According to Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Sun, the Canucks are expecting to re-sign Ryan Miller at some point before next season. GM Jim Benning hinted at such an extension recently when he explained that having solid goaltending is a big part of developing young players. Allowing them to know that they have a chance each night is beneficial even if the team doesn’t have intentions on competing for the Stanley Cup.
If Vancouver is so certain that they can re-sign Miller, they would likely wait until after the expansion draft and take their chances with any pitch Vegas may have for him. While the Golden Knights will have three days to try and convince any free agents to sign with them, inking Miller to an extension and then leaving him unprotected would be even more risky for the Canucks.
- Pierre LeBrun has been sitting down with GMs all week at the Draft Combine, and the venerable insider has a few more notes to pass along. First, he reports that Jordan Weal’s agent met with Philadelphia GM Ron Hextall today. Despite being just 25, Weal will hit the open market on July 1st as a Group VI free agent if they don’t find common ground. The third-round pick has a ton of scoring ability and has dominated the AHL level since entering professional hockey. In 23 games with the Flyers this year, he registered 12 points and showed he may be ready for the next level.
- In his chats, LeBrun also has heard that Vegas may be able to get a first-round pick in exchange for taking on a bad contract from a team in the league. Earlier today there was a report that the Golden Knights would be allowed to select Trevor van Riemsdyk from the Blackhawks in return for taking Marcus Kruger off their hands, and this is no different. The Golden Knights will likely have plenty of side deals for some bad contracts as they look to collect as many assets as possible in their first few years.