32-year-old Jay Beagle is an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is not expected to be back in Washington next year.
Now news is circulating that teams are getting in a bidding war for the fourth-line center. Beagle is one of the top faceoff men in the league and a highly coveted penalty killer.
Sportnet’s Rick Dhaliwal posted an update on Beagle’s status Saturday and it sounds like the Canucks are going all in.
Update : Despite the market driving up the price, the #Canucks are very very much in the race to land Beagle. This is a player they really like.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 30, 2018
Elliotte Friedman added that the Canucks are still likely “the team” in the driver’s seat to land his services.
Sounds like they are, again, the team. https://t.co/iKMEmnkBqV
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2018
Dhaliwal added that there are “many teams involved” in the negotiations, and that the price and term have gone up because of that.
Beagle update : #Canucks still in mix but price and term keeps going up and up because so many teams involved. Not done to Vancouver.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 29, 2018
Even if the #Canucks land Beagle, I am told they are not done adding grit.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 29, 2018
Beagle is expected to land a raise from the $1.75 million salary he made in his last Capitals contract.
Photoshop: @thecschiavo