NHL free agency officially opens in just a few hours but the rumour mill has been spinning for weeks.
On Sunday night Frank Seravalli from Daily Faceoff joined Sportsnet Central to share what he’s hearing from around the NHL. Here are some of the highlights.
Could Stamkos still return to Tampa Bay?
All signs from Tampa Bay this weekend have pointed to the Lighting moving on from long-time captain Steve Stamkos but Seravalli isn’t convinced that door is completely closed.
On Sunday the Lightning acquired pending-UFA Jake Guentzel and agreed to a contract with him. But the terms of that contract are being kept under wraps and Seravalli wonders if Stamkos is the reason why.
“Sources indicate that the Tampa Bay Lighting and Jake Guentzel have agreed to terms on a seven-year contract,” Seravalli said. “Not pen to paper yet, certainly not a contract that has been registered with the NHL and the Lightning have been keeping some of the details really close to the vest. What is the AAV? I believe it’s going to be in the $9 million range give or take a little bit when it comes to the final details.
“But I think part of the reason why they haven’t revealed or have been so cautious about revealing some of those details is because they’re still grinding on Steven Stamkos. I think there’s still some hope on their part, I think there’s still some hope on the part of Steven Stamkos and his camp that they can find a way to work something out.”
Stamkos, 34, is the Lightning’s all-time leader in goals (555) and points (1,137) and has helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Final four times, winning twice, since he was the first overall pick in 2008.
Who else could be interested in Stamkos?
If Stamkos does go to market, the Golden Knights will attempt to sign him, Seravalli reported on X.
Vegas is in the market for goal-scoring after Jonathan Marchessault, the Golden Knights’ leading scorer last season, was not re-signed.
Additionally, Seravalli reports that the Predators, Kings and Devils are some of the other teams believed to be interested in Stamkos.
Chris Tanev deal incoming with Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired the rights to pending-UFA defenceman Chris Tanev on Saturday and Seravalli is confident an agreement will get done.
He cited Tanev’s relationship with Leafs GM Brad Treliving and the fact that the veteran shot-blocker grew up in the Greater Toronto Area as some of the reasons the two sides are motivated to partner up.
“There’s lots of creativity involved here,” Seravalli said, suggesting a long-term contract could be on the table. “It seems that the Leafs are trying to go about this in a creative way to compete with some of the places that have no state income tax that always seem to get the big free agents.”
Quick Hits
• Sidney Crosby is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. Seravalli said while he doesn’t know if the deal will be announced on Canada Day, he believes Crosby and the Penguins are close to an agreement.
“These two sides have been talking for a long time,” he said. “If I were to peer into my crystal ball, and this is purely just a guess and hypothetical, I’d say it’s probably a three-year, eight-figure deal, $10-million-plus AAV, in that ballpark.”
• Seravalli expects that two teams who are deep in rebuilds but have lots of cap space could “be players on Monday.” Those two teams? The Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks.
• The Detroit Red Wings and Patrick Kane came to terms on a one-year contract on Sunday, but Seravalli reports the Red Wings have also re-engaged in talks with two other pending UFAs: David Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere.
