Elliotte Friedman

Friedman: Nathan MacKinnon’s next contract could make him highest-paid player in league

Nathan MacKinnon has been one of the league’s top players for half a decade, but that has not been reflected in his salary with the Colorado Avalanche ($6.3 million AAV). It appears that is going to change in a big way soon.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported during the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast that there is a distinct possibility MacKinnon’s next contract makes him the highest-paid player in the league.

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By Chris Cerullo 4 weeks ago

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Report: Capitals tried to extend Conor Sheary earlier in the offseason

The Washington Capitals are entering an important time period that could reshape the franchise during the final years of the Alex Ovechkin Era in DC. The NHL Draft, where the team could make a trade, is on July 7 and 8, and free agency opens on July 13.

The Capitals, who have not won a playoff series since lifting the Stanley Cup in 2018, will have approximately $25 million to play with after second-line center Nicklas Backstrom had a second hip surgery last month that few athletes have returned from.

Now, Elliotte Friedman is reporting one of the Capitals’ first major moves of the offseason.

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan tried to re-up 30-year-old, third-line winger, Conor Sheary, who will be an unrestricted free agent next year.

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By Ian Oland 3 months ago

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Capitals rumored to have interest in Nazem Kadri and JT Miller after Nicklas Backstrom’s hip surgery

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was a guest on Donnie and Dhali – The Team on Tuesday. Friedman had an interesting nugget on what the Washington Capitals may do to fill the new Nicklas Backstrom-sized hole at the center of their lineup.

The hockey insider mentioned by name both the Vancouver Canucks’ JT Miller and the Colorado Avalanche’s Nazem Kadri as players he has heard have been connected to the Caps this summer.

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By Chris Cerullo and Ian Oland 3 months ago

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Report: Nicklas Backstrom could be facing a surgery that is a ‘big challenge’ to come back from

Nicklas Backstrom could be facing an uncertain future if he opts to get another surgery on his hip, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, one of the NHL’s top insiders, said on his podcast 32 Thoughts, Monday.

Friedman, who co-hosts the pod with Jeff Marek, played a snippet of Backstrom’s remarks from Breakdown Day.

“We’ll see what happens,” Backstrom said of rehabbing his hip over the summer. “We have some decisions to make. Those decisions aren’t final yet so we’ll take it day by day.”

Those comments “surprised a lot of people,” said Friedman.

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By Ian Oland 4 months ago

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Priceless Elliotte Friedman typo says Connor McDavid plays for Vancouver

Elliotte Friedman is one of the top reporters in hockey, but even the cream of the crop makes mistakes.

Friday morning, when announcing the Ted Lindsay Award finalists, the Hockey Night In Canada insider made a very noticeable typo in his tweet.

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By Ian Oland 4 months ago

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Max Domi rumored to be on Capitals radar ahead of trade deadline

The NHL saw a flurry of deals on Wednesday, a full five days ahead of the trade deadline.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provided insight on what may or may not happen moving forward in a midnight 32 Thoughts column.

In the article, Friedman throws out Maxi Domi’s name as another forward the Washington Capitals could be targeting at the deadline.

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By Ian Oland 6 months ago

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Report: News around big names on trade board has cooled, deadline talk very quiet

The NHL trade deadline is only eight days away and NHL insiders Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek say that they are hearing that a lot of the talk around the big names on the board has cooled.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion even went as far as saying that this year’s trade deadline is “the quietest he’s ever seen.” Dorion has been a high-level executive with the Ottawa Senators since 2009.

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By Chris Cerullo 6 months ago

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Friedman: Capitals still interested in acquiring Marc-Andre Fleury at trade deadline

In mid-January, The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was potentially available via trade and that the Capitals were interested in acquiring him.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman later threw a bit of cold water on that talk when he reported that Fleury might not be comfortable coming to Washington via trade as “He’s still very much a Penguin”.

Now, in early March, Friedman, during Wednesday night’s Caps game against the Edmonton Oilers, says the team still hasn’t quite given up on their Fleury interest.

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By Chris Cerullo and Ian Oland 7 months ago

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