Last summer, the Oilers wasted little time locking up center Connor McDavid to a max eight-year extension worth $100MM. Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Jets winger Patrik Laine are eligible to ink their second contracts as of July 1st but Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos suggests (video link) that Toronto, in particular, may not be as eager to get something done as soon as possible. He notes that wingers Mitch Marner (also eligible for an extension in July) and William Nylander (RFA) also need new deals and that signing Matthews may create a domino effect for those two. If they are indeed concerned about that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a possible new deal for Matthews wait until later in the offseason.
More from the East:
- Although he was frequently speculated as someone who could be dealt before the trade deadline, Rangers winger Mats Zuccarello acknowledged to Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News that he still expects to be with the team next season. The 30-year-old has one year left on his contract after this one at a team-friendly cap hit of $4.5MM. However, given where New York is in their rebuilding phase, there remains a good chance that he could be dealt in the summer.
- Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott was not in uniform for today’s overtime victory over the Bruins but Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post notes that the team is hopeful that he will get into at least one game this week, if not two as he works his way back from abdominal surgery. His return would give them stability between the pipes heading into the postseason as acquisition Petr Mrazek has been inconsistent while veteran Michal Neuvirth is also banged up once again after suffering a lower-body injury back on Wednesday against Colorado.