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 Off-Season 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.
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…
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