Gaudreau, Malkin among the big names poised to hit NHL free agency

STARS ON THE MOVE?

Johnny Gaudreau and the Calgary Flames have yet to come to terms on a new contract as the clock continues to tick towards the pending unrestricted free agent hitting the open market.

The 28-year-old winger, a fourth-round pick by the club in 2011, put up a career-high 40 goals, 75 assists and 115 points in 2021-22, becoming a more well-rounded player in the process.

“I’m always optimistic,” Flames GM Brad Treliving said at the draft of finding a deal with his leading scorer. “I think I’m a pretty optimistic guy by nature. There’s a process to it.

“What I’ve found in our business is that deadlines push decisions.”

Gaudreau said all the right things after Calgary’s season ended in a Battle of Alberta loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the playoffs, but pen still hasn’t met paper.

Evgeni Malkin, meanwhile, remains minus a new contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins and will be a UFA as of noon Wednesday, a source told The Associated Press. The 35-year-old won three Cups with the franchise that selected him No. 2 overall in 2004, but played just 41 games in 2021-22 due to injury.

No. 1 defenceman Kris Letang re-signed with the Penguins last week and will continue his career alongside Sidney Crosby.

Malkin might end up walking out the door.

CREASE CONUNDRUM

A couple of teams have big goaltending holes to fill.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs went the trade route Monday night by acquiring Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators, the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals are among the clubs in need of significant help.

Jack Campbell, Toronto’s No. 1 option last year, is set to become a UFA, while the organization traded free-agent bust Petr Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks at the draft to clear salary cap space.

That opened the door for the trade with Ottawa for Murray, which in turn signalled Campbell is almost sure to leave.

Edmonton might also need two new netminders in 2022-23. Mikko Koskinen decided to sign in Switzerland, and 41-year-old Mike Smith’s playing status for next season remains up in the air.

Some other teams got crease clarity at the draft in Montreal, with the Colorado Avalanche trading for and signing Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers, and the Detroit Red Wings doing the same with Ville Husso in a deal with the St. Louis Blues.

The New Jersey Devils acquired Vitek Vanecek from the Capitals, while Marc-Andre Fleury re-signed with the Minnesota Wild. Washington then announced Monday it would not be offering a qualifying offer to Ilya Samsonov, which means the Capitals now need two goalies.

Campbell and Darcy Kuemper of the Stanley Cup-winning Avalanche are the only big names on the UFA list heading into Wednesday.

“It’s seems a little bit similar to last year,” Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said of the goalie carousel prior to the Murray acquisition. “You can change the names of the teams a little bit, but a team or a goalie may be left without a spot.

“Or a spot that either the team or the goaltender doesn’t desire as much.”

CENTRES OF ATTENTION

While the goalie market is getting thin, there are plenty of centres available — for the right price, of course.

Apart from Malkin, Nazem Kadri should command plenty of attention.

He starred for the Avalanche in their Cup win, and looks set for a big payday.

And then there’s Patrice Bergeron, who’s yet to re-up with the Boston Bruins, Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp of the New York Rangers, Vincent Trocheck of the Carolina Hurricanes and Paul Stastny of the Winnipeg Jets.

WINGING IT

Gaudreau is the star attraction on the wing, but there’s lots of experience and skill set to become available.

Claude Giroux was acquired by the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Florida Panthers at the trade deadline after spending his entire career with the Philadelphia Flyers, but appears again primed to hit the road.

Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin is off the board after he re-signed Monday with the Avalanche, but Andre Burakovsky is an enticing option, as are Edmonton’s Evander Kane, Ondrej Palat of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida’s Mason Marchment.

BLUE-LINE BOOST

Fewer higher-end prizes will be available on defence.

Plenty of possibilities remain, however, for GMs in need.

John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars tops the board after Letang elected to stay in Pittsburgh, followed by Colorado’s Josh Manson and Florida’s Ben Chiarot.

RFA SWING?

Most eyes will be on the UFAs, but there are also intriguing restricted free agents available for potential offer sheets.

A team that owns a player’s RFA rights has the option to match or receive draft picks as compensation, but there have still been a few attempts in recent years.

Carolina matched Montreal’s offer to Sebastian Aho in the summer of 2019. The Hurricanes then signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet last August — a deal the Canadiens declined to match. Before that small flurry, the last offer sheet tendered was all the way back in 2013.

Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk tops this year’s RFA list following a career-high 42 goals, 62 assists and 104 points.

Patrik Laine of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg’s Pierre-Luc Dubois — traded for each other in January 2021 — also have RFA status as of Wednesday unless something changes.

And then there’s Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin, a left shot and former first-round pick waiting for a new contract as he sits behind Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Timothy Liljegren on Toronto’s depth chart.

Gaudreau, Malkin among the big names poised to hit NHL free agency

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