On the Calgary Flames …
Torie Peterson of Flames.NHL: Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving on RFAs Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.
“We continue to work away at it,” Treliving said on Friday. “As everybody knows, those are two top young players for us that need new contracts. Sometimes these take a little bit of time. This is not unusual, that we’re sitting here at this time and they’re not done.
“We’ll continue to bang away at it. We’ve got to get to something that makes sense for them and for us.
“I have every confidence that we will.”
Other RFAs for the Flames: Joni Ortio, Tyler Wotherspoon, Joe Colborne, Josh Jooris, Drew Shore, Turner Elson, Bryce Van Brabant, Bill Arnold, Kenny Agostino, and Freddie Hamilton
UFAs for the Flames: Karri Ramo, Jakub Nakladal and Derek Grant.
On the Anaheim Ducks …
Eric Stephens of the OC Register: Sami Vatanen‘s new four year deal includes a limited no-trade clause in the third and fourth years.
GM Bob Murray still has to deal with Frederik Andersen, Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell and Brandon Pirri. Andersen and Lindholm are arbitration eligible. Murray on Andersen contract talks.
“That negotiation is ongoing,” Murray said. “Not as well obviously as Sami’s was at the moment but it’s ongoing.”
Murray has to decide if Andersen or John Gibson will be their goalie in the future and could move one of them before the draft.
“If I can get Freddie signed one way or the other, I’ve got to move one because I’ll lose one for sure in expansion,” Murray said. “It just will happen. It’s just something that’s in front of us. It’s there. We have a lot of defensemen.
“So we have to turn some of these thigns into assets.”
If the Ducks can’t re-sign Hampus Lindholm to an extension at five years or more, they could look at doing a two-year bridge deal.
Rickard Rakell needs a new deal, but he isn’t arbitration eligible and they can take more time with it.
“They’re at a point where we give them qualifying offers,” Murray said. “That is not a time-sensitive issue. That could take well into August and September before that gets done. We’ll take our time.”
Cam Fowler could interest teams in trade at the draft. Fowler has a $4 million cap hit for the next two seasons.
Murray on his offseason wish list.
“A high-quality left winger, if possible,” he said. Either Fowler or another piece could be used to go after that type of player and Boston’s Loui Eriksson, Toronto’s James van Riemsdyk or Edmonton’s Taylor Hall fit that skilled profile.
“With the budget I have and what we have to do, I might have to move some parts around right now,” Murray said. “The good thing is we do have the assets to move things around.”
