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...
Sharks Have A Scoring Problem As One Big Line Decision Looms
The Sharks returned home from a six-game road trip with points in hand and a familiar issue still staring them down: where the scoring is supposed to come from at even strength. A 2-0 loss to Buffalo at SAP Center was a reminder that the group can defend and get goaltending, with Yaroslav Askarov turning aside 38 shots, but it still spent long stretches chasing the puck as the Sabres controlled the shot count through the first two periods.
With Vancouver next on the schedule, the attention now shifts to a bigger lineup question that could shape San Joses offense in the short term. The coaching staff has been looking for a way to jolt the 5-on-5 attack, and one possibility involves changing how Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are deployed, a decision that could say a lot about how aggressively the Sharks want to chase more production. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Roster Shakeup Suddenly Puts First Round Pick In Focus
A loss to Buffalo was enough to push the Sharks into another round of roster juggling, with center Filip Bystedt and defenseman Libor Hajek coming up from the Barracuda and Luca Cagnoni heading back to the AHL. The moves come at a time when San Jose is still trying to sort through its lineup on the fly, and they also open the door for a closer look at some of the organizations younger depth options.
The roster shift was tied in part to injuries, with Alexander Wennberg and Igor Chernyshov landing on injured reserve because of upper-body issues. For Bystedt, the timing is especially notable after being recalled into a situation where the Sharks suddenly need bodies and answers, and the next few days should tell whether this is just a temporary patch or a chance for the first-round pick to get a longer look. [Read more 🡒]
San Joses Goalie Picture Just Got A Lot More Unsettled
Corinne Schroeders injury situation has left the Sharks goaltending plans in a holding pattern, and Troy Ryan still doesnt have the kind of firm update that would let the team settle its depth chart. The GM and coach said Schroeder has an upcoming medical assessment that should help determine where her recovery stands, but for now San Jose is still waiting for a clearer read on how the starter will progress.
In the meantime, Ryan is doing the kind of contingency planning teams hate to need before camp even gets rolling. He said he has already built a list of goalies who are interested, and he is also weighing players on training camp agreements with other teams as potential options if he has to reinforce the position before camp opens. [Read more 🡒]