Team’s counter: Iafallo has two full seasons of NHL experience and top-six minutes; Iafallo has better goal scoring numbers in platform season and career; Iafallo is more physical player

Team Side

Themes:

  • Not a Top-Six Forward: offensive numbers do not match up with top-six production league wide – role is product of thin Sabres roster last season; outside top six Sabres forwards in goal scoring, power plat ATOI
  • Limited Upside: regression in platform season – .52 points per game to .39 points per game; not a goal scorer – low career goal totals, shooting percentage; poor face-off numbers; limited experience at advanced age

Potential Comparable Players:

Bryan Rust (2018)
Career Statistics: 181 games, 33 goals, 46 assists, 79 points, +13 rating
Platform Statistics: 69 games, 13 goals, 25 assists, 38 points, +11 rating
Salary: $3.5MM

  • Team’s argument: Rust has better career offensive totals an per game numbers; Rust has far better offensive totals and per game numbers in platform season; Rust is better defensive player – plus/minus, hits, blocked shots, shorthanded ATOI; Rust has considerable postseason experience, production, and achievement
  • Player’s counter: Rust’s AAV is considerably higher than midpoint; Rodrigues’ career-high games played is higher than Rust’s – more dependable player; Rodrigues is a center – deserves a premium

J.T. Compher (2019)
Career Statistics:  156 games played, 32 goals, 28 assists, 60 points, -37 rating
Platform Statistics: 66 games played, 16 goals, 16 assists, 32 points, -7 rating
Salary: $3.5MM

  • Team’s argument: Compher had far better per game offensive numbers in platform season; Compher has better career goal-scoring numbers; Compher is better defensive player – hits, blocked shots, face-off success, shorthanded ATOI; Compher is considerably younger
  • Player’s counter: very similar career offensive totals and per game numbers

Prediction

This is not an exhaustive list of possible comparable players, but based on the player side and team side filing numbers and the resulting midpoint, Rodrigues has a pretty good chance in this case. Although Rodrigues’ numbers may very well be a product of a top-six role that he will no longer have moving forward, the Sabres can’t show that in a hearing and thus must deal with the fact that they needed him in that capacity over the last season and a half. There is a strong argument to be made that each of these comparable players is better than Rodrigues, but the fact that their cap numbers are at or above the midpoint, Rust and Compher substantially so, is a major benefit to the player side. Even if Buffalo can hammer home the point that Rust and Compher are much better players with far superior platform seasons, they will likely struggle to drive the price too far past Iafallo’s $2.425MM. He and Rodrigues are incredibly similar. Unless the Sabres get really creative with other comparable players, expect a potential decision to land in that range, between $2.3-2.5MM.

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