The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is well underway. Teams have been eliminated and set their sights on the draft and free agency. Those teams have set goals to get better for next season and prepare for a deep run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Today’s edition of NHL Rumours highlights Shane Doan, the St. Louis Blues, and the Chicago Blackhawks.
NHL Rumours:
Shane Doan
Rumour: Blues insider Andy Strickland is reporting that former Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan would be interested in an NHL front-office position.
Shane Doan wants to help an #NHL front office. Any team would be foolish not to have him around their organization. Will someone hire this guy! Full episode avail now on all platforms! @camandstrickpod #Yotes pic.twitter.com/XIUyp9WPuQ
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) August 28, 2020
Shane Doan is looking into joining an NHL front office. As a former player in the NHL, he would be a good mind to bring in. He knows the game in and out and could be a great addition to any franchise. While he may not be considered for a general manager position right out of the gate, he is certainly an interesting candidate.
The Arizona Coyotes would surely be the front-runners of a Doan hiring. The centreman spent all of his 21-year career in Arizona (or their predecessor Winnipeg Jets). He spent this time becoming the face of the franchise, ultimately bearing the captaincy for 14 years. Doan is a figurehead of Arizona hockey and his return in some capacity would be very welcome by the fanbase. This warm-welcome would be much-needed too, after the very-public departure of general manager John Chayka and their recent draft scandal. Not only would the big smile and great hockey knowledge of Shane Doan boost the Coyotes newly-renovated front office, but it’d also help the team’s public image.
St. Louis Blues
Rumour: TSN insider Darren Dreger reported that the St. Louis Blues have offered a contract extension to Alex Pietrangelo.
It’s believed the Blues made an offer this week. Early in the process, but sounds like there will need to be a lot of work done to keep Pietrangelo in St Louis. https://t.co/D4dj38VVms
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) August 28, 2020
Alex Pietrangelo is arguably the best player on the Blues roster. As a vital part of the franchise, he was instrumental to their championship win last year. With free agency looming for Pietrangelo, the Blues will want to lock him up now. There are some solid young defencemen like Vince Dunn and Colton Parayko who will need to step up. Pietrangelo will leave a large hole.
The Blues are don’t have much cap space. Pietrangelo is due for a hefty raise of potentially $3 million per year. Considering the team would need that money to also re-sign Dunn, it seems unlikely the team can retain both. The Justin Faulk extension really hammered the final nail in the coffin, as he will command $6.5 per year starting next season.
Pietrangelo has been very vocal about staying in St. Louis, though, a sentiment that was echoed by general manager Doug Armstrong. While the team is in a bit of a cap bind, making an offer to the captain is step-one. After plenty of speculation as to whether negotiations had started or not, fans can finally rest easy; Pietrangelo’s journey to returning to St. Louis has finally started.
Chicago Blackhawks
Rumour: The Associated Press at NBC Sports wrote that the Chicago Blackhawks may find it difficult to re-sign Calder Trophy nominee Dominik Kubalik.
Dominik Kubalik really broke into the NHL in a big way this season. A former seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings, Kubalik surprised everyone this year. Kubalik was a Calder Trophy nominee. He scored 30 goals over the course of the season. An extension appears to be on the horizon for him. Kubalik made $925,000 this past year. The 25-year-old has put himself in a great situation for himself, but highly detrimental to the team.
Chicago is in a salary cap bind. Thankfully, Brent Seabrook’s contract was not counted against the cap as he was placed on long term injured reserve. The same can be said for Andrew Shaw. Those two contracts combined for just short of $11 million per season. If those go back on the books next year, the team will be forced to part with important assets. Alex DeBrincat already received his payday and Dylan Strome is also due for one. If Chicago can find a team willing to take Seabrook’s contract (which is highly unlikely) they will have a hard time resigning Kubalik and other pending free agents.
That does it for today’s NHL Rumours. Check back over the next few days for another edition.
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