With there being so many notable restricted free agents despite training camps being only a few weeks away, it will be worth watching to see if teams adjust their approaches towards trying to lock up their young players earlier. With that in mind, Coyotes GM John Chayka acknowledged to Craig Morgan of The Athletic (subscription required) that the team has already started talks with their three potential RFA forwards next summer in wingers in Clayton Keller, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Christian Fischer but was quick to add that none of the talks should be considered as advanced. Arizona hasn’t hesitated to lock up players early in recent years but considering that they could be facing a bit of a cap crunch in the near future, they may opt to tread lightly with these talks for now.
Elsewhere out West:
- While new general managers often like to handpick their head coach, don’t expect that to be the case in Minnesota. New Wild GM Bill Guerin told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that he has “full confidence” in head coach Bruce Boudreau so there is no coaching change on the horizon. The veteran bench boss could reach the 1,000 games coached mark this season but the team has won just two postseason contests over his first four seasons with the team.
- Jimmy Schuldt’s presence on the Golden Knights’ entry into their upcoming rookie tournament raised some eyebrows as the defenseman remains unsigned. His agent told SinBin.Vegas (Twitter link) that both sides are preparing as if a deal will be done by the time the tournament gets underway on September 7th. However, Jesse Granger of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that while he could play on a tryout deal as many undrafted players do in these events, his sense is that it’s unlikely that Schuldt would participate. Many teams pursued the 24-year-old in college free agency last season but he was only eligible for a one-year, entry-level deal which is why he’s now unsigned after playing just one game with the team.