In today’s NHL rumors rundown, what are the next steps for the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights now that the Stanley Cup playoffs are over and the real work of the off-season begins? The Pittsburgh Penguins have hired Jason Spezza to be their assistant general manager, while the Edmonton Oilers have a number of items on their to-do list, but tackled one of them with the signing of Derek Ryan on Tuesday.
Tkachuk Had Broken Sternum
Paul Maurice revealed post-game that Matthew Tkachuk fractured his sternum in Game 3. Also: Aaron Ekblad played through a broken foot, popping his shoulder twice and tearing his oblique. The coach added that some players may not be ready for the start of next season.
As for what the Panthers plan to do this summer, speculation is they could look for another bold trade like the one they made with Calgary, bringing in a big-time player. Kristen Shilton of ESPN writes that following the 2023-24 campaign, several players including Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour will hit free agency. She adds, “Reinhart and Montour both had strong seasons and could be up for extensions sooner than later. Locking them in would give Zito a better idea of the cap space he’ll have left to target supporting players.”
Related: Panthers Fall in Cup Final Due to Injuries, Poor Defensive Play
She says the club has questions in goal with the uncertainty surrounding Spencer Knight and they need defensive help as they don’t have much signed past this season and just gave up 3.32 goals per game in the regular season and “was leaky in the postseason too.”
What Becomes of Adin Hill and Ivan Barbashev?
Shilton also suggested that most of the roster that just won the Stanley Cup should be back with the Vegas Golden Knights next season. That said, there are questions about both Adin Hill and Ivan Barbashev. She notes that the team will have a little more than $3.4 million and both players are pending unrestricted free agents.
The reporter adds:
Barbashev told ESPN during Stanley Cup media day that he wants to come back to Vegas. The Athletic reported Hill was offered a new contract, but wanted to wait until after the season to have those discussions. Though he’s arbitration-eligible, Howden is basically under team control until summer 2025.
Penguins Hire Spezza as Assistant GM
The Pittsburgh Penguins have hired Jason Spezza as Assistant GM. Technically, while Dubas will be serving as GM for the time being, this means the organization (Dubas) hired an assistant GM before hiring the GM.
It was believed that Spezza was likely going to follow Kyle Dubas to whatever destination he wound up. He left the Toronto Maple Leafs when it was learned Dubas wasn’t going to be given an extension, but it was reported that Spezza might not want to uproot his family or leave the Toronto area.
Latest Oilers Rumors
Jason Gregor noted during a recent show that there are a lot of things going on in Edmonton when it comes to the Oilers. After signing Derek Ryan to a two-year deal, he adds that forward Nick Bjugstad will be testing the UFA market, Devin Shore is not coming back next season, Ryan McLeod will be around $2 million on an extension, and the Oilers would rather trade Kailer Yamamoto than buy him out.
He also listed Corey Perry, Zach Parise, and Nick Foligno as possible free-agent options and that despite a link between new Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer and executive Steve Staios, he doesn’t expect Staios to leave the Oilers this year.
