Welcome to the Tuesday edition of NHL Rumours! The off-season continues to roll on as the dog days of summer are here. There have been some minor signings dealing with restricted free agents. And speaking of restricted free agents, that is the topic of today’s edition of NHL Rumours. While there are still unrestricted free-agents still left unsigned, the focus is shifting to the restricted free-agents and if they will settle before arbitration or get lured overseas. The teams we look at in today’s edition of NHL Rumours are the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, and Florida Panthers.
NHL Rumours
Minnesota Wild
Rumour: Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweeted that Kirill Kaprizov has a tentative agreement in place with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. Minnesota would like to sign Kaprizov to a longer-term deal, but they do not want to lose him so no option is off the table. Both sides are in constant communication.
Initial hang-up was MIN was only interested in a 7 or 8-year deal for the Calder Trophy winner. That’s not the case. Bunch of options in term.
But the Kaprizov camp contends there has been no offer made since April.
We’ll see where this goes, two sides remain in communication.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) August 9, 2021
Analysis: Considering Kaprizov has no arbitration rights and cannot receive an offer sheet from another NHL club, his only leverage is the KHL. With the NHL still on break until the middle to end of September, Kaprizov has a chance to play beginning in September. Not to mention, if he did sign in the KHL, the possibility of going to the Olympics would be on the table as well. Kaprizov is the 2021 Calder Trophy winner as the NHL rookie of the year. It is no surprise he wants to maximize his value. Why does he want to lock himself in now, when he can get a bigger payday later? Kaprizov is already one of the bright rising stars in the league and is only getting better.
Kaprizov’s camp wants him to be eligible to be an unrestricted free agent come 2024, while the Wild would like him to be signed to a longer-term deal. Reports out there say Wild general manager Bill Guerin has offered a five to a six-year deal. Others indicated he went as high as seven or eight years. Since Kaprizov is the most talented player in Wild history since Marian Gaborik, it would be hard to imagine him leaving to go back to the KHL or via trade. That would set the franchise back even further. It will be interesting to see what Guerin does and how things play out.
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Vancouver Canucks
Rumour: Luke Fox of Sportsnet looked at the Top 10 RFAs left on the market writing that the preliminary talks between Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks got underway with Hughes looking to sign a deal longer than five years.
Analysis: Quinn Hughes alongside Elias Pettersson are the two most important pieces to that franchise. Hughes is the anchor to the Canucks’ defence that is looking to bounce back after a terrible season. Ever since coming into the league, he has set the world on fire. Through 129 games, he has 97 points. In addition, he helped the Canucks get to Game 7 of the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has been putting up better numbers than Mikhail Sergachev, Charlie McAvoy, and Zach Werenski, who signed a new long-term deal in with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The issue between the two parties is the term. Hughes wants something longer than five years, while the Canucks may look to give him a bridge deal. However, the one thing going for Vancouver is cap space. They were able to clear off contract space when they acquired Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland. But they do not have much left with the Garland extension and Ekman-Larsson’s contract. With the market being set by Miro Heiskanen and Cale Makar, keeping Hughes will not be easy or cheap for general manager Jim Benning.
Florida Panthers
Rumour: Staying with Luke Fox of Sportsnet, he writes that contract talks between the Panthers and newly acquired forward Sam Reinhart are moving slowly, which has been disappointing to the player.
Analysis: The Panthers acquired Reinhart from Buffalo on Day 2 of the NHL Draft. The restricted free agent is looking to get an extension done with the Panthers. It is a new start for Reinhart who is coming off a stellar season despite being on a bad Buffalo team. Reinhart tied a career-high with 25 goals. But he showed more poise in the middle ice and was not afraid to use his body to get physical. Reinhart also showed more command on the ice as well. But, he had to with Jack Eichel being out of the lineup. Reinhart is arbitration-eligible and could get a big pay raise with a one-year contract extension. However, being with a new team he may want a long-term deal especially with a better cast of characters.
However, this is going to be tricky. General manager Bill Zito has to be careful on what he gives Reinhart with Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov needing new contracts. If Reinhart is looking for between the $6-$7 million range, it may be tough to keep him on a long-term deal. They have may have to go short-term and see him walk later on.
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