Nash Daily: Hurricanes Rumor Mill, Samsonov to Arbitration

Nashville has been rumored to be linked to Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce. The availability of Pesce or fellow defenseman Brady Skjei is becoming more and more likely with the Hurricanes having been linked to San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson and unrestricted free agent Tony DeAngelo.

Cap space was an issue then and has already been brought to the forefront again for the Hurricanes when they recently attempted to re-acquire DeAngelo earlier this summer. Greg Wynshinski wrote that the deal was held up due to the Hurricanes requesting a 50% salary retention, but a rule in the current collective bargaining agreement put a dent in the retention aspect because the Hurricanes would be re-acquiring DeAngelo.

Some would say the trade was halted on a technicality but salary cap circumvention has been a hot topic for the NHL as of late. There was no way they were going to grant an exception here. 

If the Hurricanes are wanting to sign DeAngelo or acquire Karlsson, they will need to free up space on both the roster and the salary cap with Puckpedia listing the Hurricanes at seven currently rostered defensemen and roughly $2 million in cap space after the signing of Dmitry Orlov and extension of captain Jordan Staal.

This doesn’t mention the shuffling that would be needed to free room to extend forwards Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teräväinen who both are UFAs next summer. If Carolina is truly wanting to make any of these moves happen, the Predators could be a partner to get it done, although the price will be considerably higher if Waddell wants Nashville to help him. 

As for news north of the border, goaltender Ilya Samsonov and the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to collide in a Toronto arbitration hearing. Both sides will want to keep the engagement cordial if they’re wanting to make this a long-term relationship, but the $2.4 million gap between Toronto’s filing ($2.5m) and Samsonov’s filing ($4.9m) can say a lot before the hearing even begins.

Both sides will present arguments for why their presented numbers are accurate and the player can receive some tough truths about how the team may truly feel about his play.

Additionally, the July 10, 2020, Memorandum of Understanding of the Collective Bargaining Agreement modified the arbitration settlement timing. Previously a settlement could be reached between the parties at any time up until the arbitrator issued a decision, the MOU now states under Paragraph 59 that “A Salary Arbitration matter may not be settled after the hearing has commenced.”

The off-ice intricacies are always an interesting factor to take into account for any team. How this all plays out can shed a lot of light on new Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. 

Around the NHL and National Hockey Now

Detroit Hockey Now: Former Red Wing and Russian Five member takes aim at the International Olympic Committee. 

Calgary Hockey Now: Flames are struggling to keep talent in south Alberta. Will Mikael Backlund break the trend of summer exits?

NHL.com: Aho and the Hurricanes are “getting close” to an inevitable extension for the young Finn. Getting this deal done is a no-brainer for General Manager Don Waddell. 

Follow Clay Brewer on Twitter: @ClayBrewer10