Among the groups is one led by former Texas Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg. Karmanos "likes" Greenberg, Alexander notes, and is apparently giving him time to put together his group.
"Once (Greenberg) has done that, we'll examine whether his offer cuts the mustard," Karmanos said.
It was reported on July 13 that Greenberg was close to purchasing the Hurricanes for $500 million, but Karmanos noted if he has to wait, the price may rise to $550 million or $600 million if the Canes have a successful season.
Karmanos reportedly has a term sheet in place to sell the team, but there's still no purchase agreement.
The Pittsburgh Penguins' signing of winger Conor Sheary on Sunday signified yet another undrafted player making his presence known at the NHL level - a trend that's become more common due to the talent level of players joining the league via more unconventional avenues.
Here are the top five undrafted players currently making an impact in the NHL:
5. Cam Talbot - Edmonton Oilers
When Talbot posted a .926 save percentage and 2.21 goals-against average in relief of New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist in the 2014-15 season, experts around the NHL knew it wouldn't be long until this undrafted free agent earned a starting job.
Fast forward to today, and Talbot is not only one of the best goalies in the game, but also Edmonton's bona fide No. 1. Last season, he finished tied for the most wins in the league with 42, carrying the Oilers to the postseason for the first time in more than a decade.
From playing Division I NCAA hockey in Alabama to being the starting goalie on one of the NHL's most storied franchises, Talbot's undrafted journey was long and difficult.
He'll be counted on next year to carry the Oilers even deeper.
4. Mark Giordano - Calgary Flames
The lone rearguard on the list deserves a lot more credit than he usually receives.
In addition to being the Flames' captain, Giordano is also an excellent teammate, leader, and community figure, taking home the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award at the 2017 ESPYs.
On the ice, he's everything you want in a defenseman.
Since he joined the league as an undrafted free agent in 2008, the 33-year-old Toronto native has been the Flames' most consistent D-man. He logs heavy minutes (career average of 22:05 per game) and puts up solid plus-minus numbers (career plus-55), while also contributing offensively.
In 11 seasons with Calgary, Giordano has registered 340 points in 673 regular-season games, making the fact he's an undrafted player even more puzzling.
3. Mats Zuccarello - New York Rangers
Despite being limited by a few serious injuries, including a cracked skull and a fractured hand, Zuccarello has been an effective offensive weapon for the Blueshirts.
Over 383 career regular-season games with New York, Zuccarello tallied 86 goals and 176 points while serving as a key contributor on the Rangers' top power-play unit. Since the 2013-14 season, he has 55 points on the man advantage.
Speed, skill, and a knack for producing when it matters most (31 points in 60 career playoff games) make Zuccarello one of the best undrafted NHLers in the game today.
2. Artemi Panarin - Columbus Blue Jackets
A talented Russian whose path to the league was very similar to the player's below, Panarin was passed over in the 2010 draft and also began his career in the KHL.
Since joining the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014, he put together two stellar offensive seasons while playing on a line with Patrick Kane. The duo displayed immediate chemistry, leading to Panarin racking up 61 goals and 90 assists for 151 points in only 162 games.
Producing at an almost point-per-game pace is an impressive feat, especially for a player who was initially deemed too small and soft to hang with the NHL's big boys.
Panarin's offensive gifts make him a lock for this list.
1. Sergei Bobrovsky - Columbus Blue Jackets
For a guy who initially plied his trade in the KHL, Bobrovsky has been nothing short of sensational since signing with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. A 40-win season, 19 shutouts, and two Vezina Trophies later, and Bob has played his way to being one of the top goaltenders in the league.
Last season was especially stingy for the 28-year-old Russian. He led the NHL in both GAA (2.06) and save percentage (.931), while also registering an impressive seven shutouts.
Bobrovsky was passed over in the 2006 draft, but, given his most recent numbers, it's clear he should have been in the NHL from the jump.
Strip clubs and professional hockey. It's a match made in Las Vegas heaven, right?
According to Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski, Crazy Horse III, a popular Vegas strip club, will welcome hockey fans to watch and cheer on the first major pro sports team in the history of the city.
Here's a statement from the establishment:
In celebration of the first professional team in Las Vegas, the Vegas Knights, the award-winning gentlemen's club will unveil game-day specials, including a "Bucks for Pucks" deal, offering $1 admission for any guests arriving via their own transportation. ...
Throughout the season, guests with a game-day ticket stub to a home game will receive a complimentary drink. Sports fans can take in all the hockey action amidst the club's massive 70-inch and 100-inch HD televisions.
The Golden Knights have no official affiliation with the strip club or its viewing parties, but we have a feeling that won't stop local hockey fans from enjoying the action - the on-ice action, of course.
Vegas hosts its inaugural home opener Oct. 12 against the Arizona Coyotes.
He was the definition of a stay-at-home defenseman - never recording more than 19 points in a season - but was widely considered one of the game's best penalty killers, largely due to his hulking 6-foot-4 frame.
Given that the Sabres had the sixth-worst penalty kill in the league last season, it's possible Komisarek's expertise could start paying dividends immediately.
The Vegas Golden Knights still have some work to do when it comes to a deal with restricted free agent Nate Schmidt before his Aug. 3 arbitration hearing.
The Golden Knights requested a two-year deal with an average annual value of $975K, while Schmidt's camp is seeking a one-year deal at $2.75 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Schmidt, 26, tallied 17 points in 60 games with the Washington Capitals, but the smooth-skating defenseman only averaged 15:29 minutes per night, as he was stuck behind one of the NHL's deepest blue lines.
A full year playing in a more prominent role should lead to more production for Schmidt and will therefore lead to a bigger contract, so it's unsurprising Vegas wants to sign him to a multi-year deal.
Schmidt is willing to bet on himself with a one-year deal, which makes sense given he could be in line for a career year.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos is one of the most lethal offensive players in the NHL today - when he's healthy, that is.
That hasn't been the case recently, as the 27-year-old has almost seen more of the press box than the ice, missing 115 games over the past four seasons while dealing with multiple serious injuries.
However, according to Stamkos' agent, Mark Guy, the talented centerman is finally healthy again.
Look away, Detroit fans. These aren't the Red Wings you grew up on.
The Wings, of course, have been the NHL's model franchise for the better part of the last three decades, making the playoffs 25 straight times, and winning four Stanley Cups.
But Detroit went 33-36-13 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1988-89. And those expecting the Red Wings to bounce back and return to their old ways next season - or anytime soon, for that matter - should think again.
Hockeytown's dry spell has only just begun.
The future isn't bright
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
The most crucial aspect of building a successful team in today's salary cap environment is establishing a strong core, paying those players, and then adding complimentary, recyclable pieces around them. The Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins are prime examples.
The Red Wings' core, however, doesn't seem all that promising.
The Hockey News' Dominik Luszczyszyn recently ranked Detroit's core 29th out of 30 teams in its "Future Watch" edition (Vegas' roster wasn't announced yet), which involved picking three forwards, two defensemen, and a goalie from each club.
"They don't have many impressive defense prospects," Luszczyszyn explained. "There was Xavier Ouellett, Nick Jensen, and Ryan Sproul, but they're not core guys by any means. Green (already 31 and with only one year left on his contract) probably isn't a core guy either. If any of those three become as good as Mike Green they'll be fine."
There are as many question marks with the forwards, Luszczyszyn believes, beginning with Larkin, who just turned 21 on July 30.
"His first 40 games (of his rookie season), he was really good. Then the second half of the season he was almost invisible," Luszczyszyn said. "Then last season, a lot of people said it was a down year, but it was really a continuation of what he was in the second half (of his rookie season).
"So you have to wonder, will he be better than that? Or was the first 40 games of his career an aberration? Or can he get back to that level? It's still early in his career I think. He has the speed, he has the right tools, but it's still a little worrying to see that happen to him at such a young age."
Stat
First 40 games
120 games since
GPG
0.35
0.217
APG
0.35
0.192
PPG
0.70
0.408
SPG
2.83
2.38
+/-
+23
-40
As for the others, Mantha, a big, gangling winger, scored 17 goals in 60 games with the Wings last season, and looks to be a legitimate top-six forward.
Svechnikov is Detroit's top prospect. He succeeded in his first AHL season a year ago, but with only two NHL games under his belt, the 19th overall pick from the 2015 draft is far from a finished product.
DeKeyser, 27, is making $5 million a season for the next five years, but just because he's being paid like a core player, it doesn't necessarily mean he is one.
"Two years ago when he got bumped into (a top pairing) role he wasn't good, but he wasn't terrible either," Luszczyszyn said. "But last year was a train wreck, he was legitimately, probably one of the worst defensemen in the league.
"But was that because he was too high in the lineup, or because his skills have deteriorated? I don't think he deserves the contract he got, and it's a little scary to think he's got five more years at $5 million. He's probably not a first pairing defenseman, he's probably a number three or a number four. Even then, is he a good three or four? I don't know."
The good, the bad, and the ugly contracts
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
The Red Wings are currently $3 million over the salary cap, and are tied up with many long-term contracts.
The following players are signed for at least the next three seasons on non-entry-level deals:
Player
Age
Cap hit
Years left
Henrik Zetterberg
36
$6.083M
4
Tomas Tatar
26
$5.3M
4
Frans Nielsen
33
$5.25M
5
Justin Abdelkader
30
$4.25M
6
Johan Franzen*
37
$3.95M
3
Darren Helm
30
$3.85M
4
Luke Glendening
28
$1.8M
4
Danny DeKeyser
27
$5M
5
Jonathan Ericsson
33
$4.25M
3
Trevor Daley
33
$3.16M
3
*Franzen will be placed on long-term injured reserve, so his contract doesn't count against the salary cap.
The Red Wings are also still paying for the buyout of Stephen Weiss - $2.567 million next season, and $1.67 million per year for three seasons thereafter.
Making matters worse, Detroit has a league-high 10 players who have some form of no-trade clause: Nielsen, Abdelkader, Helm, Green, DeKeyser, Ericsson, Daley, Jimmy Howard, Niklas Kronwall, and Gustav Nyquist. Both Kronwall and Nyquist have two years remaining on their contract at $4.75 million per year.
How the Red Wings plan to get out from under this cap conundrum is unclear, but they're unlikely to be bailed out by a huge spike in the league's salary cap anytime soon.
"Where the NHL salary cap goes from here is anyone's guess," said Dominik Zrim, a CBA and salary cap analyst at CapFriendly, an independent compiler of NHL contract information.
"That being said, with (the) ceiling so closely tied to the league's revenue, and based on the actual growth that has been reported in the last few years, all signs point to increases in line with what we've seen since the 2014-15 season."
The NHL's salary cap progression since 2014-15:
Year
Salary Cap
Increase from previous year
2014-15
$69M
--
2015-16
$71.4M
3.48%
2016-17
$73M
2.24%
2017-18
$75M
2.74%
With an average annual increase of less than 3 percent over the last three seasons, it doesn't seem as though the bulk of Detroit's long-term contracts will ever be deemed palatable.
Has Ken Holland lost his mojo?
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Holland is entering his 20th season as general manager of the Red Wings and his 34th year with the organization. He was the mastermind behind their incredible run of success, most notably making two of the best draft picks of all time: Pavel Datsyuk, 171st overall in 1998, and Zetterberg, 210th overall in 1999.
As former amateur scout Grant McCagg sees it, the Wings' incomparable run of winning was no accident, but a little serendipity never hurt.
"Their success had a lot to do with their amateur scouting," said McCagg, who worked for the Montreal Canadiens from 2008-10. "I don't know all of the names, but obviously Jim Nill (current Dallas Stars general manager) was an integral part of that group.
"Some of it has to do with luck ... if they really thought Datsyuk and Zetterberg were all that and a bag of chips, they'd have picked them a lot higher."
It appears Detroit's luck has run out.
Speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou, a fourth-round pick in 2012, has been Detroit's only noteworthy draft pick outside the first round in the 2010s. Obviously there is still time for these players to develop, but during the 2000s, the Red Wings were seemingly plucking a quality NHLer beyond the first round every draft.
In 2009, Holland was listed at No. 2 on Sports Illustrated's top GMs/executives (all sports) of the decade. While being the face of a front office leads to high praise when the team succeeds, scrutiny will follow when the team begins to falter. Red Wings fans aren't exactly lined up outside Holland's home with pitchforks, but they clearly aren't happy.
Detroit ranked 29th out of 31 teams in a recent Hockey News survey which asked 1,300 participants to grade each team's front office in six categories: roster building, cap management, drafting and developing, trading, free agency, and their overall vision.
"I think (Holland) had leeway when he started to make these moves," said Luszczyszyn, who spearheaded the study. "Now, three or four years later, I don't think he has that leeway anymore among fans. Maybe he does in the front office, (but) I don't think (fans) are really confident in what he's doing."
Can the mess be cleaned up?
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
There might be pressure from ownership to attempt to remain competitive given that the Red Wings are moving into a brand new arena this season, but that's often how teams get stuck in a lull of mediocrity.
"I really just think the answer is as easy as be bad," Luszczyszyn said. "You were good for 26 years, you probably have some leeway. I don't know if it will be a long rebuild or a quick rebuild, but they have the pieces in place where it shouldn't take that long, but you never know with these things right?"
The back end is clearly the team's most glaring weakness, but it has proven to be a hard position to address league-wide in recent years.
"The defense is tough because it doesn't seem like they have anyone coming through the pipeline either," Luszczyszyn said. "Maybe another terrible year, which is likely, will get them a good draft pick, and they can get a stud."
As seen with the Colorado Avalanche this past season, finishing with the worst record in the league doesn't necessarily result in a top-three pick. However, it might be their only chance at acquiring a top-pairing defenseman.
"It's hard to trade for those guys (core defensemen)," explained Luszczyszyn. "I mean, Taylor Hall gets you Adam Larsson, and the Red Wings don't have anyone like Taylor Hall."
Unlike most teams that begin a rebuild, Detroit will be in tough trading their current assets for draft picks and prospects, given that so many either have a no-trade clause, a significant cap hit, or are tied up long-term. Some players even come with all three types of baggage.
With many roadblocks in the way of a clean rebuild, a league full of parity, and an Atlantic Division stocked with young, talented teams, the Red Wings could be bottom-feeders for a very, very long time - something the organization hasn't endured since the '70s and early '80s.
The Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to a two-year contract, the team announced Monday. The deal is worth an average annual value of $2.4 million.
Beaulieu was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens as a restricted free agent in June in exchange for a third-round draft pick. He was originally drafted by the Canadiens 17th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
He's coming off a career season of four goals and 24 assists for 28 points, while averaging 19:29 of ice time. He's totaled 60 points in 225 games.
