Penguins/NHL
TIOPS Rumor Mill
— Penguins Assistant GM Jason Botterill interviewed with Las Vegas in late June for their General Manager opening. Botterill was always a longshot candidate going into the process and did not emerge as one of the final two finalists.
Former Capitals GM George McPhee has been Bill Foley’s No. 1 choice for months and the interview process didn’t change that.
— Pittsburgh has made it clear to Matt Cullen’s camp that the team has opted against moving a roster player to clear cap space in the event of making a bigger offer to Cullen. Parameters of Pittsburgh’s current and final offer to Cullen is believed to be in the low $1 million range. When Cullen initially decided he would continue playing, the sense of the situation is Cullen and the agent were of the understanding that Pittsburgh intended to create cap space for him and would come in with an offer in the $2 million range. That hasn’t transpired. Whether there was some miscommunication or not is up for debate.
— Will Chris Kunitz be a Penguin for the start of the 2016-2017 season? To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
