The Pittsburgh Penguins and Evgeni Malkin will wait until after the season to talk again
Josh Yohe of The Athletic: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin will be turning 40 at the end of the July. He’s a pending UFA, isn’t interested in retiring, and wants to play next season in Pittsburgh. Last week, his agent met with GM Kyle Dubas. It’s not known if they if there were any negotiations.
“He (Dubas) said wait until the end of the season, and we’ll see what’s going on,” Malkin said. “Nothing else I can say right now. I just play. It’s not my job to talk to Kyle. I just want to play my game and just wait. Sid is injured. I want to help the team. Nothing. No crazy news. I just wait. My agent tells me we’ll wait until the end of the season.”
The Montreal Canadiens are eyeing a shutdown defenseman
Marco D’Amico of RG Media: It’s known that the Montreal Canadiens are looking for a forward to play on the top line, but they’re also looking at the market for a depth defenseman that can help shut things down late in the game.
To acquire that player, it will likely take away the ice time of either Arber Xhekaj or Jayden Struble, or one of those players is moved in the trade.
NHL Rumors: Rasmus Ristolainen, Steven Stamkos, and Nick Foligno
Elliotte Friedman noted on his 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that the Canadiens had inquired about Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Though a source did say a call was made, it didn’t last long. The Canadiens just wanted to know the price. It’s believed the Flyers want a first and a quality prospect – along the lines of what the Boston Bruins got for Brandon Carlo, a first and Fraser Minten. The Flyers will retain some salary.
Calgary Flames Zach Whitecloud could be one option. He’s got two years left at $2.75 million. Chicago Blackhawks Connor Murphy is a pending UFA and getting interest from some contenders. Winnipeg Jets Luke Schenn is another option that would maybe cost a third-round pick or less.
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