Off-Season Countdown: Avs to lose Burakovsky?

Ahead of the free agent market opening on Wednesday, TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

Hitting the Market?

It appears Andre Burakovsky will be hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday.

Burakovsky's agent Kevin Epp told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that he is expecting the winger reach free agency, though he also expects to hear back from the Colorado Avalanche before that.

The 27-year-old is coming off a career year with the Avalanche, in which he posted 22 goals and 61 points in 80 games. He added three goals and eight points in 12 games during the team's run to the Stanley Cup this spring.

Burakovsky is coming off a two-year, $9.8 million contract, carrying a cap hit of $4.9 million.

A first-round pick of the Washington Capitals in 2013, Burakovsky has 123 goals and 295 points in 519 career NHL games.
 

Last-Minute Push?

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports there has been progress in talks between Evgeni Malkin's camp and the Pittsburgh Penguins over the past 24 hours.

LeBrun adds, however, that work still needs to be done to complete a contract before Malkin hits the unrestricted free agent market on Wednesday.

After signing Kris Letang to a six-year contract last week, the Penguins have $15.3 million in cap space remaining with 18 players under contract for next season.

Malkin, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the team, posted 20 goals and 42 points in 41 games this season after undergoing knee surgery last summer. He added three goals and six points in seven playoff games.

The 35-year-old centre, who was selected second overall in 2004, has 444 goals and 1,146 points in 981 games with the Penguins. He is coming off an eight-year, $76 million contract which carried a cap hit of $9.5 million. 

Down the 401?

It's no secret the Ottawa Senators are trying to move Matt Murray and it appears they could turn to their provincial rival to get a deal done.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports there continues to be talk of a potential trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger adds a "full medical evaluation is part of the decision making process" for Toronto, who have been discussing the possible move with Ottawa since Friday.

Murray has been limited to just 47 starts over his first two seasons in Ottawa since signing a four-year, $25 million contract with an average annual value of $6.25 million. He has two seasons remaining on that deal.

The 28-year-old recorded a .906 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average in 20 games this past season while missing significant time with an upper-body injury.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said last week that Murray is expected to start skating again in the coming days, adding he was "expecting a full recovery for him."

Garrioch adds that the Senators have also held discussions with the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals and Arizona Coyotes, among others, but the Maple Leafs' front office has familiarity with Murray who played under general manager Kyle Dubas with the Soo Greyhounds. 

The Senators had a deal in place to move the goaltender last week before Murray declined to waive his no-trade clause for the Buffalo Sabres. That deal would have seen the two teams flip first-round picks, with the Sabres moving up No. 7 for the No. 16 overall selection, with the Senators also retaining salary on Murray. 

The Senators wound up eventually dealing the No. 7 overall pick the Chicago Blackhawks as part of their package to land winger Alex DeBrincat.

A third-round pick (83rd overall) at the 2012 NHL Draft by Pittsburgh, Murray backstopped the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups championships in 2016 and 2017. In October 2020, he was traded to the Senators in exchange for Jonathan Gruden and a second-round pick.

In 246 career NHL games, the Thunder Bay, Ont., product has a career .911 save percentage and 2.77 GAA.
 

More moves in Montreal?

The Montreal Canadiens may have been the busiest team at the NHL Draft, selecting Juraj Slafkovský at No. 1 overall and then trading Alex Romanov and acquiring Kirby Dach with their return for him.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports there could be more moves ahead in Montreal after speculation at the draft on Jeff Perty and Jake Allen.

"Yeah you know what, there was a little bit of speculation around Jeff Petry and Jake Allen, the veteran backup goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens," Dreger said on Insider Trading. "Throughout the second day of the draft, it's no secret that Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens still want to shed a little bit more money. Is there interest in Jeff Petry? There is but not enough that the Montreal Canadiens were comfortable to move him this week. So it's a story that we're going to continue to follow. 

"Jake Allen getting traded seems less likely until they get some certainty on the future of Carey Price."

Petry, 34, had six goals and 27 points in 68 games last season, his eighth with the Canadiens. He is heading into the second year of a four-year, $25 million deal with an average annual value of $6.25 million.

Allen appeared in 35 games this past season while Price missed the majority of the year. The 31-year-old had a 9-20-4 record with a .905 save percentage and a 3.30 goals-against average. 

Price, who will turn 35 next month, cast some doubt on his own playing future after being limited to just five games this season.

“My honest opinion is no. I don't believe that in the current state it would be sustainable for a whole season,” Price said after the season ended. “So in that regard, I have a lot of question marks and fortunately for me, I got a lot of time over the summer to prepare.”
 

Could Kane Move?

While the New York Rangers have been linked to Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller on the trade market, Larry Brooks of the New York Post argues the team should consider targeting Patrick Kane as a one-year rental instead.

Brooks writes that if general manager Chris Drury believes his team is close to a Stanley Cup after their run to the Eastern Conference Final, he should try to get Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks with half his salary retained.

Kane had 26 goals and 92 points in 78 games last season with the Blackhawks, who further signaled their rebuild at the draft in trading Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach. The 33-year-old winger is signed through next season at a cap hit of $10.5 million, which could drop to $5.25 million if Chicago retains the maximum 50 per cent of his salary.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said after the DeBrincat trade that he did see value in keeping Kane and Jonathan Toews, but added it's a "two-way street."

"Yeah, I think there's value in having guys like that that can help mold and set the bar and set the example for younger players coming in," Davidson said. "But that's a two-way street and they have to want to be a part of that. But you know what, to this point we haven't heard otherwise. Again, we're going to be very open with them, very transparent.

"Today was a day that I'm not sure any people saw coming, necessarily. Maybe they did. But it's hard to accept nonetheless, which I get. But it's a necessary step that we had to take to get this on a track to where we want to be and not try and just make small tweaks along the way. We had to make a big shift. We had to change things."

Toews, 34, is also signed through next season at an identical $10.5 million cap hit. He had 12 goals and 37 points in 71 games after missing the entire 2020-21 season.