Bruins, Krejci talking extension

David Krejci will be relied upon heavily in Boston this season. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Lyle Richardson
2011-09-14 13:30:00

Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com reported the Bruins are believed to have quietly opened contract talks with center David Krejci, who's in the final year of a contract with a cap hit of $3.75 million.

Haggerty claimed Krejci, who will take over the first-line center role with Marc Savard sidelined for the season, is looking at a deal comparable to teammate Patrice Bergeron, who has three years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5 million.

NO SAMSONOV, YASHIN FOR ISLANDERS

The New York Islanders’ efforts to invite veteran left wing free agent Sergei Samsonov to training camp are over.

Samsonov's agent admitted talking earlier this summer to Isles management, but hasn't heard from the club since and is now in discussions with another team.

It's believed Samsonov prefers to have a contract rather than trying to earn one via training camp tryout.

Former Islanders center Alexei Yashin continues to skate with the team, but said he hasn't settled on any plans for this season. Talk now is the club has no plans to offer him a contract or even a training camp tryout.

The Isles have extended training camp invitations to several free agents. Defenseman Bryan McCabe is reported to be among them, though there has been no indication he will accept.

DEVILS INVITE TRIO TO CAMP

The New Jersey Devils invited defenseman Anton Stralman, right wing Steve Bernier and former Devil Petr Sykora to training camp on a tryout basis.

Of these three, Stralman, an experienced puck-moving defenseman, has the best chance of making the club. He's only one year removed from a 34-point performance with the Columbus Blue Jackets, with 22 of those points coming on the power play.

That could be of interest to the Devils, whose power play was the third-worst in the league last season.

SELANNE’S DECISION COMING SHORTLY

The summer-long wait to find out if right winger Teemu Selanne will return to the Anaheim Ducks or retire should be over by week's end.

ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun recently tweeted Selanne and Ducks GM Bob Murray have been in almost daily contact, with the expectation he'll decide by Friday when the club opens training camp.

Rumor Roundup appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only on thehockeynews.com. Lyle Richardson has been an NHL commentator since 1998 on his website, spectorshockey.net, and is a contributing writer for Eishockey News and Kukla's Korner.