Predators hearing tomorrow … Doughty wants to be highest paid King … Gorges’ hopes to avoid arbitration … Burke audio … Stamkos/MacArthur agent audio
  • Dennis Bernstein via twitter: Answering a question on Drew Doughty: The Kings want to do over a 7 year deal, Doughty wants to do less. Bernstein says that Doughty wants to the highest paid LA King. (Anze Kopitar has a cap hit of $6.8 million)
  • Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette: Josh Gorges’ agent hopes to get a deal done with the Canadiens before they go to salary arbitration. Arbitration hearings run from July 20th to August 4th. Last year only 4 of 19 players that filed for arbitration went to the hearing. Gorges earlier rejected a qualifying offer of $1.3 million. Money shouldn’t be issue, it’s the term that could be a problem.
  • Nick Cotsonika via twitter: Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said that Joe Corvo suggested at trade, but didn’t demand one. Dan Rosen via twitter: Rutherford told Rosen that “the idea to sign Kaberle actually came about through a phone conversation with Joe Corvo’s agent.”
  • Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle and Michael Sauer all filed for salary arbitration, but the Rangers hope to get all signed before their hearing dates.

    It’s fair to project that bookend foundation pieces Callahan and Dubinsky will come in at somewhere between $3.7 million and $4.4 million per season. It’s safe to say Sauer, prime for an offer sheet that inexplicably did not materialize over the last four days, will be in at between $1.5 million and $2 million. Boyle is a tougher case, coming off his first productive year in the NHL, but he likely will come in between $1.25 million and $1.75 million.

  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun: 5 free agents who might interest the Jets: Cory Stillman, Ryan Shannon, Jason Jaffray, Mike Grier, and John Madden.
  • Scott Howson via twitter: After signing Radek Martinek, the Blue Jackets will “sit tight for now.” Will assess the market and talk to teams about trades.
  • Fan 590 Audio: Don Meehan, the agent for Steven Stamkos and Clarke MacArthur.
  • James Mirtle via twitter: Brian Burke: “We haven’t written off Jeff Finger … If he can come in and take a job that’s great.”