What will the New York Islanders do with Jordan Eberle?
The Hockey News: Jordan Eberle is one of the most intriguing yet least talked about pending free agents. Eberle isn’t being talked about as a potential trade chip quite as much as Mark Stone and Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators. And Eberle definitely isn’t being talked about in the same breath as the Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin, even though the two seem to be facing similar predicaments.
Eberle is going to command a raise on his current deal, which carries a $6-million cap hit, and he might have the perfect comparable to draw on already. Eberle will likely look at Evander Kane’s contract and term as a comparable. Kane signed a seven-year, $49-million extension that will see the 27-year-old earn $7 million annually.
The Islanders, who project to have upwards of $30 million in spending room next summer, should have the cap space to keep him if they can convince him to stick around. There may be more than money at play for Eberle, as success might be what he desires most at this point in his career. Eberle had to wait more than 500 games to get his first taste of NHL playoff action, which was a run to the second round of the post-season with the Edmonton Oilers two seasons ago.
Another playoff-less season might give Eberle reason to entertain the option of sacrificing a few dollars for a shot at playing with a winner. And who would blame him?
Latest Toronto Maple Leafs trade rumors
The Fourth Period: Over parts the off-season, the Toronto Maple Leafs were involved in trade talks with a number of teams as they looked to further bolster their roster at both ends of the rink.
With roughly $18.6 million in available salary cap space, the Maple Leafs have plenty of wiggle room this season to add a significant piece to their roster – even once restricted free agent forward William Nylander is signed to a new contract.
As Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas explored the trade market, he received plenty of interest in a number of his players, including Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown and Josh Leivo.
Brown and Leivo, according to sources, are still believed to be available if the right deal presented itself for either player, or both.
