Wild defenseman Matt Dumba would like to stay but….
Jessi Pierce of NHL.com: Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba is a pending UFA, and the 28 year old would like to stay but knows it may not happen.
“My heart is definitely here in ‘Minny,’” Dumba said. “I want to win. I want to win here. But I really don’t know what lies ahead. I haven’t really given it too much thought. We’ll just see how the chips fall. Just kind of have to play it by ear.
“I mean there’s always a way. Crazy things happen in sports all the time. I’m definitely not ruling anything out. We just have to take it one day at a time and see how this all pans out.”
Have a few players played their last game in an Islanders jersey?
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic: New York Islanders forward Josh Bailey was a healthy scratch during the playoffs and down the stretch. The 33-year-old has likely played his last game in an Islanders jersey.
“It’s a lot to take in,” he said. “I’ve always thought of myself as an Islander and wanted to play my last game as an Islander. It’s a lot to take in for my family. It is part of the business and I understand that. I’m not playing any ‘poor me’ cards by any means. It’s a lot.”
Bailey has a year left on his deal at a $5 million cap hit but $3.5 million in salary. The lower salary may make him a little easier to move, and if they can’t trade him, buying him out is the most likely option.
38-year-old forward Zach Parise still had a productive season with 21 goals and will take some time to decide on his future.
“I haven’t decided anything,” said the 38-year-old. “I’ll take a couple weeks and get away from stuff for a little bit and see where it’s at, but I haven’t decided yet.”
The Islanders have to at least explore the idea of re-signing forward Pierre Engvall.
There will be plenty of teams interested in pending UFA defenseman Scott Mayfield if he goes to free agency.
“I’ve never been in this position, so it’s new to me,” Mayfield said.
“You look at comps, you look at what you bring to different teams, you can look at places to live based off of that, you can look at just money. There’s so many factors that go into the decision to bring a guy in, and for a player to choose where to go. I’m sure it’s something that over the next couple weeks will be visited a little more than I have been.”
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov said he’d love to stay but it would likely come down to how much of a discount he’d be willing to take.
