It's only a number, but age is preventing Connor Carrick from spending his summer the way he'd like.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman took to Twitter to bemoan the age restrictions for Pavel Datsyuk's skill development camp - which just so happened to have a guest instructor in Carrick's former teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Sean Monahan wants to help the Calgary Flames win the Stanley Cup, and understands his role goes beyond on-ice performance.
Monahan's kept an eye on the dollars and term being allocated elsewhere in his first summer as a restricted free agent. And after seeing Steven Stamkos make concessions on his long-term pact with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he said he's willing to do the same in order to help Flames brass surround him - and fellow free agent Johnny Gaudreau - with capable talent.
"If you're a high-end player and you're playing somewhere at a young age, that's where your heart is and that's where you want to win," Monahan said Monday on TSN, according to NHL.com.
"Our goal is to bring a Stanley Cup to Calgary, so if that's what it is, that we can bring other players in, to have a little extra money room and get them in to help us to be a better team, I think that's the idea."
Instead, Monahan's representatives are insisting on term in their ongoing negotiations with Brad Treliving and his staff.
"I definitely want to be there for a long time," the forward said. "So I would prefer a longer-term contract, but that's not up for me to decide. So I think I want to be there, I want to be in Calgary for the rest of my career, so that's something that I'm looking forward to doing."
Schroeder, a restricted free agent, is scheduled for an arbitrator's ruling on July 27 - which means it's possible the Wild are posturing ahead of the third-party ruling.
The 25-year-old split duties between the Wild and their American Hockey League outfit in Iowa last season. He scored two goals and four points in 26 games at the NHL level, also scoring once in the playoffs.
The Stanley Cup champ with the Pittsburgh Penguins and one of the newest members of New Jersey Devils shared a Photoshopped image he received on Twitter, which pokes fun at his oft-injured playing status.
The NHL's free agent frenzy quickly and abruptly halted following July 1.
After over $600 million was spent on Day 1 of free agency, teams have since become much more selective in choosing their next moves, and many players are now left nervously waiting for the chance to resume their careers.
With so many seeking jobs and only so many spots to be filled, it is only natural that many players who took to the ice last season might not be so fortunate this time around.
Here are five players who might not receive a contract heading into next season:
Mike Richards
After drug charges - which were eventually dropped - and a questionable contract termination by the Los Angeles Kings, the Washington Capitals decided to give Mike Richards another chance this season.
The club signed him to an affordable one-year, $1-million deal and pretty much got what they paid for.
Richards managed just two goals and three assists in 39 games, and went pointless in 12 playoff games.
He was lucky to have had a team take a chance on him last year, he might not be so lucky this time around.
John Scott
It's hard to believe that this year's All-Star Game MVP will likely go without a contract next season.
After becoming the feel good story of the year, John Scott is likely to go without another NHL contract. After starting the year with the Arizona Coyotes, Scott was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens where he played just one game for the big club before reporting to the St. John's IceCaps for 27 contests.
In case we needed another piece of evidence, rather than fielding phone calls on July 1, Scott was a special in-studio guest on TSN's free agency special instead.
Rene Bourque
Rene Bourque once strung together three 20-goal seasons from 2009 to 2011 with the Calgary Flames, but that was many moons ago.
Following his tenure with the Flames, he was moved to the Canadiens where he tallied just 21 goals and 39 points over 141 games.
A failed 30-game stint with the Anaheim Ducks in 2014-15, followed up with only three goals and eight points in 49 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets this past season, it's hard to imagine another team risking precious dollars on Bourque.
Christian Ehrhoff
Christian Ehrhoff has spent the last two seasons trying to join contending teams and has nothing to show for it.
After being sidelined with a concussion and subsequent concussion-like symptoms during the 2014-15 year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ehrhoff joined the Kings this season.
He played 40 games with the team and five with the team's AHL club before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. There he played eight games with the team, but served as a healthy scratch in the playoffs as the club bowed out in seven games.
With his age now a factor - 34 - his numbers dwindling, and a history of concussions to consider, Ehrhoff might just be out of luck.
Cody Hodgson
During the 2013-14 season Cody Hodgson had a career-year, hitting the 20-goal plateau for the first time while adding 24 assists for 44 points in 72 games with the Buffalo Sabres.
Two years later, he could be hard-pressed to find a roster spot on a NHL club. After following up his career-year with just six goals and 13 points in 77 games, Hodgson was moved to the Nashville Predators for the 2015-16 campaign where he didn't fare much better.
He put up just three goals and eight points in 39 games, only showing promise with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL where he had 11 points in 14 games.
Hodgson failed to crack the lineup for the Predators during their postseason run, and now it seems as though the former first-round pick's best chance at a roster spot could be in Europe.
Updates on the Rangers, Blues, Lightning and Coyotes in your NHL rumor mill. RANGERS SETTING UP FOR A SHATTENKIRK TRADE? NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Pat Leonard believes the Rangers shedding salary by shipping center Derick Brassard ($5 million per season) to the Ottawa Senators for the more-affordable pivot Mika Zibanejad ($2.65 million for 2016-17) is what GM […]
Updates on Phil Kessel, Marcus Johansson and more in this morning’s collection of NHL headlines. TORONTO SUN: As part of his day with the Stanley Cup, Pittsburgh Penguins winger and former Maple Leafs star Phil Kessel brought the trophy to Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital on Monday. SPECTOR’S NOTE: During his time in Toronto, Kessel […]
Veteran forward Kyle Chipchura is resuming his hockey career in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Chipchura, who played for three NHL teams during his nine-year career, signed a one-year contract to play for HC Slovan Bratislava on Monday.
The 30-year-old is the second player from the Arizona Coyotes to head to the KHL in as many days, as Viktor Tikhonov agreed to terms with SKA St. Petersburg on Sunday.
Chipchura collected four goals, eight assists and 38 penalty minutes in 70 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The 18th overall pick of the 2004 draft, Chipchura scored 31 goals, set up 73 others and had 376 penalty minutes in 482 career games with the Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks and Coyotes.
