Each day up until free agency on July 1, TSN.ca breaks down the latest news and rumours around the NHL.
Centres of Attention
John Tavares, Paul Stastny and Tyler Bozak have been ranked as the top three centres on the free agent market this summer and all three are believed to draw heavy interest this week.
Tavares, who sits at the top of the free-agent market, will meet with up to six teams this week, according to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, with the Toronto Maple Leafs among the suitors. Staple reports the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars will also have a chance to make their pitch to Tavares, while the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and/or Nashville Predators could also get a meeting.
Staple notes that the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens are both expected to miss out on the opportunity to speak to Tavares.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports there's strong interest for Bozak on the free-agent market as Newsport Sports began fielding multiple calls when the negotiation window opened on Sunday. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports the Maple Leafs remain interested in bringing back Bozak, but doubts they'd want to pay him $4.2 million annually again. He notes the Maple Leafs remain thin at centre on the depth chart for next season and will face competition for signing Bozak. Koshan lists Riley Nash and Derek Ryan as other possible options for the Leafs down the middle to provide depth if the teams fails to either sign Tavares or keep Bozak.
As for Stastny, Dreger reports the 32-year-old has six very serious suitors for his services. Craig Custance of The Athletic reports the Winnipeg Jets are still trying to find a way to keep their deadline acquisition. He notes the Jets, who have $25 million in cap space, have many other contracts to 'wrestle.' Restricted free agent defenceman Jacob Trouba is the lone Jet on the TSN Hockey Trade Bait board, listed at No. 21.
Hot for Hutton
St. Louis Blues goaltender Carter Hutton was ranked by TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli as the top free-agent goaltender this year and received no shortage of interest when the negotiation window opened Sunday.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports Hutton's camp fielded calls from eight different teams looking to speak with the pending free agent. He notes that Hutton will now begin to pare the list down and expand conversations with the remaining teams.
Hutton, 32, posted a 17-7-3 record this past season with a .931 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against average - both career-highs.
According to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times, the Blackhawks were one of the eight teams to reach out to Hutton on Sunday. Hutton, who was undrafted to begin his career, actually made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks, playing in one game during the 2012-13 season.
Lazerus does not expect Hutton to be guaranteed a starting job from any team in negotiations this week.
Dark Nights?
Believed to be off John Tavares' radar, the Vegas Golden Knights could be primed to take a step backwards this week as they prepare to lose two key players from the inaugural roster.
David Schoen of The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the Golden Knights are expected to lose both James Neal and David Perron as the two forwards hit the free agent market this week.
The Calgary Sun reports Neal turned down a five-year, $25 million contract from the Golden Knights at the trade deadline and it's unclear if the two sides have traded offers since.
“Common sense says that if (Neal is) not signed by July 1, he’s probably not coming back (to Vegas),” Neal's agent, Patrick Morris, told the Review-Journal.
The 30-year-old scored 25 goals and posted 44 points in 71 games with the Golden Knights this past season. He added six goals and five assists in 20 playoff games for the Golden Knights.
Perron, also 30, scored 16 goals and led the Golden Knights with 50 assists this season. He scored one goal and posted eight assists in 15 games during the postseason, coming out of the lineup twice in the Stanley Cup Final as a healthy scratch. Perron's agent, Allan Walsh, said his client has been 'forced' to look for offers outside of Sin City.
“There’s been significant interest in David today (Sunday),” Walsh said. “David has loved his time in Las Vegas. He loves his teammates. It’s a very special group. But he’s forced to look at other opportunities.”
Schoen reports the Golden Knights are also expected to lose defenceman Luca Sbisa and winger Ryan Reaves when players can officially sign with other teams on July 1.
“We’ve made offers to all the players,” Golden Knights general manager George McPhee said Saturday. “In a cap world, you don’t have the flexibility to do what you like to do all the time.”
McPhee said the team was aware when they acquired Reaves from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tobias Lindberg this season there was a chance he'd be one-and-done with them.
“In that transaction, we got a player and a fourth-round pick, understanding the player might leave,” McPhee said.