The Buffalo Sabres want their two cornerstone defensemen to stay with the team for years to come, and there appears to be mutual interest.

General manager Kevyn Adams revealed Wednesday that the Sabres are discussing contract extensions with Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. Both players are eligible to re-up with the club on July 1.

"The first conversation was with both of them individually right after the season to say, 'Hey, I just want you guys to know ... we believe in you guys and think you're really important players for us moving forward,'" Adams said. "And there was an excitement from both of them and a clear message to me that they both want to be here long term, so that's the most important first step."

Adams added that he and several other members of the Sabres' management group then sat down with the agents for Dahlin and Power during the NHL combine, which took place in Buffalo earlier in June. The GM said the team and the players' representatives are now "in the process of working our way through it."

"We made clear to them we see them as really important people and pieces of our franchise moving forward, and they've made it clear to us they want to be here, so we'll keep working at it," Adams said. "But I'm excited about those guys."

Dahlin tied for fourth among NHL blue-liners with 73 points in 78 games last season. His goal (15), assist (58), and point totals were all career highs, and the 23-year-old ranked third league-wide in average ice time with 25:48. The 2022-23 campaign was his fifth in the NHL after the Sabres drafted the Swede first overall in 2018.

He's under contract through next season with a $6-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. Dahlin will be a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights if he doesn't sign a new deal before next summer.

Power, who Buffalo also drafted with the No. 1 pick three years after Dahlin, enjoyed a promising first season. The 20-year-old collected four goals and 31 assists in 79 contests while averaging 23:48 in ice time. He led all rookie defensemen in assists, points, and even-strength points, while pacing the entire class in average ice time.

The Canadian rearguard was voted a Calder Trophy finalist for his efforts. The NHL Awards will take place later this month in Nashville.

Power is entering the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $916,667.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings are one of multiple teams to join the Montreal Canadiens in the hunt for Winnipeg Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois, sources told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Dubois' agent Pat Brisson and the Jets believe there will be a "robust market" for the restricted free agent's services, LeBrun added.

The Canadiens would be the least surprising landing spot for Dubois. His agent said last summer that "Montreal is a place, a city he'd like to play in." Dubois later said those comments were blown out of proportion. However, he was born about an hour outside Montreal in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, and grew up in Rimouski. The Habs also reached out to the Jets about Dubois as soon as Winnipeg was eliminated from the 2023 playoffs.

The Habs are still rebuilding, but they have the necessary cap space to offer Dubois a mammoth extension. Montreal also has ample prospects and draft picks to dangle in trade talks.

The Kings, however, have not been at the forefront of the Dubois sweepstakes until now. They also have only $7.3 million in cap space, need to sign four RFAs, including Gabe Vilardi, and need a starting goalie. So any Dubois trade to the Kings would likely require money going the other way.

Dubois is only an RFA but he can become a UFA in 2024. He told the Jets earlier in June that he won't sign an extension, so his agent and the club have been working together to find a trade.

The power forward, who turns 25 on Saturday, registered a career-high 63 points in 73 games this past season.

Dubois was drafted third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016 and was traded to the Jets in 2021 in a deal that sent Patrik Laine the other way.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere declared that his team is open for business this summer, but it appears as though one name is off-limits.

Top prospect Cutter Gauthier is Philadelphia's only untouchable player, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

The Flyers selected Gauthier fifth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft after he put up 34 goals and 31 assists in 54 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program.

The 19-year-old continued to impress during his first season at Boston College. He led the Eagles with 16 goals and 37 points in 32 contests, and he plans to return for his sophomore campaign.

Gauthier has also dazzled with the United States on the international stage. He logged 10 points in seven games at the 2023 World Junior Championship, as well as seven goals and two assists at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.

Philadelphia sent defenseman Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a three-way deal with the Los Angeles Kings in early June. The Flyers received blue-liner Sean Walker, goalie Cal Petersen, prospect Helge Grans, and a trio of picks, including the 22nd overall selection, in the swap.

Veteran Kevin Hayes, forwards Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny, goalie Carter Hart, and defenseman Tony DeAngelo could also be on the move before next season.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New Jersey Devils have had a "conversation" with the Winnipeg Jets about goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

Hellebuyck has one season left on his deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024. The 30-year-old's eligible to sign an extension with the Jets on July 1.

However, Hellebuyck said in April that he's feeling like he's running "out of time" to win a Stanley Cup after the Jets' 2022-23 season ended. He reportedly informed the team recently that he isn't interested in re-upping in Winnipeg.

As a result, the Vezina Trophy finalist is largely considered a top trade candidate this summer.

Hellebuyck will be due a substantial raise from his current $6.16-million cap hit. LeBrun said he believes Hellebuyck's camp is targeting a figure similar to Andrei Vasilevskiy's deal, which carries a $9.5-million price tag.

The Devils have around $26.4 million in projected cap space this summer but have 11 free agents on their active roster to contend with. Topping that list is pending restricted free-agent forward Timo Meier, who's currently working toward a long-term extension with general manager Tom Fitzgerald.

Three goalies saw time in the crease for New Jersey this season: Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, and Mackenzie Blackwood.

Vanecek posted a 33-11-4 regular-season record with a .911 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average, but he struggled in the playoffs. The 27-year-old has two years remaining on his deal with a $3.4-million cap hit.

Schmid got into 18 contests during the regular season and put up some strong numbers. He shone in the playoffs, posting a .921 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average in nine showings. The 23-year-old can become a restricted free agent next summer.

A pending restricted free agent, Blackwood has battled injuries the past few campaigns and posted a sub-.900 save percentage for the second straight year this season.

Hellebuyck was again stellar for the lackluster Jets this campaign, registering a .920 clip over 64 showings while saving 30.11 goals above average and 33.62 goals above expected at all strengths, per Evolving Hockey.

He won the Vezina Trophy in 2020 and has been nominated for the hardware three times.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Today on the show, the reaction from the OEL buyout continues to pour in!  This time, it’s Patrick Johnston of The Province. The guys breakdown what the Canucks could do with the new cap space, and give an overall recap of the OEL tenure in Vancouver. Plus, The NHL draft is only a week away, so it’s time for another visit from Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects. He gives his reports on a number of players, including some that may be available to the Canucks at #11, like Oliver Moore and maybe even Dalibor Dvorsky? Plus a few more prospects with some with local connections.

Presented by Go Goat Sports

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshly hired New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette wants to put a little more on Alexis Lafreniere's and Kaapo Kakko's plates next season.

"Those young players do need an opportunity to grow," he said during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. "They have to be ... given the opportunity to be counted on more. ... They want to feel valued with what they do."

He added, "You certainly would like to see them take the next step: More minutes, maybe a little higher up the lineup, maybe more power-play time. With that, there has to be opportunity. These conversations will take place - I certainly would like that - and those opportunities will be there for them to grab that ice time and to push."

The Rangers selected Kakko with the second overall pick in 2019 and drafted Lafreniere with the No. 1 pick in 2020. They have yet to live up to the lofty expectations placed upon them in the Big Apple, but both players enjoyed career campaigns in 2022-23 while spending the bulk of their time on the third line with Filip Chytil.

Lafreniere, 21, put up a career-best 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) in 81 contests while seeing his average ice time eclipse the 15-minute mark for the first time. Kakko, 22, netted a career-high 18 goals and 40 points while skating in all 82 games, but he saw his average playing time decrease slightly from 2021-22.

Neither player saw much time on the man advantage this campaign, with Lafreniere averaging 1:23 minutes of power-play time per contest - good for seventh-most among all Rangers forwards - and Kakko clocking in at 53 seconds.

When Patrick Kane arrived on the scene in March, Kakko had his average power-play ice time plummet to just 21 seconds.

Overall, Laviolette is pleased with the Rangers' mix of veterans and young players.

"I think it's a really good balance and blend right now," he said. "Teams in the past that I've found success with, I think they've had that balance and that blend."

The Rangers have $11.76 million in projected cap space this summer. Veteran forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and Kane can become unrestricted agents on July 1.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.