In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Calgary Flames were interested in Phil Kessel before he signed with the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Who will they turn to know that Kessel is off the market?
Are the San Jose Sharks talking to Timo Meier about a contract extension? Bruce Cassidy opens up about his issues in Boston and there is a possible explanation as to why Evan Rodrigues hasn’t signed a free agency contract yet.
Flames Have Eyes on Rodrigues or Milano
David Pagnotta of NHL Network reports that the Flames are looking to add another winger to their group and after missing out on Kessel, could look to Evan Rodrigues or Sonny Milano to fill one of their last spots this summer. “Those are two guys the Flames have interest in and they are looking to bring in one of those guys.”
He also reports that the Flames are working on an extension with defenseman Mackenzie Weegar. Both sides are talking and the Flames have the green light to get something done. He reports that Weegar was in Calgary and spoke with Brad Treliving and Darryl Sutter and it was said both sides got along great and that Weegar is excited to stick around long-term.
Why Evan Rodrigues Remains Unsigned
Speaking of Rodrigues, during the DFO Rundown Podcast, Frank Seravalli said he was surprised the UFA forward still hasn’t signed anywhere after scoring 19 goals and 43 points last season. It’s taking so long that he thinks Rodrigues might have to take $1-$1.5 million with a team and try his hand at free agency again next season. Considering there was thought he could get as much as $3-$3.5 million per season and that he might get three years, that he hasn’t is surprising.
Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Kane, Babcock, Kadri & Cogliano
Seravalli notes that part of the reason could be that the player fired his agent just hours before free agency opened. He chose to sign with Darren Ferris — who also represents Nazem Kadri — and the new duo of player and agent sat on the market for a while. Seravalli wonders if choosing to go with a new agent at the last minute may have affected his ability to sign a solid deal right out of the gate.
No Contract Talks Between Meier and Sharks
Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now has quoted Sharks’ forward Timo Meier as having said there is nothing new to report on the contract front between him and the organization. Meier will be an RFA after this season and during an NHL European Player media tour, he noted, “This conversation hasn’t come up and there haven’t been any negotiations or anything.” He noted he’s simply focused on getting ready for the season and making it the best one he can have.
Mike Grier is the new GM in San Jose and he’s already said publicly that he hopes Meier is interested in staying with the Sharks on a long-term deal.
Cassidy Talks Issues With DeBrusk in Boston
New Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy spoke with Boston Sports Journal’s Conor Ryan about a few of the issues that he was dealing with in Boston before and as he was moved out this past season. The focus was on potential issues between himself and players like Jake DeBrusk, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci.
When asked about why Jake DeBrusk had requested a trade but is now happy to stick with the team, Cassidy responded, “Only he can answer that.” He added:
I thought he had a really good finish to his year. I think there was different things that went into his trade demand. We just signed Taylor Hall to a long-term contract, who was a left winger. Marsh [Marchand] had a long-term contract, so there may have been some issues of how high I can get in the lineup.”
Cassidy believes that DeBrusk moving over to right-wing helped and hopes he has a great season.
As for David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron, Cassidy said he never had disagreements with either player other than basic hockey stuff that every coach would have with players, like playing time and linemates. “With Krech, we never had disagreements — he wanted to play to (David) Pastrnak more than he did.” He joked that any player would want that.
