Winger Brian Gionta is the second highest scoring player from last season that remains an unrestricted free agent as training camps get underway. However, his agent Brian Bartlett told Leo Roth of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that the fact he remains unsigned is Gionta’s choice and that it may stay that way for a little while longer:
“It’s not for lack of opportunities, teams want to sign him, but he has to decide if it fits into his family situation. I think we’ll play it out awhile, see if anything changes in Buffalo, and then decide to go elsewhere or not. But it’s not like I don’t have opportunities for him to play, I do.’’
The 38-year-old played in all 82 games last season and collected 35 points (15-20-35) which marked the fourth straight year that he has surpassed the 30 point plateau. As is the case with any remaining free agent at this time, staying unsigned to potentially play in the Olympics in February is also a possibility.
Other notes from free agency:
- Talks continue between the Red Wings and RFA winger Andreas Athanasiou with agent Darren Ferris telling Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that they “are having productive discussions”. However, Ferris was quick to note that those discussions don’t mean that they are getting close to putting pen to paper on a new contract. It’s believed that Athanasiou has a one-year KHL offer on the table worth around $3MM while Detroit has come in well below that AAV in their offers. James added on Twitter that GM Ken Holland flew to Toronto today to continue negotiations in person.
- Center Stephane Da Costa was expected to garner NHL interest over the offseason after a strong showing at the World Championships. However, he has been dealing with a health concern since August that will keep him off the ice for several months according to a report from L’Équipe in France which explains why he isn’t currently at an NHL training camp. As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sign back in the KHL when he’s able to return and then make a run at an NHL roster spot next summer.