Penguins/NHL
Talks remain quiet this week between Pens GM Ray Shero and Neil Sheehy, the agent for Craig Adams after discussions broke off last Wednesday.
However, a source directly involved in the talks told me today that reaching a new deal remains on the “front burner for both sides”.
The two sides could re-engage a little earlier than expected and possibly as early as next Thursday or Friday I’m told, following the Penguins scouting meetings (Monday – Wednesday) and the NHL GM Meetings.
There remains a need in bridging the gap on a base salary as Adams is looking for a “fair market deal”. Term was not an issue in talks last week. Regardless, a new deal is going to see a bump in Adams previous salary of $550,000.
The Penguins making Adams such a priority has caught some include myself by surprise.
At age 34, you could make a strong argument that Adams time should come to an end with the team and that the Penguins should get younger with the likes of Joe Vitale, Dustin Jeffrey, and possibly even Mark Letestu who could be battling for a final spot due to the Penguins depth down the middle.
