Fresh off signing a three-year contract extension, Canucks general manager Jim Benning addressed the main question on every Vancouver fan's mind: What's the latest with restricted free agent Brock Boeser?

"I am continuing to talk with (Boeser's agent) Ben Hankinson," Benning said, per NHL.com. "We are trying to get some common ground. None of the RFA's have signed yet, so we're going to continue to work with him, and I am hopeful we can get something done here before camp so he is there for the start of camp."

Vancouver's training camp is scheduled to begin Sept. 13, with preseason games starting on the 16th.

"We have three more weeks to negotiate with Ben Hankinson about Brock and try to get it figured. I think the Bo Horvat (contract) happened like three days before camp (in 2017), so I still feel we have time to keep working on it and I'm hopeful it's going to get done."

Boeser is one of several star RFA's around the NHL seemingly at an impasse in contract negotiations. When the 22-year-old discussed his situation in July, he said he's confident everything will work out and the two sides will be able to agree to a new deal.

The Canucks have had an active offseason that's included the free-agent signings of Tyler Myers and Micheal Ferland, while also acquiring J.T. Miller via trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. With all the new moves, Vancouver has a projected $5.08 million to sign both Boeser and fellow RFA forward Nikolay Goldobin, per Cap Friendly.

Injuries limited Boeser to 69 games in 2018-19, but he still ranked third on the Canucks with 26 goals, adding 30 assists.

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The Boston Bruins and head coach Bruce Cassidy have begun talks on a potential contract extension, reports The Athletic's Joe McDonald.

Cassidy's current deal expires after the 2019-20 season. He took over behind Boston's bench in February 2017, replacing Claude Julien. Cassidy joined the NHL club as an assistant coach prior to the 2016-17 campaign after working with the AHL's Providence Bruins from 2008-16.

The Bruins own the NHL's second-best record (117-52-22) during the 54-year-old's tenure. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning have been more successful over that span.

Boston has qualified for the playoffs in all three seasons under Cassidy and came within one victory of winning the Stanley Cup this past spring.

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The camp of Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner has contacted the Zurich Lions of the National League in Switzerland, a European source told Sportsnet's Rick Dhaliwal.

Marner is still without a contract and previously said he "probably" wouldn't attend the team's training camp, which begins Sept. 13, without a new deal in place.

Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas had positive talks with the 22-year-old's agent, Darren Ferris, in a meeting last week, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The maximum salary in the National League is 450,000 Swiss franc (approximately $460,200), according to 2112 Hockey Agency. Fellow Maple Leaf Auston Matthews spent his draft season with Zurich before Toronto selected him first overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Marner is coming off a breakout season in which he recorded a career-high 94 points and is part of a deep class of restricted free agents who are reportedly waiting for him to set the market before signing deals with their respective clubs.

Though the Maple Leafs are currently above the $81.5-million salary cap, they can build a roster with a projected cap hit up to $92.05 million before placing Nathan Horton and David Clarkson on long-term injured reserve in order to become cap compliant, according to CapFriendly.

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The camp of Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner has contacted the Zurich Lions of the National League in Switzerland, a European source told Sportsnet's Rick Dhaliwal.

Marner is still without a contract and previously said he "probably" wouldn't attend the team's training camp, which begins Sept. 13, without a new deal in place.

Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas had positive talks with the 22-year-old's agent, Darren Ferris, in a meeting last week, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The maximum salary in the National League is 450,000 Swiss franc (approximately $460,200), according to 2112 Hockey Agency. Fellow Maple Leaf Auston Matthews spent his draft season with Zurich before Toronto selected him first overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Marner is coming off a breakout season in which he recorded a career-high 94 points and is part of a deep class of restricted free agents who are reportedly waiting for him to set the market before signing deals with their respective clubs.

Though the Maple Leafs are currently above the $81.5-million salary cap, they can build a roster with a projected cap hit up to $92.05 million before placing Nathan Horton and David Clarkson on long-term injured reserve in order to become cap compliant, according to CapFriendly.

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Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie can't wait to compete for a second Stanley Cup after an injury ended his 2019 postseason prematurely.

The 31-year-old was hit awkwardly into the boards during Game 4 of the team's opening playoff round against the Carolina Hurricanes and required surgery to repair a fractured clavicle. The Capitals were eliminated in seven games, but Oshie said he may have been able to return if the team advanced.

"I was cleared kind of (in) June, but definitely cleared in July," Oshie said Monday, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "So we were right on pace, I think, to being close (to playing) if we would have made it to the final. But I'm good. Now it's just all getting those muscles built back up as best as I can before the season and I'm ready to roll. I can't wait for it to get here."

Oshie felt a new sense of urgency after watching his former team, the St. Louis Blues, capture their first championship in franchise history by defeating the Boston Bruins in seven games.

"There's a different type of motivation," Oshie said. "Before it was like, 'This is ours. Let's keep it.' Now we didn't play St. Louis, they didn't take it from us, but that's kind of the feeling that you get. So our year will be, hopefully, a little bit more focused on getting that drive back to reclaim it and hopefully bring another Cup to D.C."

Oshie played a pivotal role in helping the Capitals earn their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2018. He contributed eight goals and 21 points in 23 playoff games, including one goal and five assists in the final.

The 5-foot-11 winger recorded 54 points in 69 regular-season contests in 2018-19 and added one goal and one assist in the postseason before being injured.

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Matthew Tkachuk's agent, Don Meehan, said his side gave the Calgary Flames parameters for a new contract two months ago.

"We took an approach whereby we would be really proactive and progressive with Calgary," Meehan told TSN. "We started early, and we set a position. We didn't really have to wait. We formulated a position that we thought would be fair, and we gave that to Calgary probably in the early part of June.

"We're involved in negotiations right now, but as far as I'm concerned, it's not a waiting game. We've made a decision in terms of what we think is fair and relevant for the player, and we're working with Calgary now."

Tkachuk is one of several restricted free agents around the league currently without a contract, and his new deal is the biggest priority for Flames general manager Brad Treliving.

Earlier in August, Treliving said he expects Tkachuk to sign before training camp, which opens in less than a month. The Flames hold a projected $7.756 million in available cap space, according to Cap Friendly, and the team also needs to sign fellow RFA forward Andrew Mangiapane.

The holdup to sign the NHL's star RFAs is reportedly tied to Toronto Maple Leafs standout Mitch Marner, with agents waiting for him to set the market for a crop that also includes Brayden Point, Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Mikko Rantanen, and Brock Boeser.

The league's RFAs can go until Dec. 1 without signing before they're forced to sit out the 2019-20 season. However, if negotiations linger into the regular season, the cap hit during the first year of a player's new contract is prorated, leading to additional financial issues for the team involved.

Tkachuk, 21, produced a standout 2018-19 season, posting 34 goals and 43 assists in 80 games as the Flames cruised to a Pacific Division title.

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