NHL Rumors: 3 Pending Free-Agents Expected to Leave Current Team

The 2024 free-agency period begins in just a few weeks and already there's some rumors making the rounds regarding the future of certain pending free-agents. Expect to see a few traded prior to July 1 as teams are willing to spend a mid-round pick at a chance at negotiating with certain players ahead of the market opening.

Here's three free-agents who aren't expected to re-sign with their current team:

Jake Guentzel

The Carolina Hurricanes want to keep Guentzel around, but speculation is brewing that he'd like to move on and sign a long-term extension elsewhere. Essentially, Guentzel never wanted to leave Pittsburgh and there's a small chance he circles back with the Penguins. There's also a couple teams on the up-and-up like the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks who could offer a long-term deal to become a mentor to their young cores. Two other teams to keep an eye on are the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators, both teams are looking for more offense heading into next season.

Elias Lindholm

The Canucks are going to try hard to keep Lindholm in Vancouver, but if he gets to the open market, the chances decrease tremendously. If Lindholm does become a free-agent, look for the Boston Bruins to make a substantial offer. Lindholm had an inconsistent end to his season in Vancouver and ended his regular season with just 44 points in 75 games. The playoffs were a bit better with 10 points in 13 games, but there's no denying Lindholm cost himself a significant amount of money during his contract year. His next contract could be coming from the Bruins, Predators or Red Wings.

Chandler Stephenson

The Vegas Golden Knights enter the 2024 offseason with just $1.1 million in cap space and have Stephenson to re-sign along with Jonathan Marchessault. Some big decisions are coming and there's a very good chance Vegas makes a couple of trades to open up some cap space. Even so, look for the team to focus on keeping Marchessault over Stephenson. The 30-year-old forward finished last season 51 points in 75 games and unfortunately recorded just one point in seven playoff games after posting 20 points in the Golden Knights cup run from a season ago. The time has come, Stephenson is likely done in the desert.

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