Amid today’s NHL rumors, the Washington Capitals extends defenseman Jakob Chychrun to a huge extension. This is a reliable deal, does the contract hint at the team’s plans for the Blue Line? Meanwhile, Philadelphia Flyers will hope to have goalkeeper upgrades this summer. Will Brendan Shanahan have a chance to not return to the Toronto Maple Leafs next season, and Houston is the first legal option for the NHL expansion?
Chychrun wins top dollar in Washington
On Monday, the Washington Capitals signed Jakob Chychrun for eight years, costing $72 million. The $9 million contract per season is a huge investment in a team that has joined the team this season but has been a year in career. Part of the deal could be the team that positioned Chychrun to take over John Carlson’s blue line ranking number one.
Carlson earned $8 million per season and has two seasons left in his trade. The 35-year-old is not the capital will be extended in a long-term deal when his contract is formed, so they need someone to serve as the defense at the highest salary.
The pilot’s goalkeeper plagued the dog’s main concern
Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella didn’t break down the word when it comes to his team’s goalkeeper problem. In a recent interview, he admitted that the position has been around since Carter Hart set out last season. He thinks this needs to be resolved.
This season, the flyers rely on a three-man young and unproven goalkeeper – Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. Ersson has been much better in his first season as a starter, and the overall team’s savings percentage is .873.
Ivan Fedotov’s future in the team is also questioned. Despite scoring $3.275 million in block shooting percentage in another season, he has a record of 5-13-3, a savings percentage of .877 and an average score of 3.20 in 24 games.
Tortorella made it clear that if the flyers want to compete forward, the goalkeeper must be identified. It’s unclear who they’ll turn to, as there aren’t many options in free agency this summer. Will they try to trade one of the current goalkeepers for a network upgrade?
Is Shanahan’s popular seats in Toronto?
Nick Kypreos of Toronto Stars reports that the future of Brendan Shanahan and Toronto Maple Leafs cannot be guaranteed. He is in the final year of his contract and if the leaves perform poorly, ownership may choose to change. Kypreos believes that if Shanahan doesn’t expand, he could find a new home without much trouble, and he nails New York Islander and Buffalo Saber to a team interested in conversation.
The question may also revolve around the future of Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake. The Kings have a nice team, but if they never surpass the first round again, the organization may have no choice but to try something else.
Starting from the 2025-26 season, the Maple Leafs also signed center Luke Haymes to sign a two-year contract. He will play in Toronto Marlies for the rest of the 2024-25 season.
The NHL expansion to Houston is real
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the NHL meets with the Friedkin Group led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin, who owns the NHL series in Houston. “TFG is also reportedly considering a bid to the NBA’s Boston Celtics, which sold for a record $6.1 billion on Thursday, Kaplan wrote.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed that the NHL has “a potential interest in Houston expansion’s franchise on many occasions.”
Atlanta is believed to be another strong candidate for potential expansion, Kevin Weekes reported last week that the NHL has enough interest to actually expand to 36 teams.
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