Crawford plans on continuing to play and not as a backup
Ben Pope: Chicago Blackhawks pending UFA goaltender Corey Crawford said that he plans on signing another contract after this one expires.
He said he hasn’t spoken with Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman yet.
It didn’t sound like Crawford is interested in signing a contract to be a backup in Chicago or anywhere else.
Stars committed to their coaches
Sean Shapiro: Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill said that they are committed to their coaching staff for the remainder of the season.
Their coach does have an “interim” tag for a reason. Have to think the Gerard Gallant suddenly being available does make you start thinking. Some coaches that have been fired recently are getting new jobs quickly.
It’s possible, but unlikely the Coyotes would move Hall … An extension could mean a corresponding move this offseason
Craig Morgan of The Athletic: If the Arizona Coyotes were to fall completely out of the playoff race before the trade deadline, it is possible that they could consider trading Taylor Hall if they could get some significant assets back. Don’t expect GM John Chayka to consider that though.
Coyotes scoring is up from 2.77 to 3.14 goals-per-game since they acquired Hall. The Coyotes will need to spend going forward, and Hall potentially re-sign is an option according to his agent Darren Ferris.
Estimates have Hall signing a long-term deal in the $10 million a season range. The Coyotes may have to consider some corresponding cap moves to fit something like that in.
Would one or more of Derek Stepan ($6.5 million), Michael Grabner ($3.35 million), Alex Goligoski ($5.475 million), Jason Demers ($3.9375 million), Jordan Oesterle (1.4 million) and Antti Raanta ($4.25 million) have to be moved out?
“In a cap world, you have to fit in your top players and then you try to find flexibility around that,” Chayka said. “We’re lucky to have good contracts and good situations and we’ve got lots of flexibility moving forward. If we’re able to sign a player like that long term, it’s a good problem to have in terms of having to solve that cap problem.”