Dave Molinari reports on the status of Penguins right winger Petr Sykora who will be a UFA following the season. Sykora has made it known he would like to stay but he will have to decide whether taking a bit of a home town discount to stay with the Penguins is worth it. Sykora may have to settle for a two year deal with the Penguins.
Sources tell Inside Pittsburgh Sports, that Sykora could command a 3 yr deal worth $11-$12 million on the open market.
Talks with Zetterberg at an impasse?
The Detroit Red Wings felt going into training camp that negotiations with star forward Henrik Zetterberg would be a lot easier than they currently are. The Red Wings were hopeful that Zetterberg would take a slight discount like Pavel Datsyuk did but that is not the case. The Wings cannot move on other key potential UFA’s like Marian Hossa and Johan Franzen until the Zetterberg situation is resolved. Franzen will prove to be a tough negotiator.
What to do with Bouwmeester?
The Florida Panthers remain in the playoff hunt and they will wait until the last possible day to move defensemen Jay Bouwmeester. All signs point towards Bouwmeester testing free agency. If the Panthers remain in the playoff race at the March 4th deadline, they will still look to move Bouwmeester if they receive immediate impact players in return. Philadelphia and New Jersey have significant interest in Bouwmeester. New Jersey is willing to part with Brian Gionta. The Flyers have discussed moving Joffrey Lupul/Randy Jones/1st round pick for Bouwmeester.
What to expect from Shanahan
Signing Brendan Shanahan is a low risk move for the Devils. It will take Shanahan a few weeks of practice to get into game shape and playing 8-10 minutes a game with some power play time will be a good situation for Shanahan. Shanahan was also in talks with Boston but the Bruins weren’t ready to move on Shanahan.