Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Contract negotiations have begun between the Vancouver Canucks and their two biggest stars, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
Both Pettersson and Hughes are pending restricted free agents and have hired the same agency, CAA Hockey, to represent them. Pettersson is represented by J.P. Barry, while Pat Brisson represents Hughes.
“There’s been multiple talks,” said Barry in an interview with Don Taylor and Rick Dhaliwal on CHEK television this morning. “We’ve started the dance, we’ll have to keep going for a little while here… but we definitely are engaged, and hopefully, we can make some progress.”
Blue Jackets star Seth Jones is suddenly available via trade, but he’s not actually the game-changing No. 1 defenseman the Hawks need. Pending free agent Dougie Hamilton, however, would fill that hole.
The 2021 NHL draft may be the strangest one yet. It will be difficult to top the weirdness of the 2020 virtual draft, but the 2021 draft will likely be virtual as well.