On the top 12 pending UFA’s …
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: Looking at top free agents and any recent rumors and notes about them.
1. John Tavares – New York Islanders – Both the Islanders and Tavares continue to say they want to get a deal done when the time is right. Getting a new arena deal will help, but the team still needs to win more.
2. John Carlsson – Washington Capitals – Right-handed defenseman who is logging almost 23 minutes a game. GM Brian MacLellan has a big list of contract decisions to make this offseason.
3. James van Riemsdyk – Toronto Maple Leafs – Has a 10-team no-trade and has said that he wants to remain in Toronto long-term. The Leafs have Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander needing new contracts in the next two years, so it won’t be easy to fit in a big contract for JVR. The Leafs tried to trade JVR at the draft last year to the Islanders for Travis Hamonic. Contract extension talks are quiet.
4. Josh Bailey – New York Islanders – Second in scoring on the Islanders. Bailey has stated he wants to get a long-term deal done with the Islanders well before the start of free agency.
5. Mikael Backlund – Calgary Flames – Getting the most money may be the only thing that would keep Backlund from re-signing with the Flames.
6. Paul Stastny – St. Louis Blues – Will be getting less than the $7 million he’s making this season. He has been a dependable two-way center that can put up 50 points.
7. Evander Kane – Buffalo Sabres – The Sabres will move Kane to the highest bidder at the trade deadline. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings have shown some interest.
8. James Neal – Vegas Golden Knights – Nick Kypreos has said that Neal could be looking for upwards of $6.5 to $7 million on a long-term deal. Vegas may be hesitant to commit to a big, long-term deals for players over the age the 30. Another big question is if GM George McPhee holds onto Neal past the deadline.
9. David Perron – Vegas Golden Knights – Teams have already called the Knights about Perron and Neal. McPhee is in the same situation with Perron as he is with Neal, do you keep them to not upset the chemistry and hope for a big playoff run.
10. Zdeno Chara – Boston Bruins – Chara has already said that he hopes to stay in Boston. Contract talks have already started.
11. Mike Green – Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings biggest trade chip at the deadline. The Islanders, Lightning, and Maple Leafs are among the teams believed to be looking for a rental defenseman.
12. Michael Grabner – New York Rangers – Only Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov, and Vladimir Tarasenko have scored more even-strength goals than Grabner since the start of last season. He carries a $1.65 million cap hit which could make him more of a commodity to the Rangers than Rick Nash. The Rangers and Grabner’s have talked several time but didn’t get into negotiations.
