In an NHL news and rumors update, there is continued talk surrounding the Montreal Canadiens trying to land defenseman Julis Honka from the Dallas Stars. There’s also news that the Tampa Bay Lightning And restricted free agent Brayden Point aren’t close in negotiations.
Montreal Chasing Honka?
Marc Dumont of The Athletic has taken a deeper look at the Montreal Canadiens and their attempts to acquire Julius Honka from the Dallas Stars. With the depth the Canadiens have, at first glance, it’s a move that doesn’t seem to make sense on the surface, but a closer look suggests there’s some logic to the Habs being interested.
Dumont writes that with Jeff Petry and Shea Weber in the fold on the right side of the blue line and with Christian Folin, Noah Juulsen, Cale Fleury, and Josh Brook fighting for the remaining spot on the third pairing, why go after Honka? He answers his own question by suggesting that third spot isn’t going to come with an obvious solution.
The are that the Stars are looking for a mid-round pick for Honka and that there were no takers when the team was asking for a third-rounder. Montreal would like to send a player over in any deal whereas, the Stars want a draft choice. Dumont goes on to write about how little GM Marc Bergevin likes to send draft picks away in trades.
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Point’s Agent Getting Frustrated With Lightning?
According to Mike Johnston of Sportsnet, Brayden Point‘s agent Gerry Johansson might be getting a touch frustrated with the lack of forward movement on Point’s contract negotiations. He’s the first to say the two sides are not close.
“Well, we’re talking, I guess is the good news,” Johannson told Sportsnet 650 on Thursday. Unfortunately, he added, “We’re a ways apart right now.”
Johansson used words like, “… we’re not that close frankly.” and “We’ve been sort of ready to go since last July.”
This is not a good sign in Tampa where the Lightning have said there’s no reason to panic but the season is creeping closer to being underway.
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