The contract negotiations of two notable defensemen have drawn considerable interest recently in the NHL rumor mill.
Noah Dobson of the New York Islanders will become an RFA with arbitration rights on July 1. PuckPedia indicates he's completing a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4 million.
Meanwhile, Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames is a year away from UFA eligibility but can sign a contract extension starting on July 1. He's entering the final season of a six-year contract with a $4.55-million cap hit.
Both defensemen seek significant raises on their next contracts. However, there's no certainty they'll get them with their present teams.
On June 19, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported the Dobson camp wants an average annual value of $11 million. That would make the 25-year-old defenseman the Islanders' highest-paid player in terms of annual cap hit.
Seravalli claimed there were no trade talks involving Dobson. The next day, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said he'd heard the Islanders were quietly testing the market for the blueliner.
Friedman said nothing was set in stone but suggested the Isles have three options: re-sign Dobson and trade him later if it doesn't work out, go through arbitration and possibly lose him to free agency at the end of his arbitration-awarded deal or trade him now.
It's not unusual for a player's representatives to set a high asking price as a starting point in negotiations before settling for a lower number. Nevertheless, the Islanders could consider trade options if the Dobson camp digs in its heels.
Detroit Hockey Now's Bob Duff cited Friedman, saying the Red Wingsshowed an interest in Dobson. Checking-line forwards J.T. Compher and Jonatan Berggren were supposedly part of the offer, with the Red Wings willing to add draft picks to the deal. However, The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner reports that the pitch isn’t believed to be accurate.
However, Russ Macias of NYI Hockey Now believes the Islanders would want a more substantial return for the puck-moving Dobson. He cited Seravalli recently linking them to Buffalo Sabres right winger JJ Peterka.
As for Andersson, Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the feeling around the league was that he wanted something new. He believes the Flames could move the blueliner at their price. It's no secret that GM Craig Conroy has been seeking a second-line center with a right-hand shot.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun indicated that multiple sources claimed contract talks between Flames management and the Andersson camp didn't go well. Given how valuable right-shot defensemen are currently, LeBrun thinks there won't be any shortage of interest.
The Flames can afford to wait until the trade deadline if they can't reach an agreement with Andersson. However, it would raise questions about his future, becoming an unwelcome distraction during the season.
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