Quite a few players set their sights high in free agency and have had to settle for less than they were expected. Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins reports that Dominik Kahun was one of them as he turned down bigger offers early on than the $975K for one year that he ultimately received from the Oilers. However, he notes that the short-term arrangement wasn’t the only option Kahun and Edmonton discussed as talks initially were for a multi-year deal. Clearly, that didn’t come to fruition but Kahun will be eligible to sign an extension in-season if he so desires. That window typically opens up on January 1st but it seems quite likely that it will be pushed back depending on when the 2020-21 season actually gets underway.
More from the Pacific Division:
- The Canucks were in the process of trying to make a cap-clearing trade before Tyler Toffoli decided to sign with Montreal, reports Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. While they were still able to make an addition of note when they brought in Nate Schmidt from Vegas, it’s fair to wonder if GM Jim Benning may be willing to try to free up some cap room again to try to add one of the notable free agents that are still available. Vancouver could get some in-season relief if winger Micheal Ferland is unable to return and winds up back on LTIR but at the moment, he is hoping to return for next season which would take that option off the table.
- The Ducks weren’t the only team that showed interest in defenseman Kodie Curran this offseason, notes Scott Cruickshank of The Athletic (subscription link). However, as Anaheim had checked in on his over the previous couple of years, that was enough to sell the 30-year-old on signing his first NHL contract with them. Curran spent time in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden over the past four years and inked a two-year, one-way deal this offseason with a $1MM AAV, signalling that the Ducks expect him to be a part of their back end next season.