Even though the free agent goalie market is rather thin, Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that the Blues should not try to use that to their advantage and look to move Jake Allen this summer. Allen struggled this past season, putting up the worst numbers of his career while Carter Hutton, a pending unrestricted free agent, thrived; his numbers were the best in the league. Even though Allen has a decent track record as a starter, St. Louis would be selling low if they were to move him now. Instead, it wouldn’t be surprising if they simply look to re-sign Hutton and run with the same tandem they’ve had for the past two years. However, they will have some competition for his services as Hutton should garner a lot of interest around the league if he makes it to the open market.
Elsewhere around the West:
- The Oilers will have a tough call to make when it comes to defenseman Darnell Nurse, opines Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. Has he shown enough to land a long-term contract that could hover around the $5MM per season range or are they better off with a bridge deal instead? Edmonton’s salary cap situation may help dictate their path as well as if they have eyes on adding established talent to their roster, they may have to go the shorter route with the 23-year-old. That would allow them to sign him for less now but they would pay for it down the road as his next contract would mostly cover UFA-eligible seasons.
- The Coyotes are on the lookout for a new head coach at the AHL level following the departure of Mike Van Ryn to St. Louis earlier this week. Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan reports that assistants John Slaney and Steve Potvin will be candidates for the role although AHL GM Steve Sullivan stated that a short list of coaches outside of the organization will also be considered.