Hurricanes, Devils, Stars, Canucks, Bruins, Maple Leafs…

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Carolina Hurricanes still have it as a priority to sign defenseman Dougie Hamilton, but the New Jersey Devils are making a push. Where will the pending UFA sign? Are the Dallas Stars a favorite to land defenseman Ryan Suter? Conor Garland is excited about playing in Vancouver and contract extension talks could lead to a short or long-term deal.

Finally, is Keith Yandle close to signing with a new team and have the Toronto Maple Leafs been told Zach Hyman is not coming back?

Hurricanes Confident They Can Sign Hamilton

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 the Hurricanes are still trying to re-sign Hamilton, but the pressure is on to get a deal done by the start of free agency on July 28th. When asked, GM Don Waddell said it’s still the priority of the Hurricanes organization to get a deal worked out and he’s confident the team’s ability to sign an extension since deadlines are when things get done.

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Hamilton’s contract should come in between $8 million and $9 million per season, but recent deals for players like Seth Jones and Cale Makar could mean $9 million or more for Hamilton. This is a player who has received votes for the Norris Trophy for five straight seasons and he’s arguably a better defenseman than Jones who hit a home run with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Related: Asking Price for Eichel Still High as Sabres Wait On Trading Him [Video]

Devils Pressing Hard for Hamilton

New York Post scribe Larry Brooks reports the Devils are going to go all-in on Hamilton if he makes it to free agency. They are reportedly willing to offer a long-term deal in the range of $63 million — seven years times $9 million. Apparently, there is mutual interest from Hamilton’s camp.

The Devils are said to be putting together promotional packets for pending UFAs, selling them on the pluses of playing in New Jersey. GM Tom Fitzgerald has a ridiculous amount of cap space in which to work with and the belief is that he’s looking to spend a good chunk of it this offseason. As for Hamilton, the team has targeted him because the organization “is overflowing with young guys who are not yet ready for prime time but is still searching for a foundation that will support the growth of the Hughes Bros., Ty Smith, young veteran Nico Hischier and the like.”

Stars Looking Closely at Suter?

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writes that multiple sources tell The Athletic that the Stars are digging in on the pursuit of Ryan Suter. “There is interest on both sides,” he notes. So too, that Suter is a left-shot defenseman isn’t a concern for the Stars or how he would fit into the defensive core.

One has to wonder if this is the Stars’ solution to losing Jamie Oleksiak in the expansion draft to the Seattle Kraken? There were no details provided as to what kind of term or AAV Suter might be looking at.

Garland Open to Short or Long-Term Deal with Canucks

As per the fairly well connected

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, newly acquired forward Conor Garland is open to either signing a long- or short-term deal with the Vancouver Canucks. He was acquired as part of the massive trade that sent he and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Vancouver from the Arizona Coyotes.

Garland notes he is particularly excited to play for the Canucks and coach Travis Green.

The Canucks are also reportedly buying out the contract of Jake Virtanen. The forward has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout. The Canucks placed Virtanen on leave from the team May 1 in a response to allegations of sexual misconduct against the player.

Could Bruins Be Landing Spot for Keith Yandle?

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of The Fourth Period, free agent defenseman Keith Yandle has spoken with several teams, including the Bruins. Nothing is close yet, but there has been speculation that Yandle intends to make a decision on his future prior to the free agency period opening up on the 28th.

Strickland wrote that Yandle was narrowing down his list and that a decision would be coming soon. He noted that he might sign as early as Monday, but didn’t offer any teams as ones Yandle had been closely linked to.

Dubas Believes Hyman is Not Returning

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noted that she spoke with Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas after the draft regarding Zach Hyman and pointed out comments from Hyman’s agent that said the player was not planning to return to Toronto and likely planning to sign with the Edmonton Oilers. Dubas responded, “I actually haven’t read the exact comments that were made . But if Todd announced Zach was moving on, that’s about what we expect.”

There was a lot of talk over the weekend about the compensation in a sign-and-trade and the belief is that Dubas is a bit upset about the loss of Hyman to Edmonton and that could be why he’s asked for as high as a second-round pick in any deal for his rights.