From Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s “free agency thoughts“:
As I left the draft, Nashville was No. 1 on my Steven Stamkos list, but [Jonathan] Marchessault’s departure [from Vegas] vexes me. I am totally vexed, as Commodus said in Gladiator. Vegas would not risk Marchessault walking without backup. Guentzel is signed. Reinhart is signed. Barring a trade I haven’t sniffed out, Stamkos is the true big-fish replacement. It is the Golden Knights’ modus operandi to chase this. But I still believe the Predators want him and the Red Wings will be given the opportunity to pitch if they so desire. Stamkos’s pedigree is such that there will be surprise suitors, and if I had to pick a wild option, it would be Carolina. The Hurricanes always have a plan, but they really hoped to keep Guentzel. Beware the jilted lover on the rebound.
Continued (very good stuff, Elliotte!)
