HENDERSON, Nev. — What’s the latest on unsigned Ducks restricted free agent Trevor Zegras? And Canucks star Elias Pettersson?
Agent Pat Brisson, who represents some of the NHL’s biggest stars, joined Pierre LeBrun and Michael Russo on Wednesday’s The Athletic Hockey Show, providing updates on both as well as an array of other clients, from why Jake Sanderson went long-term with the Senators to how that deal impacts Owen Power’s future with the Sabres to the timelines for unsigned Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
Listen to the full podcast by clicking this link. Here are some of the highlights:
On the future of Kane, who underwent hip resurfacing surgery in June and was expected to miss four to six months
Well, I’m so proud of him. First of all, his rehab has been unbelievable. He’s been so dedicated … because rehab is as important if not more than the surgery itself. We’ve had many conversations here and there. There’s a lot of interest with Patrick Kane. But our goal here is to see if and when he clears — and again, I’m not going to put dates, whether it’s November or December, I don’t know. At that point, we’ll look at the landscape, we’ll look at what the needs are going to be for certain teams, the cap space. There’s gonna be so many other factors that we don’t know yet in three months or four months or two and a half. And I think we’re going to be in a really good seat at that point to make the right decision with Pat.
On the future of Toews
With Johnny, he’s doing well. He’s feeling well. He released a statement a few weeks ago that he wants to take some extra time. He knows his body, knows what he wants. Would I be surprised if he calls me in November or December and wants to play again? Maybe. I don’t know. But the one thing I know is he’s in a good place right now.
On Zegras
Yeah, we’ve had a few conversations. At this point, we’re a week away. We want for Trevor, hopefully, to be ready for camp and be there at camp. Hopefully, we can get something done by camp. It’s not good for anyone to miss camp. It’s not good for the organization. It’s not good for any players that matter. So we’re going into this in good faith, trying to work a fair deal. And hopefully we can get something done. Hopefully, I can put a timeline before camp. If not, then unfortunately, we’ll have to explore other options. But the goal here is to get it done before camp.
On the future of Pettersson, who has another year left on his deal with the Canucks
He does want to be patient. He’s excited about the upcoming season. He’s excited about how things are going recently, and he wants to absorb and make some decisions probably toward the end of the season and see how things are gonna go. He’s still a restricted free agent at the end of the year, so it’s not like he’s a UFA. He’s had an amazing summer, and he’s ready to have a big year and then we’ll take it from here.
Note: Brisson talked on the podcast about the value of doing short- or long-term deals with Zegras and Pettersson.
On Sanderson’s whopping eight-year deal with the Senators and how it affects Power’s, who has a year left on his entry-level deal with the Sabres.
When you’re a year out with an entry-level player — Jake had another year left under contract — you rarely do a bridge. You do a bridge at the end of a contract. Usually you explore a seven- or eight-year deal if you’re a year out. … First of all, Jake was happy there, sees the future. He likes where the organization’s going, and therefore we went right to eight years, so there’s no question, especially a year out. … We’ve had a few conversations (with Buffalo on Power) and now camp is a week away from now, so we’re going to continue to talk. Of course, Owen and Jake are within similar comps. You always bring a pool of about seven to 10 players, so we’ll see how it goes.
Note: Sabres GM Kevyn Adams talked to Russo about how the Sanderson contract changes the landscape for Power and Rasmus Dahlin at last week’s GM meetings in Rosemont, Ill.
(Top photo of Elias Pettersson and Trevor Zegras: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
