Off-Season Watch: Who's on DeBrincat's list?
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Ahead of the NHL Draft on June 28-29 and the opening of free agency on July 1, TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.
Who's on the List?
Alex DeBrincat's time with the Ottawa Senators appears to be coming to an end with the 25-year-old unwilling to sign a long-term deal with the club.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported earlier this month that DeBrincat had submitted a preferred list of trade destinations to the Senators, with Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia now revealing some of those teams.
Garrioch reports DeBrincat's list is believed to include the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and the Detroit Red Wings.
Amid a standstill in negotiations, the Senators filed for club-elected arbitration with DeBrincat last week, but can trade him anytime before the yet-to-be-scheduled hearing that will take place in late July or August.
The Senators acquired DeBrincat last year in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, sending the seventh and 39th overall picks in the 2022 NHL Draft and a 2023 third-round pick the other way.
Garrioch believes the Senators will be looking at a first-round pick, a prospect and potentially more as their return for the winger if or when he's moved this summer. The team is currently without a pick in the first three rounds of the 2023 draft.
DeBrincat, who is coming off a three-year, $19.2 million contract with a cap hit of $6.4 million, had 27 goals and 66 points in 82 games in his first season with the Senators.
The Farmington Hills, Mich., product has 187 goals and 373 points in 450 career NHL games and has scored 40-plus goals twice in his NHL career.
Goalie Watch
There are no shortage of goaltenders set to be available on the open market this summer for teams looking for a change in the crease.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun dove into the goalie market in a piece for The Athletic, breaking down the latest in negotiations around the league.
Player agent Ray Petkau confirmed to LeBrun that veteran goalies James Reimer, who spent the past two seasons with the San Jose Sharks, and Thomas Greiss, who appeared in 21 games with the St. Louis Blues this season, will both test unrestricted free agency on July 1.
Reimer had a 12-21-8 record this season with the Sharks, posting a .890 save percentage and a 3.48 goals-against average. He turned 35 in March.
Greiss, 37, went 7-10-1 with the Blues this season, with a .896 save percentage and a 3.58 GAA.
Petkau also represents Golden Knights netminder Laurent Brossoit and said the 30-year-old remains in contact with Vegas, but their cap situation will make a return difficult. LeBrun suggested that playoff star Adin Hill may be open to taking a discount to remain with the Golden Knights.
In other places around the league, LeBrun writes the Los Angeles Kings have had conversations with Joonas Korpisalo but bringing him back will prove difficult with their cap space. In Pittsburgh, LeBrun reports that new president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has not held any meaningful talks with pending unrestricted free agent Tristan Jarry,
Lastly, LeBrun reports the Carolina Hurricanes remain in talks with both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, despite already having goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov signed for next season at a cap hit of $2 million.
In addition to the large crop of free agent goaltenders, two more netminders headline the TSN Trade Bait Board in Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck and Anaheim Ducks veteran John Gibson.
Free Agent Frenzy Lookahead
The free-agent market is less than two weeks away from opening on July 1.
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Ryan O'Reilly and Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev are expected be two of the most highly sought after unrestricted free agents after both being moved at the trade deadline.
TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button broke down whether O'Reilly is set to make another big splash this summer and just how in-demand Barbashev could be when free agency opens.
Watch his analysis from That's Hockey: