OILERS YET TO TALK CONTRACT WITH LARSSON

TORONTO, ON — The Edmonton Oilers sit second in the North Division and are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games thanks primarily to the outstanding offensive play of captain Connor McDavid and star centre Leon Draisaitl.

As the team Oilers hope to maintain their pace of play, speculation crept up last week over Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ future with the organization.

Despite having ongoing discussions over a contract extension in the off-season, talks between the Oilers and Nugent-Hopkins broke off after the season started and have yet to resume.

Nugent-Hopkins is set to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season, and while he’s an important piece to the Oilers’ lineup, playing alongside McDavid on the club’s first line, he isn’t the only asset in the final year of his contract Oilers GM Ken Holland has to worry about.

A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to TFP on Monday that the Oilers have yet to reach out to Adam Larsson’s camp about a new contract and there are no talks are currently planned.

Acquired from the New Jersey Devils for Taylor Hall in June 2016, Larsson is in the final year of a six-year, $25 million contract and can also become a UFA this July. While he had a slow start to the 2020-21 campaign, he has become a force on Edmonton’s blueline and reaffirmed himself as a valuable piece to their defensive corps. He is also a strong presence in the locker room and as well-liked a teammate as the Oilers could ask for.

Last week, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported the Oilers would not want to lose Nugent-Hopkins for nothing as a free agent if the two sides cannot reach an extension. It’s unclear if the Oilers would be comfortable going past the April 12 trade deadline with both Nugent-Hopkins and Larsson unsigned for at least next season, but if the team remains in a playoff position, it would be hard to imagine them losing assets and risking a post-season berth.

The Oilers have just under $25 million in salary cap space next season with Kailer Yamamoto as their only major pending restricted free agent in need of a new contract. Holland has money to spend, how he chooses to use it will be a storyline to watch for in the coming months.

In 20 games with the Oilers so far this season, Larsson has registered two goals, two assists and 12 penalty minutes.

LEAFS WANT SECONDARY SCORING

The Toronto Maple Leafs have star power, that’s no secret. Mitch Marner is tied for second in league scoring with 30 points, Auston Matthews is right behind him with 29, John Tavares is in the top-25, Morgan Rielly’s tied for third in scoring among defencemen, and William Nylander is on pace for another near-60 point campaign (over an 82-game schedule… just don’t tell Leafs fans that).

But when injuries kick in, their offence dries up – especially when head coach Sheldon Keefe elects to put Tavares up alongside Matthews and Marner, like we saw Monday night.

“Obviously, our depth has taken a significant hit here in the last little bit. No (Zach) Hyman and (Joe) Thornton in particular, and you can add (Wayne) Simmonds to that even,” Keefe said after Monday’s 3-0 loss to Calgary. “Matthews and Marner have been going so well that I didn’t want to disrupt that line too much and didn’t love a lot of the options there to provide the types of things that Joe has brought to the line. I thought putting John there might give us a chance to have one line that could really go tonight and thought we just have to get good shifts and stay even on the rest. Obviously (that) didn’t play out that way.”

It’s tough to create offence when your top line isn’t rolling or is being contained and you don’t have another weapon to play alongside Nylander on the second unit.

This is why Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has been quietly scouring the market for affordable options, which can be tough given how little salary cap flexibility he has. But a team the Leafs are keeping an eye on is the Nashville Predators.

The Leafs had interest in Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula in the off-season – Granlund more than Haula – and both can become UFAs this summer. If/when the Predators officially enter the seller’s market, these two veterans will be on Toronto’s radar.

Nashville has plenty of cap space and can retain salary if needed – Granlund has a $3.75 million cap hit, while Haula has a $1.75 million hit – and I wonder if Leafs centre Alex Kerfoot would be of interest to the Preds. Moving him and his $3.5 million AAV (he has two more years on his deal) as part of a package for two rentals provides Toronto cap flexibility in the off-season and gives Nashville a 26-year-old mid-six forward owed just $2.7 million in total salary in each of the next two seasons. Granlund can slot on the left side of the Leafs’ second line with Tavares and Nylander and Haula can take over the 3C position.

Something to watch as the weeks’ progress.