In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news out of Boston where the Bruins and defenseman Torey Krug haven’t spoken about an extension, Mikko Rantanen says he won’t play anywhere but the NHL and hopefully the Colorado Avalanche, and the Pittsburgh Penguins likely won’t make a cap-clearing trade as previously rumored.
Krug and Bruins Haven’t Talked Extension
When asked about whether or not Torey Krug has spoken with the Boston Bruins about extending his current contract which ends after this coming season, Krug said talks have been “non-existent”.
Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com quotes Krug, “Nope, nothing. Maybe a little surprise nothing has been talked about, but I realize that our team is in a different situation.”
That different situation is that the Bruins still need to get Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo signed and Krug knows that is the priority right now. “I understand we have two guys who need to be signed, and that can have big effects on our (NHL salary) cap situation moving forward, and our boss has to deal with that,” Krug said.
That doesn’t mean Krug isn’t eager to get some sort of conversation going. He’s even rumored to be willing to take a little less than market value to stay in Boston.
Krug asked and answered his own question on the first day of the NHL/NHLPA preseason media tour when he said he has contemplated taking less as long as the team wants him. He wouldn’t clarify how much less. He explained:
“Of course I wish there was dialogue and some sort of call or something like that. It’s just nonexistent. I’ve put together a resume I’m very comfortable with and happy about. And trust me, I’m not saying I feel disrespected or anything. It’s just part of the situation.”
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Rantanen Won’t Sign Overseas
During an interview with Russian outlet Business Online, Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen said that regardless of his contract situation with the Avs, the NHL is “the only option” for him this season and he won’t be discussing contracts with the KHL or other leagues.
The Colorado Avalanche is just one of many restricted free agent forwards still without an NHL contract and he’s coming off his second consecutive season at more than a point-per-game pace. He certainly has parties interested outside the NHL, but he has no desire to leave.
He stands to become the highest-paid player in Colorado and his not being signed is because the Toronto Maples haven’t set the market with Mitch Marner.
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Penguins Won’t Make Big Cap Trade
The Athletic’s Josh Yohe recently spoke with Penguins GM Jim Rutherford who said he’s changed his stance on the urgency to make a big cap-clearing trade. The reason for the trade was that he wanted to was to give Marcus Pettersson a long-term deal.
Rutherford still wants to make a deal but said:
“You can’t make a trade when you can’t find anyone to trade with.”
“It might turn out that we won’t be able to give Marcus the contract that we want to be able to give right now. But if that’s the case, we’ll make everything work with the cap. And we can do that without trading anyone.”
source – ‘So the Penguins have to make a trade? Not so fast, Jim Rutherford says’ – Josh Yohe – The Athletic – 09/04/2019
If the Penguins offer Pettersson a bridge deal, his cap hit would be significantly smaller. Pettersson’s cap hit was around $800,000 last season and regardless of the type of deal he signs, he will get a raise.
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