Daily Nuggets: Watching Pittsburgh; Brind’Amour Not Optimistic about Future in Carolina

This is a big weekend for the Pittsburgh Penguins. A newish general manager was hired. Mikael Granlund and Jeff Petry are on buyout watch. The clock continues to tick on a potential Erik Karlsson trade. Jake Guentzel is expected to miss the first couple of weeks of the regular season after ankle surgery. This is a lot for general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas to handle.

Finding a new home for Erik Karlsson has been a challenge. Every team in the league would love to land a 100-point scoring defenseman. The tricky part is navigating the four remaining years at $11.5 million AAV. Maybe the fans of the San Jose Sharks have the best idea? Mutual termination of Karlsson’s contract. That gets the Sharks off the hook for the remaining $86 million and Karlsson can pick his new team. Would Karlsson agree to that? It all depends on how badly he wants to win vs. getting paid.

The Washington Capitals gave Tom Wilson a seven-year, $45.5 million extension this week. Making sense of the extension has been a challenge. The salary cap will is expected to rise to as high as $92 million in the few years. Maybe that makes Wilson’s new salary look a bit better. Time will tell if the Capitals or Wilson got the better end of the extension.

Coach Rod Brind’Amour is not optimistic when discussing his future with the Carolina Hurricanes. He feels it will not be an easy negotiation when the two sides discuss an extension. Brind’Amour is entering the final year of a three-year contract that pays $1.8 million per year. Brind’Amour ranks in the bottom third of salary for head coaches per CapFriendly. The Hurricanes have been among the Stanley Cup favorites for the last two seasons and that will not change heading into the 2023-24 season.