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Latest On Brayden Point’s Negotiations

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Mitch Marner has been stealing all the headlines lately when it comes to restricted free agent contract negotiations, but there is another Atlantic Division forward that is still without a deal and perhaps even more important to his team’s hopes this season. Many people believed Brayden Point would be one of the first high-profile names to come off the board this summer given the record of the Tampa Bay Lightning in past negotiations. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and many others have all signed long-term deals to stay in Tampa Bay, almost all at a perceived discount. Point however is still without a deal as training camp starts, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that it is “not remotely close.”

Point,  23, has developed from third-round pick into one of the most valuable players in the NHL and is coming off a 41-goal, 92-point season last year. The undersized center is also one of the best defensive forwards in the league, earning Selke Trophy votes in both his sophomore and junior seasons in the league. That resume led many to believe that he may actually be young forward who should “set the market,” though Marner has grabbed significantly more headlines thus far.

The Lightning have worked hard this summer to clear enough cap room to sign Point, trading away J.T. Miller and Ryan Callahan’s contract while only adding bounce-back bargains like Kevin Shattenkirk and Patrick Maroon. The team has almost $8.5MM in cap space currently, but the real issues may come further down the line. With Andrei Vasilievskiy’s extension kicking in next season and all three of Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak hitting RFA status the Lightning will be in a very tight cap situation once again.

Tampa Bay has done bridge deals before for their top talent, but it’s unclear what exactly Point is looking for. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote earlier this week that he expected the team to go the three-year contract route, but if there is really as big of a gap as LeBrun suggests, it’s hard to bet on anything at this point.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Julius Honka Requests Trade

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Like many of the other teams around the league, the Dallas Stars are currently dealing with an unsigned restricted free agent. Unlike many of those teams however, there seems to be no desire for either side to get something done with Julius Honka. In fact, Stars GM Jim Nill told media including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas News that Honka has requested a trade. The 23-year old was issued a qualifying offer earlier this offseason so that the Stars would retain his exclusive RFA rights, but there doesn’t appear to be much opportunity in the NHL for him.

Nill was actually quite candid with DeFranks when discussing the trade talks:

Teams that I’ve talked to might have interest but until they know what they can do with their RFAs, they can’t make any moves. They’re capped out. We’ll play this out, see where it goes.

Originally selected 14th overall in 2014, Honka has been unable to ever really find a role with Dallas and saw more healthy scratches than games last season. A dominant presence in the minor leagues, he’s played just 87 games at the NHL level and has 13 points. The young defenseman can move the puck quickly and effectively, but has warts in his game that aren’t being fixed by sitting in the press box. Reaching a deal with Dallas seemed far-fetched all offseason, and Honka’s agent Todd Diamond made it clear today to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic:

We’ve known for a little while and Jim more recently have all come to the conclusion it wasn’t going to happen in Dallas for Julius.

There are certainly risks to acquiring a player like Honka that hasn’t been able to crack an NHL lineup, but there should also be no lack of interest. In the short times he has been on the ice there has been enough positive signs that a rebuilding team could take a chance on him, especially as a relatively cheap option. Honka has little leverage for a big contract and likely just wants a chance to get into the lineup on a regular basis. Diamond also explained that Europe is not an option at this point, meaning any acquiring team would be definitely getting his services.

Snapshots: Red Wings, Blues, RFAs

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The Detroit Red Wings will operate without a captain once again this season, despite the expectation that Dylan Larkin will one day assume the role. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters including Ansar Khan of MLive that they will instead start with four alternates: Larkin, Justin Abdelkader, Frans Nielsen and Luke Glendening. Blashill and Steve Yzerman agreed to wait until the GM got to know the entire team better after taking over this offseason.

Larkin, 23, has become the face of the Red Wings franchise after putting up a career-high 32 goals and 73 points last season. As the old guard including Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and recently Niklas Kronwall have moved on from their roles on the Red Wings, Larkin and other young players have taken on more and more responsibility. As the team transitions from rebuilding to contending over the next few years it seems likely that someone will eventually wear the “C” for Blashill and Yzerman, just not yet.

  • The St. Louis Blues are finalizing extensions for Steve Ott and David Alexander according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The pair of assistant coaches will be given extensions that match the length of head coach Craig Berube, who was given a three-year deal earlier this summer. The coaching staff under Berube completed a miracle turnaround this season with the Blues, taking them from last place in the NHL to Stanley Cup champions in just a few months.
  • Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest has heard a few things on restricted free agents Patrik Laine and Mikko Rantanen, including about a recent short-term offer from the Winnipeg Jets to the former. The deal presented to Laine was in the “$5MM per year range” though Strickland notes that even on that short-term deal the Jets will “need to come up on money.” For Rantanen, Strickland reports that the free agent forward is not far away in terms of salary with the Colorado Avalanche and that the team’s last offer “blew past Nathan MacKinnon’s $6.3MM AAV.”

Morning Notes: Theodore, Flyers, Pettersson

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You can bet Shea Theodore didn’t have the summer he was expecting. After failing a random drug test at the World Championship because of an elevated hormone level, Theodore was informed that it was not because of a supplement but he in fact had testicular cancer and would need surgery right away. The Vegas Golden Knights defenseman opened up about the situation in an article for the Players’ Tribune today, explaining that though it was a frightful time in his life he has fully recovered.

Theodore said that Phil Kessel reached out this summer to give his support, given that the veteran forward dealt with the same diagnosis years ago. Theodore credits that drug test with potentially saving him from a battle that would have much more difficult, and implores everyone to get checked regularly and be open with your physician.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers are getting closer to a deal with Ivan Provorov, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The two sides are still working through the negotiation and both three and six year deals are on the table, but things have turned positive in recent days. It seems as though things aren’t so rosy for the other Flyers’ RFA, as McKenzie tweets that Travis Konecny is not close to a new deal. The pair are huge parts of the Philadelphia future and will hopefully join the team in training camp soon with freshly inked deals.
  • That’s exactly what is happening for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson, who is joining the team and expected to sign in the “next day or so” according to McKenzie. The deal will be a short-term contract, but would mean the team has their full complement of players in camp. The Penguins do appear to have too many NHL-caliber defensemen on the roster at the moment, meaning a trade or waivers is coming for at least one. Of course, that is contingent on the rest of the group staying healthy through camp, which is not a certainty anywhere around the NHL.

Minnesota Wild Sign Kevin Fiala

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Apparently Bill Guerin’s offer to Kevin Fiala was good enough after all. The Minnesota Wild have re-signed the restricted free agent forward to a two-year, $6MM contract. The deal carries a $2.5MM salary in 2019-20 and a $3.5MM salary in 2020-21. Fiala will still be an RFA when the deal expires.

Fiala, 23, had been in negotiations with former Minnesota GM Paul Fenton when he was fired earlier this offseason, meaning things were put on hold for a time as the team conducted its search for a new leader. Guerin, hired in late August, can now wash his hands of the RFA market after signing Fiala, his last remaining player without a contract. The young forward will now be able to participate in training camp, though as Michael Russo of The Athletic pointed out yesterday, may miss a day or two as he waits for a work visa.

Originally selected 11th overall in 2014, Fiala started his career with the Nashville Predators organization (under Fenton, who was serving as the GM of the Milwaukee Admirals at the time) and quickly made an impact. After dominating the minor leagues he graduated to the NHL and showed that he could be a regular in the top-six and contribute offensively, scoring 23 goals and 48 points in his sophomore season. Last year after getting off to a slower start he was targeted by Fenton at the deadline and acquired by the Wild in exchange for Mikael Granlund. Though he registered just seven points in 19 games for Minnesota down the stretch, he will be expected to be a huge part of the offense going forward.

Even under new management, Fiala’s importance to the team is obvious. If the Wild are to find any success transitioning from their old core to the new group, the 23-year old needs to be front and center as a goal scoring threat. A $3MM salary is proof that they believe he can do that, especially coming off a 13-goal, 39-point year.

For the Wild this deal may seem a tad expensive given how Fiala performed last season, but it at least gets him into camp and will keep him under team control. Unlike some of the other restricted free agents signed this summer, he’ll still be two years from unrestricted free agency at the end of the contract. While his back-heavy deal does guarantee a qualifying offer of $3.5MM in 2021, that is not nearly as prohibitive for the team as some of the other deals. Even after inking Fiala the Wild have some excess cap room to work with this season and could potentially be involved in another transaction at some point before the season begins.

RFA Profile: Ivan Provorov

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Heading into last season, Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov appeared to be well on his way to stardom and a second contract that would put him in that higher echelon for blueliners.  However, things didn’t go exactly as planned and all of a sudden, he remains unsigned with the start of training camp just days away and a lot of confusion over what his next deal could look like.  Let’s take a look at some of the possibilities.

In 2017-18, Provorov picked up 17 goals and 41 points.  Despite logging an extra minute per night on average, his output dropped to just seven goals and 26 points last year.  Generally, players with that type of output aren’t candidates for big money, long-term contracts but a player with a stat line like his sophomore season are options for one.

Accordingly, potential contract values are all over the board.  Understandably, Provorov’s camp will be pointing to his 2017-18 numbers as a sign of things to come and that his dip was just a blip on the radar and not a sign of things to come.  On the flip side, management will be trying to use last season as the basis for comparison.  They’ve also indicated that they’d like to see other RFAs sign (players like Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy come to mind) before committing to a deal.  While everyone waits each other out, here are some of the possible comparables in play.

Statistics

2018-19: 82 GP, 7-19-26, -16, 32 PIMS, 145 shots, 25:07 ATOI
Career: 246 GP, 30-67-97, -6, 86 PIMS, 509 shots, 23:45 ATOI

Comparables

Rasmus Ristolainen (Buffalo) – Like Provorov, Ristolainen has been viewed as a top defender for the Sabres but one that has some warts as well.  His rookie season was only a partial one like Provorov though so on a long-term deal, Provorov should be expecting more than this.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 9-32-41, -21, 33 PIMS, 202 shots, 25:17 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 194 GP, 19-46-65, -68, 65 PIMS, 375 shots, 22:19 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $32.4MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 7.40%
Current Equivalent: Six years, $36.816MM ($6.03MM AAV)

Dougie Hamilton (Carolina) – Hamilton was a little more consistent offensively than Provorov but the top years offensively were similar.  On the flip side, Provorov has handled a much tougher workload through the first three seasons of his career so he should be shooting a little higher than this equivalent as well.

Platform Year Stats: 72 GP, 10-32-42, -3, 41 PIMS, 188 shots, 21:20 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 178 GP, 22-61-83, +23, 95 PIMS, 385 shots, 19:32 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $34.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 8.05%
Current Equivalent: Six years, $39.365MM ($6.56MM AAV)

Aaron Ekblad (Florida) – This is the contract that Provorov’s side is almost assuredly bringing up.  This set the market for post-ELC defenders though it’s worth noting it was only signed after his second season (and his third year didn’t go so well).  Provorov is the better offensive threat of the two as well.

Platform Year Stats: 68 GP, 10-11-21, -23, 58 PIMS, 225 shots, 21:28 ATOI (last year of ELC)
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 227 GP, 37-59-96, +7, 131 PIMS, 577 shots, 21:40 ATOI

Contract: Eight years, $60MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 10.27%
Current Equivalent: Eight years, $66.96MM ($8.37MM AAV)

In terms of a recent bridge contract to compare, there aren’t really any good options out there.  Most quality post-ELC players have signed deals of six years or longer.  Those that have had bridge deals (such as Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey, or even teammate Travis Sanheim) are all in the roughly 4% range which equates to roughly $3.25MM to $3.5MM.  That’s not going to get it done either.  Let’s look in between those two terms then.

Colton Parayko (St. Louis) – This isn’t a perfect one considering Parayko’s entry-level pact was only two years but there isn’t a large list to draw from.  He had a bit more of an offensive impact that Provorov but as is the case with everyone else on this list, Provorov was logging heavier minutes.

Platform Year Stats: 81 GP, 4-31-35, +7, 32 PIMS, 188 shots, 21:12 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 160 GP, 13-55-68, +35, 61 PIMS, 353 shots, 20:18 ATOI

Contract: Five years, $27.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 7.33%
Current Equivalent: Five years, $29.87MM ($5.97MM AAV)

Projected Contract

Earlier this summer, I thought Provorov was heading for a bridge deal simply because of the large variation between his last two seasons.  However, I’m not as confident in that idea now just because of the largely uncharted waters they would be entering.  Provorov’s camp is going to want Ekblad money but GM Chuck Fletcher isn’t going to give that out.  Going with a Parayko-type deal could happen but that would only buy out one year of UFA eligibility.  It’s hard to see Fletcher wanting that either.  As a result, a six or seven-year contract could be where this ultimately winds up.  He should slot in a little higher than Hamilton which would put an AAV around $6.75MM on a six-year pact and a little higher than that on a seven-year one because of the extra UFA year.  Fortunately for Fletcher and the Flyers, they have ample cap space to get a contract done, no matter how long or how much it will cost.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

RFA Profile: Anthony DeAngelo

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If asked to rank the remaining unsigned restricted free agent defensemen by offensive efficiency, most would easily be able to tab Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy as the top two. However, few would name Anthony DeAngelo third ahead of the likes of Ivan Provorov and Marcus Pettersson. In fact, last season DeAngelo finished just behind Werenski and McAvoy in points per game, with 0.49 compared to their 0.54 and 0.52 respectively. He also did so with three minutes less of ice time on average. DeAngelo has quietly developed into a potent offensive contributor on the blue line and working out an extension will be no small task for the cap-strapped New York Rangers. Here is a closer look at his situation.

DeAngelo, 23, is already on his third NHL team, a fact that may contribute to his perceived lesser value compared to his RFA peers. The 19th overall pick in 2014 by the Tampa Bay Lightning, he never played a game for the Bolts and was surprisingly dealt to the Arizona Coyotes for a 2016 second-round pick following a productive first pro season in the AHL. The ‘Yotes did not hesitate to bring DeAngelo up, and he recorded a respectable 14 points in 39 NHL games in 2016-17. Yet, he was moved again that off-season in the deal that sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta from New York to Arizona. DeAngelo’s first season with the Rangers was nothing special; he again split the season between the NHL and AHL and failed to scorer a goal in 32 games with New York. Through three pro seasons, DeAngelo was beginning to look like a bust as a first-round pick.

However, the team handed DeAngelo a regular role last season and he ran with it. The talented puck-mover registered 30 points in 61 games to lead all Blueshirt defensemen in scoring despite missing more than 20 games. DeAngelo also led the entire team with a +6 rating and was second in even strength time on ice. There is no hiding the fact that DeAngelo was one of the best players for New York last season. Despite their considerable additions this off-season, especially on the blue line in Jacob Trouba and prospect Adam Fox, the Rangers will still need to sign DeAngelo to a deal that accurately reflects that value, even if they don’t necessarily have the cap flexibility to do so. After that showing last season, DeAngelo is no longer a mystery or an enigma and if the Rangers won’t pay him, another team will.

Statistics

2018-19: 61 GP, 4-26-30, +6 rating, 77 PIMS, 111 shots, 19:20 ATOI
Career: 132 GP, 9-43-52, -25 rating, 125 PIMS, 239 shots, 18:00 ATOI

Comparables

Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets

Platform Year Stats: 73 GP, 6-20-26, -16 rating, 25 PIMS, 132 shots, 21:10 ATOI
Career Stats: 101 GP, 7-33-40, -17, 47 PIMS, 186 shots, 21:30 ATOI

Contract: Two years, $6MM
Year Signed: 2019

There’s isn’t a much better comparable than a player who played on the same team. Last season, Pionk was given more ice time and played in more games than DeAngelo for the Rangers and still was outscored and outplayed. When it came to trading away a young defender in the Trouba deal, it was Pionk that New York was willing to part with and not DeAngelo. With similar platform and career stats, especially on a per-game scoring basis, DeAngelo can point to Pionk as a comparable but also prove his slight edge as well as argue that his younger age and greater experience help his case. Pionk’s deal is the floor for a DeAngelo extension.

Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 9-26-35, -4 rating, 22 PIMS, 121 shots, 19:34 ATOI
Career Stats: 131 GP, 11-34-45, -10 rating, 42 PIMS, 193 shots, 18:04 ATOI

Contract: Two years, $6.5MM
Year Signed: 2019

DeAngelo took a big step forward this season, but Sanheim took a leap. A fellow 2014 first-round pick facing criticism, Sanheim finally showed he was a starting-caliber NHL defenseman with a nine-goal, 35-point campaign. However, those numbers did come in a full 82-game season. Sanheim’s career numbers also trail DeAngelo’s in almost the exact same games played and total ice time. Both young defensemen are part of busy blue lines with a fair amount of talent but have carved out a role for themselves. DeAngelo maintains a slight edge based just on per-game production, but these two players are very similar.

Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils

Platform Year Stats: 78 GP, 4-26-30, -17 rating, 18 PIMS, 108 shots, 19:16 ATOI
Career Stats: 159 GP, 9-65-74, -16, 26 PIMS, 196 shots, 17:38 ATOI

Contract: Three years, $11.2MM
Year Signed: 2019

Like Werenski and McAvoy, few would think to associate DeAngelo with Butcher, the prize college free agent of a few years ago. In reality, DeAngelo and Butcher had the same stat line last season, with the Devils standout playing in 17 more games. In his career, Butcher does have the slightly superior per-game scoring numbers, but it is hard to look at their platform seasons and DeAngelo’s more balanced game at a younger age and not feel they are at least close to equal.

Projected Contract

There are several fair comparisons to DeAngelo, all of whom have signed extensions within the last few months. It paints a pretty clear picture of what a defenseman of DeAngelo’s age, experience, and production should be seeking: a short-term deal worth $3-4MM.

The Rangers are tight against the salary cap and have several long-term contracts on the blue line already, as well as a handful of prospect defenders who could push for a role sooner rather than later. For that reason, the team will likely push for a shorter, more affordable bridge deal, taking the risk that DeAngelo could continue to improve and boost his price tag, but landing a contract that they can accommodate more easily in the short term. If DeAngelo is slightly better than Sanheim, who makes $3.25MM on a two-year deal, and slightly worse than Butcher, who makes $3.73MM on a three-year deal, a two-year deal with a $3.5MM AAV is likely just right for the young Rangers defensemen.

Now, even at a very fair two years and $7MM, a DeAngelo resolution is still too much for the Rangers to carry at current time, with RFA forward Brendan Lemieux still to sign as well. The team has a number of young players they can freely demote as well as multiple veterans that are candidates to be buried in the AHL, but nevertheless the team may still need to make a space-saving trade before the season begins.

Micheal Haley Joins New York Rangers On PTO

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33-year-old Micheal Haley may only have 31 career points in parts of nine NHL seasons, including just six points last year, but the veteran forward still has value around the league. The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello writes that Haley is expected to join the New York Rangers in training camp on a professional tryout offer, returning to the team he played in nine games for in 2012-13.

Haley is one of the last of his breed. A 5’11, 205-lb. forward, Haley plays a rugged, high-intensity style that makes him an effective fourth liner and often a match-up nightmare. Haley may not play many minutes – a career 8:07 ATOI – put he makes his presence felt regardless. In fact, the gritty pivot led the NHL in penalty minutes in 2017-18; in a career-high 75 games, he spent 212 minutes in the box and just 584 minutes on the ice. A physical force in a small package, Haley’s value is not in his offense, but in his checking ability and willingness to stand up for his teammates. That value was on display again last season, as the San Jose Sharks couldn’t help but claim Haley on waivers from the Florida Panthers, bringing him back to the team he had spent the most of his career with.

However, the Sharks are committed giving more ice time to young players this season and are even turning franchise great Patrick Marleau away, so San Jose wasn’t going to be an option this time. Instead, Haley will fight for a spot on the young, up-and-coming New York Rangers. He may actually stand a good chance of landing a contract too. The Rangers are right up against the salary cap ceiling with just over $1MM in space and still have to sign RFA’s Anthony DeAngelo and Brendan Lemieux. However, the team’s youth gives them some added flexibility with more than a few waiver-exempt players who can move freely between the NHL and AHL. The team could also look to bury the likes of Matt Beleskey and Brendan Smith in the minors, clearing both cap space and roster space. If there is room to sign an additional player when all is said and done, the Rangers would be smart to invest in some muscle. New York has spent considerable money and trade and draft capital to build a talented young core and now need to protect it, especially newcomers Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko. Haley is an ideal player to play the retribution role; it doesn’t take him much time to teach the opposition not to mess with his teammates.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Adrian Kempe

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed restricted free agent Adrian Kempe to a three-year contract worth a total of $6MM. The young forward was the final RFA the Kings had to sign and will be arbitration eligible when the deal expires.

Kempe, 22, was originally selected in the first round of the 2014 draft and has now been a full-time NHL roster player for two years. After a nice season in 2017-18 when he showed his upside with 16 goals and 37 points, his offensive production dried up a bit last year. Transitioning to center, Kempe recorded just 12 goals and 28 points on a Kings team that struggled to find much success. The fact that they’ve now locked him in at a very reasonable number coming off that down season leaves plenty of room for Los Angeles to receive excess value from this contract, especially if Kempe can take over as the team’s second-line center at some point.

To do that though, Kempe does need to bring more consistency to his game and be a threat more often in the offensive zone. At the international level the Swedish forward has shown he can be an extremely dangerous player with the puck, something that has to come out every night in the NHL. An excellent skater that has the size and skill to win one-on-one battles anywhere on the ice, there’s no reason why he can’t experience a breakout at some point during the length of this deal.

That’s what Los Angeles will hope for as they try to transition their team to a younger, more skilled group. The bruising, defensive, puck-control hockey that brought them so much success over the last ten years failed them last year when they dealt with injuries and inconsistency, meaning new head coach Todd McLellan will need to find a new way to compete in the Western Conference. Kempe and other young forwards will likely be given an opportunity to make a bigger impact this season, though they’ll need to prove they can carry the load early on.

Snapshots: RFA Market, Schuldt, Pominville

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The restricted free agent market still hasn’t budged much since the beginning of the offseason, but that means Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic hasn’t missed much during his vacation. The insider returned today with a look at several of the biggest names (subscription required) still without contracts and explained that in many situations term is the big sticking point. In particular, LeBrun spoke with Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas who maintains that even though the team hasn’t been able to get a deal done with Mitch Marner, the idea of a trade is still almost unthinkable.

That’s the same sentiment that Dubas gave Bob McKenzie of TSN in their interview, explaining that Marner is still a huge part of the Maple Leafs program and they want him in a Toronto sweater for as long as possible. That’s the same company line that almost every GM has uttered over the last two months, but names like Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk and Brayden Point are now just a few days away from missing the start of training camp.

  • One name not mentioned in LeBrun’s piece is Jimmy Schuldt, who continues to negotiate with the Vegas Golden Knights after signing and burning his one-year entry-level deal last season. Schuldt played one game down the stretch for the Golden Knights after finishing his four-year career at St. Cloud State and was expected to challenge for a full-time spot on the Vegas blueline this season. Jesse Granger of The Athletic tweets that nothing has changed in the negotiations of late and that the Vegas front office “believes it can wait Schuldt out to sign him for as cheap as possible.” The Golden Knights have very little cap space remaining even after trading away players like Erik Haula, Colin Miller and Nikita Gusev, obviously leaving them without much flexibility when it comes to Schuldt’s deal.
  • Even with all the focus on the RFA market there is still some talent left among the unrestricted free agent names. One of those is Jason Pominville, who according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet has at least had preliminary conversations with the Montreal Canadiens. The 36-year old has likely had some talks with several teams after registering 31 points in 73 games last season for the Buffalo Sabres. Pominville may not be the 70-80 point player he once was, but he can still contribute enough that he should find a landing spot somewhere before the season begins.

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