Andreas Johnsson — sign or not re-sign?
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic: As Andreas Johnsson signed his qualifying offer last summer, he effectively bet on himself to produce. Johnsson delivered a 20-goal season and was one of Toronto’s best forwards to make things so effectively. The Swedish rookie performed as asked and then some.
Can Kyle Dubas and Andreas Johnsson come down to agreeing on a deal that is friendly for everyone involved?
“The agents and the organization have to talk about that,” Johnsson responded when asked about the kind of deal he was seeking as a pending restricted free agent. “Whatever would work best for both (sides).”
Again, a deal is there to be had for Andreas Johnsson. That is abundantly clear.
Toronto Salary Cap issues cloud summer…but…
James Mirtle of The Athletic: Several options exist for the Toronto salary cap problems to be dealt with.
First, there is status quo — where Travis Dermott and Zach Hyman are put on the LTIR. This gives them leeway to allow players extra long looks and the Toronto salary cap can go 10% over during the summer.
Second, with everyone healthy, Toronto can still field a top-ten team with just 20 players. Yes, that creates some problems but players can be sent up and down as needed.
The third option consists of shedding the contract of Nikita Zaitsev or Patrick Marleau. Neither is easy to get rid of but if Kyle Dubas can without too much damage, that is a win. Toronto may end up with as much as $6-$9 million in salary cap room if they can move both players.
Finally, there is a trade possibility. Getting that right-handed shooting defenseman could require trading a Kapanen and Brown. So, along with the other trades, Toronto would still be under the salary cap.
Mats Zuccarello and the Dallas Stars
Mike Heika for NHL.com: Mats Zuccarello likes Dallas but is he willing to re-sign there? He enjoyed his teammates and such but knows a raise is likely. It becomes a question of how long.
Obviously, Zuccarello fit like a glove in Dallas. The chemistry was instant and only tempered by the arm injury. There was one telling quote when Zuccarello was pushed a bit.
“This is my team now,” Zuccarello said. “I’m the kind of guy that I like when someone believes in you and wants you. I usually like that.”
That’s rather positive.