Artturi Lehkonen keeps stacking goals in Colorado, and that steady offensive push may be changing the math around his next contract.
TSN’s Chris Johnston said there is not much movement yet between Lehkonen and the Avalanche on an extension. The forward is a pending UFA, and while he would like to remain in Colorado “all things being equal,” Johnston said the situation is one to watch if Lehkonen keeps producing at this pace.
“The sense is there’s nothing really too close in terms of any extension work being done with the Avalanche. This is a player that would like to stay in Colorado, all things being equal, but I think he’s an interesting one to watch, especially if he continues this sort of hot offensive start, because he may price himself out of the market.
Across the league, Simon Edvinsson is drawing plenty of attention as the Dec. 1 deadline creeps closer. Darren Dreger said the Nashville Predators would be among the nine or 10 teams interested in the Detroit Red Wings RFA defenseman, with Detroit still hoping to keep him. Pierre LeBrun also said the San Jose Sharks are among the 10 or so clubs showing interest.
LeBrun pointed to the fit from both sides of the deal if things ever got that far. “A 23-year-old defenceman would fill a hole on their blue line, and on the flip side, if you’re Detroit and you’re looking at San Jose, there’s some really intriguing options up front there with a lot of young talent - not named Macklin Celebrini of course.
But still some interesting targets potentially there for Detroit, so we’ll see if those two teams bring that deeper or not. Keep in mind the Red Wings are still keeping out hope that they can convince Edvinsson to sign as we get closer to the pressure of the Dec. 1 deadline.”
Dreger also said Nashville is looking for defensive help and could be willing to move some veterans, specifically Nicolas Hague and Brady Skjei.
That fits with another piece of the Predators’ plan: they are still trying to add young skill. Dreger said the team is open to listening on veteran talent as part of that push.
“The names that I’m hearing right now are veteran defensemen - and that’s Nic Hague and that’s Brady Skjei. Now, not saying that McFarland is trying to push these players out.
He is, as I said, just trying to get a little bit younger. We’ve talked about the possibility of some of his veteran talented forwards being in play.
Well, he’s most definitely still willing to listen on those. Again, in the spirit of trying to get younger and trying to add more skill.”
In Other News...
Predators Blue Line Plans May Be Bigger Than Fans Expected
As the Predators continue to weigh what their roster should look like going forward, the blue line is already part of the conversation. Reports around the league have tied Nashville defenseman Nicolas Hague to trade discussions, a sign that the team may be willing to keep exploring options even after other moves and rumors have already started to reshape the picture around the roster.
Hagues name has come up as part of broader speculation involving teams that are looking at ways to alter their core, and that alone is enough to make Nashvilles defensive plans worth watching. With the Predators still sorting out where they want to land on the back end, any chatter involving a player with a significant long-term commitment only adds another layer to what could become a busy stretch for the front office. [Read more 🡒]