The Canadiens are still weighing how bold to get, the Predators are keeping tabs on the blue line market, and Drew Doughty says his next deal could be built to keep him in Los Angeles.
Frank Seravalli of Sportsnet reported that Montreal has stayed active in the trade market all season and into the offseason, but the team still hasn’t locked in how hard it wants to push. Part of that patience comes from possible internal answers already in the pipeline.
The Canadiens may want to wait on defenseman Luke Mittelstadt, Adam Engstrom, and forwards Alexander Zharovsky and Michael Hage. Mittelstadt is in the AHL, Engstrom is with the Habs, Zharovsky is in the KHL, and Hage is at Michigan in the NCAA.
Hage, though, won’t be available until the end of the season.
Nashville has also been busy, having acquired Jayden Struble from Montreal two weeks ago, but that hasn’t stopped the Predators from continuing to monitor the defense market. Teams are also watching forward Ryan O’Reilly as a possible target later in the season.
Another name drawing attention is Carolina defenseman Alexander Nikishin. Some teams around the league view him as a $6 million defenseman rather than a $9 million one.
Pierre LeBrun reported that with Nikishin re-signed for one year at $3 million, the Hurricanes and Nikishin could revisit a trade this offseason if he still wants out. Nikishin will also be eligible for an offer sheet next season, which he wasn’t eligible for this year.
Puck Pedia noted that he will be offer sheet and arbitration eligible next offseason.
On the other side of the country, Doughty made it clear he wants to keep playing in Los Angeles. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reported that the Kings defenseman wants to re-sign with the team, and he believes general manager Ken Holland wants the same thing.
“He knows what I want. I believe he wants me to stay,” Doughty said.
“We just haven’t talked about it yet. I feel like I’m performing better than I have in my past two seasons.
So, I think that I’ll take a team-friendly deal and stay in L.A. That’s my plan.”
Doughty said he isn’t sure how an extension would be structured, but he intends to do what he can to give the Kings flexibility.
In Other News...
Kings End Road Trip With A Frustrating Problem Still Unfixed
The Kings headed home from Chicago with the same nagging issue they have been trying to solve on the road: building an early lead and then letting it slip away. Samuel Helenius gave Los Angeles the start it wanted at United Center, and Anton Forsberg did his part in net with 25 saves, but the Blackhawks answered back and turned the game into a one-goal battle the Kings could not finish.
Chicagos third-period push ended up deciding a 2-1 loss that felt all too familiar by the final horn. Los Angeles now comes back to Los Angeles for a home stand still searching for a cleaner finish, with the details of how this one got away likely sticking with the group for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Connor Bedard Showed The Kings A Late-Game Problem Again
Connor Bedard was back in the middle of the action late against the Kings, which has become part of the Chicago script whenever a game tightens up. Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said the young star keeps earning those crucial shifts because of his competitiveness, even while the staff keeps pushing for more consistency in his defensive game. He also did his part at both ends in the matchup, setting up a goal and helping Chicago manage the closing stretch.
For Los Angeles, the frustrating part is how often Bedard seems to still be on the ice when the outcome is hanging in the balance. Blashill pointed to Bedard as a key piece of the Blackhawks young core and a player still very much in development, but the Kings saw again how dangerous he can be when the game gets tense and every shift starts to matter a little more. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Waste Early Lead In Another Frustrating One-Goal Loss
The Kings left Chicago with a 3-2-0 road trip, but the finale was another reminder of how thin the margin has been for them lately. Samuel Helenius gave Los Angeles the first goal of the night, and for a while it looked like the kind of start that could help the Kings control the game on the back end of a long trip. Anton Forsberg was in goal for LA, while Spencer Knight handled the Chicago net as the game settled into the sort of tight, tense battle that has too often turned on one moment.
Instead, the Blackhawks found a response through Roman Kantserov and then the decisive strike from Wyatt Kaiser, turning a one-goal deficit into a one-goal loss for Los Angeles. For a team still trying to stack together cleaner performances away from home, this one stung because the Kings had the early edge and still could not turn it into points. They head home with a winning trip, but also with another game that slipped away after looking very much within reach. [Read more 🡒]