The Hurricanes have a lot of work to do over the next month. In addition to Guentzel, forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Martinook and Stefan Noesen, and defensemen Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Tony DeAngelo and Jalen Chatfield will become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
The Canes front office, led by interim GM Eric Tulsky, assistant GM Darren Yorke and owner Tom Dundon, have already initiated/restarted talks with most, if not all, of the pending UFAs. The outside belief in the League is that Carolina will make a strong effort to try to re-sign Pesce and Skjei, as it should. Talks with Pesce last summer and at the start of this season didn’t go very well, from what I understand, but if the club prioritizes him and Skjei, perhaps this next round of talks will push things in a positive direction.
Teravainen’s team is expected to make a decision in the next week on the 29-year-old’s future; Do they engage heavily in outreach conversations or focus on testing the market? Midseason negotiations were nonexistent, even when his agent visited Raleigh before the trade deadline.
Another matter is pending with restricted free agent Martín Necas, who is eligible for arbitration. As Anthony Di Marco and I have reported, the feeling around the NHL is that he could command upwards of $7 million to $7.5 million per season with a cap extension. The Hurricanes haven’t dove deep into negotiations yet, and until they do, they’re telling other teams making trade inquiries to hold firm.
There is a lot of interest in Necas; As I said on NHL Network on Friday, at least a dozen teams have him on their radar. Some clubs have already approached him and been told to wait, as Tulsky & Co. want to try to sign him first. Calgary, Nashville, Seattle, Philadelphia, Montreal and Vancouver are among the teams with interest.
Guentzel will attract significant interest if he makes it to July 1st. Equally important to him as the value of his next deal is the environment. He wants to win and he wants to have the opportunity to win year after year.
After scoring 30 goals for the third consecutive season and accumulating 77 points in 67 games with the Penguins and Hurricanes, Guentzel will be among the top scorers in this summer’s free agent class. Only Sam Reinhart (94 points, 57 goals) and Steven Stamkos (81 points, 40 goals) recorded more points than Guentzel in 2023-24 and many in the League expect both to re-sign with their current teams. Jonathan Marchessault (42 goals) and Tyler Toffoli (33 goals) have also scored more than Guentzel this season, and as I previously reported last week, Marchessault’s agent Pat Brisson will begin talks with the Vegas Golden Knights next week about an extension. , while Toffoli (two and a half years older than Guentzel) will hit the free market.
Guentzel earned $6 million AAV in his last contract and that figure will likely exceed $8 million in his next deal. Whether that happens in Carolina or elsewhere is an answer that we will know in less than a month.
HERE AND THERE
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There was a lot of talk in Vancouver last week about a possible contract extension in the works for Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers. As I reported on NHL Network on Friday, I reached out to his agent JP Barry and was told the talk is just “noise” at this point. The two sides have just started talking. I’m not suggesting that a deal isn’t possible, but it’s premature at this point. It is clear that both sides are interested in doing something.
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The Canucks have also shown interest in bringing back forward Teddy Blueger and have also spoken with his agent. But there are plenty of moving parts in Vancouver beyond him and Myers: Nikita Zadorov, Dakota Joshua and Elias Lindholm are also pending UFA, while Filip Hronek can reach RFA status on July 1 and is in line for a big raise , and the Canucks’ plan. about returning to Blueger later this month.
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Minnesota Wild defenseman Alex Goligoski has yet to make a final decision on his future. There is talk that he might consider hanging up his skates, but for now I’m told he’s keeping his options open.
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After the trade deadline, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes acknowledged that he would be open to being a buyer this June, as he was in each of the last two drafts: “If we see an opportunity again in the Draft, we will look to continue.” that way”. While the Habs are willing to explore ways to improve their roster, word out of Montreal is that the Habs have prioritized the draft over trades for the time being. With the fifth overall pick and the 26th overall pick, I’m curious to see if Hughes considers including this latter pick in a move for a young, proven NHL scorer.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs began contract negotiations with winger Tyler Bertuzzi last week. It is still a very early stage of the process, which makes it difficult to predict what path it will take, but there is a mutual interest in maintaining this relationship.
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The Leafs have also expressed interest in re-signing Joel Edmundson, however, I’m told the rugged defenseman plans to test free agency next month. He is open to returning to Toronto, but he wants to explore his options before deciding his future. Meanwhile, the Leafs have not entered into negotiations with another mid-season acquisition, Ilya Lyubushkin, who will also become a UFA.
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Barring a sudden change in discussions, all signs point to defenseman Derek Forbort also testing the waters of free agency on July 1 and leaving the Boston Bruins.
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Now that their season is over, the New York Rangers will soon begin formal contract negotiations with Igor Shesterkin’s camp regarding an extension. He has one year left on his current contract and projects to be the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history. Carey Price (still on the books) leads the list with an AAV of $10.5 million, followed by Sergei Bobrovsky ($10 million AAV) and Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5 million AAV).
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Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner told us Saturday on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio’s “The Hot Stove” that he plans to speak with new Columbus general manager Don Waddell in the coming days, and then it’s time to ” get down to work”. He is excited about the changes ahead as Waddell’s mandate is to lead this team to the playoffs.
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The NHL Draft Combine is approaching; that’s where general managers and agents all meet together for the first time before the NHL Draft. This is also a time when cross-team and cross-team/agent conversations start to gain momentum. Let the silly season begin.
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News team, assemble! With the Stanley Cup Final starting Saturday, June 8 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, the TFP gang will reconvene for daily video coverage (including off days). Join us for a full slate of content every day during the finals, starting Friday, June 7, starting with media day. Then we’ll head to Las Vegas to watch the NHL Draft and continue the party. We have a fun (long) month ahead of us. Come take the ride.
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