NHL Rumors: Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings

The Canucks are a finalist for Andrei Kuzmenko

Rick Dhaliwal: The Vancouver Canucks are one of the teams that have made Russian free agent forward Andrei Kuzmenko’s shortlist of teams.

Agent Dan Milstein said they are still a few weeks away from making a decision.

There are still some teams playing that are going to be interviewing him.

The Blackhawks will need to bring in some goaltending help

Ben Pope: Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson on their goaltending plan: “We definitely need to bring some NHL contracts in. are part of that discussion…but there’s some players that we’ll look at in free agency and see which direction we want to go. Not ruling out the trade market either.”

Ben Pope: It doesn’t sound like Davidson thinks goaltender Arvid Soderblom is NHL-ready just yet.

Davidson did say that he believes their goaltending pipeline with Soderblom, Jaxson Stauber and Drew Commesso is “something I’m quietly really optimistic about.”

Blackhawks hope to have a coach in place by mid-July

Charlie Roumeliotis: Blackhawks GM Davidson hopes to have their head coaching position filled by mid-July.

Which direction will the Red Wings go with their coaching hire?

Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News: The Detroit Red Wings are looking for a new head coach to help turn things around.

“We had gotten to a point where fundamentally with and without the puck, we had regressed,” general manager Steve Yzerman said. “We’re at a point now I felt I’ve got to see (whether) bringing in a new coach, a new coaching staff, can make a difference to get us back on track and going in the right direction.”

John Niyo of The Detroit News: Will the Red Wings look to bring a ‘taskmaster’ behind the bench? Someone like John Tortorella, Rick Tocchet or Mike Babcock.

Will GM Steve Yzerman bring in someone who he is familiar with – Lane Lambert, Benoit Groulx or Derek Lalonde?

Rikard Gronborg could be an option, and there are some within the Red Wings front office who have worked with or played for Gronborg before.

Yzerman said at the start of the month that he hadn’t made a list of coaching candidates.