The latest on the Kings, Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets.
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- The Kings rebuild began in earnest with the trading of Jake Muzzin, but don't expect a long delay before their next move. Reports suggest the Kings are getting a ton of trade interest in Jeff Carter and Alec Martinez, who would be coveted adds for many playoff-bound teams. The Lightning and Penguins have been linked to Martinez, while the Bruins, Coyotes and Predators have expressed interest in Carter. The list of Kings players rumoured to be available is long, and aside from Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick, all bets are off.
- Reports suggest multiple teams are preparing to offer sheet Toronto winger Mitch Marner, who is slated to become an RFA this summer. Marner's camp have told the Maple Leafs that the player prefers to negotiate during the offseason. That would leave only a short window of time for GM Kyle Dubas to negotiate an extension before he would become exposed to a potential offer sheet in July. Some have speculated that the true intention of an offer sheet would be to mess with the Leafs' cap situation in hopes of prying free a player like Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson. The Blackhawks fell victim to this tactic employed by the Sharks, who in were able to snatch away Antti Niemi in 2010 following their offer sheet on Niklas Hjalmarsson. Rumours suggest Auston Matthews would also likely face an offer sheet, though contract talks appear to be progressing.
- The latest rumour on Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky: watch out for the Panthers, who would love to nab both if possible now or in the summer. At least 10 teams have been linked to Panarin already.
- Things appear to be heating up around Cam Talbot. The pending UFA netminder has lost his starting job and will likely be moved between now and the deadline. Still no teams connected to Talbot yet, but a team like Carolina or Detroit might make some sense.
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