NHL Rumour Tidbits, July 22: Johansson, Holtby, JvR, Chiasson

A (strange) rumour which has been swirling around lately has teams across the NHL lining up to make offers for Toronto left winger James van Riemsdyk. I cannot account for the other teams, but I do believe the Capitals at some point had internal discussions about the player and whether or not he was a good target. But this is an old, expired rumour at best: the Capitals already have added two top 6 wingers in TJ Oshie and Justin Williams. It would be a shock for the Capitals to make an offer on JvR now, let alone Toronto entertain one for their relatively young, talented, and inexpensive star. What can I say, it's the summer. We've gotta find something to talk about, right?

QUICK HITS
  • Tomorrow is Braden Holtby's arbitration hearing. Gut check time for both the Capitals and Holtby. It's believed the two are close enough to the point where an arbitration hearing would probably be an unnecessary nuisance for all involved, but we'll see. A long term deal in and around 6 million dollars a year seems like where this is going. UPDATE: Holtby and the Capitals do indeed go to arbitration. I think they'll still try to hammer out a contract between 5.5 and 6.5 per year before the arbitrator rules.
  • Once Holtby's contract is dealt with, the Capitals will turn their attention to re-signing RFA Marcus Johansson. It has been rumoured that this negotiation is going pretty poorly and could be headed to arbitration. The Capitals could still trade rights to Johansson, or walk away from the award the arbitrator gives him. That being said, the Capitals must know how much cap space is left after signing Holtby before having any meaningful negotiation with Johansson's camp. Safe to say this will be a week to keep track of the Capitals.
  • RFA winger Alex Chiasson and the Senators continue to work on a new deal. This arbitration hearing is also scheduled for tomorrow, but it sounds like things are headed in the right direction.
  • Carter Ashton has apparently come to an agreement with Novgorod of the KHL. It's believed he was negotiating with KHL and SHL teams dating back to mid-June:

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