Kevin Kurz of the Athletic reports that Kevin Labanc is among the names that the Sharks have made available around the league.
Labanc has three seasons left on his current contract with a cap-hit of $4.725 million.
Kurz reports that the Sharks would prefer a deal where they receive NHL players in return, but they are also hoping to pick up some more picks in the 2021 draft.
Kurz also list Radek Simek and Dylan Gambrell as available.
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Periods reports that Seth Jones has been given permission to speak with other teams, citing a well-placed source within the Columbus organization.
The reason Columbus would grant this is so potential trade partners have an idea if they have a chance to sign Jones long-term, as they will potentially pay more knowing that they have a chance to get Jones under contract.
Pagnotta mentions Chicago, Philadelphia, Colorado, Winnipeg, Los Angeles and Vancouver as teams that have at least explored the idea of trading for Jones. Chicago seems to be the most persistent team coming up in trade rumors. Elliotte Friedman reported that trade discussions with Philadelphia appear to be off for now, as it doesn’t appear that Jones wants to commit there long-term.
Elliotte Friedman reports that Jakub Voracek was told that the Flyers expect him to leave him exposed in the expansion draft. He says if Seattle doesn’t claim Voracek, the team will explore other means of moving him.
In NHL Trade Rumors’ Mock Expansion Draft, Philadelphia gave Seattle a 2nd round pick to take on Voracek’s $8.25 million cap hit for the next three seasons.
Friedman notes that both sides are prepared that a deal might not get done, but are going to explore the possibility of moving their separate ways.
In 31 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman asks the question: could the Hurricanes decline to tender a qualifying offer to Alex Nedeljkovic?
Nedeljkovic’s qualifying offer would be $787,500. That figure isn’t the issue. The issue would be the Hurricanes being concerned about the potential arbitration award following a season in which Nedeljkovic finished third in the Calder voting.
Friedman mentions Thatcher Demko as a comparable for Nedeljkovic. Demko’s final two RFA seasons were valued at $2.5 and $4.5 million.
If Carolina chooses not to qualify him, he will be an unrestricted free agent.
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs have been interested in Tyler Bertuzzi for a while.
Bertuzzi had a hot start to 2020-21 before a back injury derailed his season. He had back surgery on April 30.
Bertuzzi, 26, will be a RFA this summer and will be one season away from unrestricted free agency. In 208 games in his career, he has 54 goals and 72 assists for 126 points.
Vladimir Tarasenko has officially requested to be traded from the Blues, reports Jeremy Rutherford.
Like Jack Eichel, it appears the cause of his discontent is injury-related. Rutherford reports that Tarasenko is unhappy about how the Blues handled his shoulder injury. Not being named team captain and having his role on the powerplay changed was also cited as contributed to his frustration with the club.
He reports that Tarasenko has provided a list of teams he would accept a trade to, and it could be as many as 10 teams. Tarasenko has full no-trade protection.
Rutherford mentions the Rangers, Islanders, Lightning and Oilers as potential fits. He reports that the Blues are not looking for picks and prospect coming back. He says they are interested in Matthew Tkachuk, but the Flames would require a lot more than Tarasenko in return.
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed Jack Drury to an entry-level contract.
Drury could have opted to be a free agent if he chose to go unsigned through August 2022. Instead he has decided to start his professional career in North America immediately. He turned pro and played overseas in 2020-21 when Harvard cancelled its hockey season.
On 31 Thoughts: The Podcast, Elliotte Friedman discusses (25:40) the latest talks between Edmonton and Chicago, as they attempt to facilitate a trade of Duncan Keith to the Oilers.
He says he wonders if the trade talks are coming to a breaking point. He says the two sides are “staring at each other” and know what each has on the table. The two sides would like to have this situation settled so they know where they stand going into the expansion draft and free agency.
Friedman says the Blackhawks would like to accommodate Keith’s desire to live closer to his family, and also would like to use the freed up cap space to pursue Seth Jones or Dougie Hamilton. He wonders if a buy-out might be a last resort for them, though obviously a trade would be preferable.