Free agents Mike Hoffman and Mikael Granlund picking up interest

According to Andy Strickland, teams are beginning to gain more interest in unrestricted free agents Mike Hoffman and Mikael Granlund.

Strickland, who covers the St. Louis Blues, mentioned both the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets as two potential landing spots for Granlund, and also brought up that the Nashville Predators are interested in bringing him back. The 28-year-old spent the last season and a half with the Predators, but struggled during his time there with just 35 points in a combined 79 games. Still, teams know how talented the 2010 9th overall pick was, proven by his career high 26-goal, 69-point 2016-17 season with the Minnesota Wild.

Strickland also mentioned that Hoffman, who is the biggest named free agent remaining, is also receiving plenty of interest from the Predators. He believes that the Predators have a better chance at landing Hoffman than Granlund at this point. The 31-year-old would be a huge pickup for a Predators team that has lacked scoring talent up front for a number of seasons now. In 69 games last season with the Florida Panthers, Hoffman had 29 goals and 59 points.

In any other offseason, both of these players would have signed deals right away in free agency. However, given the flat salary cap as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, teams have had to be much more careful giving out money. As a result, both players will likely have to take team friendly discounts. Granlund is currently coming off of a three-year deal that was paying him $5.75 million per season, while Hoffman was on a four-year deal with a cap hit of $5.1875 million.

shownhl_13296_shownhl

shownhl_25020_shownhl

MUST READ

2 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Top Toronto Maple Leafs prospect is suddenly in demand and Chayka is listening

3 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Major news is out on who the next NHL commissioner is going to be

4 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet The blockbuster everyone's tracking just got a big update from Dreger

5 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Philadelphia Flyers are going all in with a massive offer for an available top center

5 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet A brand new coaching candidate just emerged out of nowhere for the Toronto Maple Leafs

6 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Montreal Canadiens are closing in on a towering defenseman from a western powerhouse

7 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Dylan Larkin has narrowed it down to three teams and a trade is imminent

7 hours ago  |  By Jonathan Ouimet Friedman reveals a big name just exited the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching race

MORE STORIES