With new contracts handed out in recent days to Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe, some attention has shifted to Canadiens blueliner Lane Hutson. While he still has one year left on his entry-level contract, the belief is that there is mutual interest in getting something done before the season begins. In a recent appearance on Daily Faceoff’s The Sheet (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggested that the blueliner appears to be willing to leave a bit of money on the table, similar to what several of his teammates did in an effort to give themselves a chance to continue to add down the road. However, that discount might be capped at a few hundred thousand per season on a long-term pact. With both Hughes and LaCombe checking in at $9MM, it stands to reason that Hutson could very well land close to that number on his next deal as well, whether that comes now, in-season, or next summer.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Senators defenseman Nick Jensen told reporters including Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link) that he will suit up in Saturday’s preseason finale against Montreal. The 35-year-old underwent offseason hip surgery and at the time, it looked unlikely that he’d be back for the start of the regular season. However, his recovery has been ahead of schedule and now he’ll get a chance to get a game in to see if he’ll be ready for opening night. Jensen played a big role for Ottawa last season, averaging over 20 minutes a game while chipping in with 21 points in 71 outings, many of which were played through injury.
- Still with the Senators, after recalling eight players back on Tuesday who had already been cut, the team announced (Twitter link) that all eight – Tyler Boucher, Hunter Shepard, Jorian Donovan, Oskar Pettersson, Xavier Bourgault, Tomas Hamara, Keean Washkurak, and Scott Harrington, have been sent back to AHL Belleville.
- The league announced that the Department of Player Safety has fined Panthers winger A.J. Greer $2,213.54, the maximum allowable in the CBA, for a roughing incident on Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel. Thursday’s affair between the two sides was particularly chippy with the two teams combining for 186 penalty minutes, a dozen of which went to Greer on the play.