Insider Trading: Latest on unsigned RFAs with camp approaching

TSN’s Darren Dreger and Chris Johnston have the latest on RFAs Jeremy Swayman and Moritz Seider, the Blue Jackets seeking a forward in the trade market and how NHL clubs will help with roster selection for the upcoming CHL/USA Prospects Challenge.

Key RFAs remain unsigned on the eve of NHL camps

GINO REDA: It’s the season debut of Insider Trading. They are the Insiders, Darren Dreger and Chris Johnston. Gentlemen, NHL training camps are opening up across league this week, and there are some big name restricted free agents still waiting for contracts. One of the biggest names out there right now, C.J., is Jeremy Swayman. At last word, Swayman and the Bruins were miles apart on a new deal. Any updates on that front?

CHRIS JOHNSTON: Well, what I can tell you as of early Tuesday evening, anyways, it was described as ‘status-quo’ in these talks, and I think the timestamp is important because this is an hour-by-hour situation with the camp opening in Boston on Wednesday. Obviously a lot of urgency trying to get the No. 1 goaltender of the Bruins signed, and really, this goes back a long time. They’ve been working at this file for quite some time trying to find an agreement on, what I think, has been focused on a long-term deal. You have to wonder if they can’t quite get there, if they can’t bridge that gap, maybe they find something a little shorter to get to a solution here. But certainly, this is a big one around the league.

Another situation worth monitoring is in Detroit, where Moritz Seider, the defenceman for the Red Wings, remains unsigned as well. The talks there had been focused on an eight-year contract, the maximum allowable, just as his teammate Lucas Raymond signed. But it sounds like now it’s going to be something a little shorter, and the reason for that is the Red Wings have been reluctant to pay anyone more than the $8.7 million per year that captain Dylan Larkin gets. I think one way to maybe get Seider into the mid-eights, or somewhere below that number is to do a six or seven-year deal, and so look for that as they look to get him signed and in camp here as soon as possible.

DARREN DREGER: And yeah, look guys, when you’re looking at top restricted free agents, more often than not it’s unnerving, and the negotiations can be delicate. Unlike Seider and Swayman, I’m looking at a couple of guys who are looking more so at bridge contracts, and I’m going to start with Cole Perfetti and the Winnipeg Jets. This has been a delicate, on-and-off again type of negotiation between the Jets and the camp that represents Cole Perfetti. I know that Perfetti feels great, he had an excellent off-season of training, and he’s looking forward to working for coach Scott Arniel. But, there is a significant gap in this negotiation, and unless something changes in the very near future, then it’s pretty obvious that Perfetti is going to miss some time.

As for Thomas Harley and the Dallas Stars, again, angling towards a bridge contract. It’s hard to imagine the Dallas Stars going into this season, for an extended period anyway, without this 6-foot-4 defenceman as part of their nucleus on that back-end. He is a key piece. Andy Scott represents Thomas Harley, says ongoing discussions there. He had 15 goals and 32 assists last year, so I like the position of Thomas Harley, but the negotiation isn’t complete yet.

REDA: A number of teams are looking inside their organization to take care of matters in-house with restricted free agents. Other organizations, like for example, the Columbus Blue Jackets, are looking for help outside the organization, C.J.?

JOHNSTON: They are, and look, they’ve already brought in veteran James van Riemsdyk over the weekend.  After that signing, Don Waddell, the Blue Jackets general manager said he still wants to get at least one more forward in-house. The sense is that the Blue Jackets are willing to be creative in how they do that. I don’t think it will necessarily come in the form of another UFA, they’ll look at PTOs, they’ll look at the waiver wire. I think they’re also being pretty active on the trade market, trying to see if maybe there’s some situations around the league, maybe some younger players that could become available from other teams as they work through their own roster issues, trying to get cap compliant by opening night. But the sense is the Blue Jackets will be patient here, and they may end up getting this forward by trade, versus the traditional route in just signing one.

CHL/USA prospect showcase

REDA: Some international hockey news. It was a couple of years ago, the Canadian Hockey League cancelled its Super Series with Russia, for obvious reasons there. And now, the CHL is looking at another international showcase event, but this time, Dregs, south of the border?

DREGER: Yeah, and it involves three entities here, Gino. You’re talking about the three leagues that make up the Canadian Hockey League: the OHL, the Western Hockey League, and the QMJHL, the National Team Development Program under USA Hockey, and of course, the National Hockey League. The NHL was looking for another vehicle, if you will, to showcase top draft-eligible prospects, and we know that the CHL has that in abundance, likewise with the [U.S.] National Team Development Program.

It’s expected, not official just yet, that the NHL will poll it’s 32 clubs to get their list of, let’s say, the 15 top forwards, top nine defence, and three goalies they’d like to see, and then the staff for the Canadian Hockey League and the Development Team in the U.S. will pair that down to 20 skaters and two goalies. Two games, one in London, one in Oshawa, Nov. 26-27. I know a lot of NHL GMs looking forward to them.

REDA: We all love the international hockey. They are Insiders, Darren Dreger and Chris Johnston, with the season debut of Insider Trading.