NHL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Mitch Marner, Derick Brassard and Brendan Perlini

NHL franchises are in the thick of reconstructing their rosters with the 2019-20 regular season set to begin Oct. 2.

The league is fresh off witnessing how heavily an offseason move can impact a Stanley Cup run, after the St. Louis Blues traded for Ryan O'Reilly last July only for the 28-year-old center to lead them to their first championship in franchise history.

So far this summer, All-Star Matt Duchene departed Columbus on a seven-year, $56 million contract with the Nashville Predators in free agency, and top forward Artemi Panarin signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers. Meanwhile, several trades have already been executed.

Even with everything that has been done, there is still more to do. 

Mitch Marner remains stalemated in contract negotiations with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which has reportedly influenced the way other players are viewing their respective contracts. 

Unrestricted free agent Derick Brassard remains unsigned, but two Canadian teams might be interested, and restricted free agent Brendan Perlini has yet to come to terms with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Below is an overview those three situations.

Mitch Marner

Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas appeared on TSN Sunday and provided an update on Marner's contract discussions with the team: 

"It's just really the status quo at this point. I think the reality is it's the status quo with all these types of players throughout the league. There doesn't seem to be anything really transpiring, and as it gets into August, it's kind of into a bit of a slog where there doesn't seem to be any real progress. You don't even hear of any progress in any of the other situations."

Dubas added he's "hopeful" a deal will eventually get done to keep the 22-year-old in Toronto "for a very, very long time," but the stagnation among free agents across the NHL that Dubas pointed out could well hinge on Marner.

The Athletic's James Mirtle reported Aug. 2 that, "at least when it comes to the forwards," free agents are waiting to see what the Leafs give him before committing to their respective teams in the long term.

The expectation, Mirtle added, is for Marner to receive the biggest number of them all:

"There has been talk for ages now about the Leafs' making a max-term offer, some time ago, at eight years and more than $10 million a season. Giving away that many UFA years, however, was a no-go for the Marner camp.

"They apparently countered with three years at around a $10 million annual value, which would be the richest bridge deal in NHL history—by quite a bit."

Toronto is no stranger to difficult contract negotiations, as they navigated a standoff with William Nylander in December by signing him to a six-year contract extension with an average annual value of $10.2 million. Then came a five-year extension with Auston Matthews in February that carries $11.634 million in average annual value. 

Marner has been with the Leafs since the franchise selected him fourth overall in the 2015 NHL entry draft. Last season was his most productive campaign yet, with career highs in assists (68), goals (26) and points (94) across 82 games. As a pro, he has tallied 157 assists and 67 goals in 241 games.

Moving forward, keeping the Marner-Matthews-Nylander core together—even on a short-term basis—will be crucial to Toronto advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13.

Derick Brassard

Brassard has played for six franchises since entering the NHL as Columbus' sixth overall pick in 2006, and he remains a free agent seeking his seventh. 

Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal provided an update Sunday: 

"In most cases, the Oilers organization is comfortable with the depth they have built in order to cultivate competition at camp. The one possible exemption: At Center. UFA Derick Brassard remains unsigned. And it's August. The Oilers have some interest in him as a potential 3C. Problem is, Brassard's camp has been asking for far in excess ($4 million) of what the Oilers are willing to pay. Then again...no one else has stepped up, yet, either. Although I hear Montreal has some interest."

In addition to Montreal and Edmonton, WFAN's Andy Graziano suggested the New York Islanders look at the 31-year-old for depth. 

Brassard's best stretch of hockey came with the New York Rangers from 2013 to 2016, including the 2015-16 season when he posted a career-high 27 goals as well as 31 assists for 58 points.  

Overall, he has scored 176 goals and tallied 275 assists in 786 NHL games. 

While his form has dipped since then—he was a journeyman last season with Pittsburgh, Florida and Colorado—his value remains.

Brassard could be especially valuable to a contender as he has performed well in the postseason throughout his career with 23 goals and 37 assists across 99 appearances, per NHL.com.

Brendan Perlini 

Perlini and the Blackhawks have not been able to agree on a new contract. The reasons for that, according to The Athletic's Scott Powers, revolve around the winger's value and the team's cap space. 

Per the report, the Hawks have offered the 23-year-old approximately a $1 million cap hit while Perlini and his agent want a number closer to $1.5 million.

"The Blackhawks' lineup could shake out a few different ways, which would obviously alter their overall cap number, but between the new and returning players, the Blackhawks are projected to be somewhere around $79-80 million in cap hits," said Powers, who added that leaves between $1.5-2.5 million in cap space. 

Chicago's unwillingness to budge might also be tied to Perlini's performance last season. In December, head coach Jeremy Colliton made him a healthy scratch in an effort to send a message. 

"We know he's got a lot to offer," Colliton said at the time, per Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times. "For me, I'm looking for one thing: his RPMs to go up away from the puck. He's a great skater. I just want him to [show], when he doesn't have the puck, he can still make things happen and give us something and create things for himself and his linemates."

Perlini arrived to Chicago when Arizona traded him in November. The 2014 first-round pick scored 12 goals and assisted three in 46 games with the Blackhawks. His most productive professional season came in 2017-18 for the Coyotes with 17 goals and 13 assists.

All statistics are courtesy of Hockey Reference unless otherwise noted.