In today’s NHL rumors rundown, reports are that the Edmonton Oilers have been working on an extension for defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Are the St. Louis Blues going to make big off-season changes? After signing Noah Hanifin, what dominos will fall with the Vegas Golden Knights? Finally, would the Boston Bruins have an interest in Patrick Kane if Kane chose to test the free agent market?
Oilers and Desharnais Put Contract Talks on Hold
As per Ryan Rishaug of TSN, “Sounds like talks on a Desharnais extension are on hold for now. Two sides had been discussing a deal but with playoffs coming, they’ll pause and resume after the team is finished.” The Oilers really like Desharnais and he’s taken huge steps this season to become a regular in the lineup. He’s a pending UFA coming off of a contract that pays him $762K.
There will be teams interested in Desharnais if he makes it to free agency. He’ll be in line for a raise. The question is, do the Oilers invest in him long-term, trying to get ahead of his progression, and eventually have him on a team-friendly deal? Do they see him as more than a third-pairing defenseman? Or, do they go short-term on something, and have him prove he’s capable of progressing even further before signing him to a bigger-money deal?
Blues to Do More Than Make Minor Offseason Changes
As per Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, the St. Louis Blues intend to be quite active this summer and Friedman says Jim Rutherford (GM) has an itch to do something big. He noted:
And I’m curious to see what he’s going to do behind the bench. And I’m curious to see what he’s gonna do with this team. Because you can tell he wants to, he wants to perform surgery and not minor surgery. We’re not talking about like something small here like, like a tummy tuck or you know, like something like that. We’re talking about some, some major surgery that …”
Do the Golden Knights Have Room to Sign Marchessault and Martinez?
Noah Hanifin’s extension with the Golden Knights raises doubts about Alec Martinez’s future with the team and whether the team has room to sign Jonathan Marchessault now. The Golden Knights face tough decisions as they navigate their roster and salary-cap constraints in preparation for the upcoming season.
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According to a report by Danny Webster in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Golden Knights face a tight salary-cap situation for the 2024-25 season, with approximately $7.59 million remaining after Hanifin’s contract extension. This figure assumes goaltender Robin Lehner remains on long-term injury reserve.
Related: NHL Projected Lineups, Starting Goalies, Injuries, Updates
He writes:
That doesn’t leave much room to bring back some of the Knights’ several free agents. The most notable one is right wing Jonathan Marchessault, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner for playoff MVP. Marchessault has scored 41 goals so far in his contract year. The team’s other unrestricted free agents are center Chandler Stephenson, left wing William Carrier, right wings Michael Amadio and Anthony Mantha and defenseman Alec Martinez. Left wing Pavel Dorofeyev and defenseman Kaedan Korczak are restricted free agents.
source – ‘Knights sign defenseman to 8-year contract extension’ – Danny Webster – Las Vegas Review Journal – 04/11/2024
Do the Bruins Still Have Interest in Patrick Kane?
According to Jimmy Murphy, there were rumors last offseason that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was interested in signing Patrick Kane. Ultimately, Kane went to the Detroit Red Wings, but as reported earlier this week, Kane hasn’t committed to returning to Detroit next season.
Murphy writes, “If he doesn’t come to terms on a new contract with winger Jake DeBrusk, could Sweeney look to the more experienced three-time Stanley Cup champion?” It is believed the Bruins’ priority would be a center, so it seems unlikely that Sweeney would pass over the opportunity to add a pivot in favor of Kane.
Speaking of Sweeney, he was named Canada’s 4 Nations GM on Friday. Jim Nill was named associate GM.
