Welcome back to NHL Notebook — the series here at CanucksArmy where we deliver you news and notes from around the National Hockey League — oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens!
After a flurry of mid-August transactions, things have cooled down a little bit around the NHL in recent days as teams continue to gear up for the preseason to begin next month.
Even so, plenty of things are still happening behind the scenes, with tiny morsels of news slipping out for us to digest in the dog days of summer. Here&#8217;s a look at some stories you may have missed from the past day or two.
<blockquote>Oilers still working on contract for Leon Draisaitl</blockquote>
What was thought by some to be a foregone conclusion has turned into more of a battle as the Edmonton Oilers and Leon Draisaitl&#8217;s camp remain without an agreement on a contract extension late into August.
Draisaitl, 28, racked up 31 points in 25 playoff games this past spring after collecting 106 points during the 2023-24 regular season. The German forward is entering the final year of his current contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Speaking on Tuesday&#8217;s edition of Oilers Now on the Edmonton radio station 630 CHED, Daily Faceoff hockey insider Frank Seravalli indicated that Draisaitl and the Oilers are still at odds about a new deal.
&#8220;It&#8217;s unfair to categorize it as hitting a snag,&#8221; Seravalli said. &#8220;On a money basis, AAV, I think these two sides are a little further apart than I envisioned.&#8221;
Draisaitl is due a massive raise over his current $8.5 million AAV after surpassing 100 points in each of his last five full seasons. The Oilers originally selected the Cologne, Germany product with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
<blockquote>Filip Zadina negotiating with three teams</blockquote>
Speaking of high draft picks: Filip Zadina, who went one spot ahead of Quinn Hughes in the 2018 NHL Draft, is currently in discussions with &#8220;as many as three clubs&#8221; about a new contract for the 2024-25 season, according to ESPN&#8217;s Kevin Weekes.
Zadina, 24, finished sixth on the San Jose Sharks in scoring last season with 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 72 games. The Sharks elected not to tender Zadina a contract offer after the season, making him an unrestricted free agent.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Per my sources, there are as many as 3 clubs in discussions for F Zadina at this time. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HockeyX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HockeyX</a> <a href="https://t.co/xNWJvoMxHz">pic.twitter.com/xNWJvoMxHz</a>
&mdash; Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinWeekes/status/1828443665506652500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the No. 6 pick in 2018, Zadina struggled to find a niche for himself on one of the top three lines over parts of five seasons with the club. He peaked with eight goals and 15 points in 28 games with the club in 2019-20 but managed only 19 goals and 50 points in 153 games over the following three seasons.
Also on Tuesday, Zadina&#8217;s agent, Darren Ferris, <a href="https://x.com/LLysowski/status/1828425159826440632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1828425159826440632%7Ctwgr%5E8587b00af652a8dbdf83822a7a9998a205e040aa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tsn.ca%2Fnhl%2Fagent-filip-zadina-nearing-deal-with-a-team-but-not-buffalo-sabres-1.2166361">refuted an erroneous report</a> that the Czech winger would be signing a PTO deal with the Buffalo Sabres. Ferris told Buffalo News writer Lance Lysowski that he is &#8220;in the process of completing a contract for Zadina with another team.&#8221;
<blockquote>Panthers unveil ice logo with Stanley Cup design</blockquote>
We&#8217;re at the point in the summer where on-ice logo designs are all the rage, as evidenced by the wide array of responses we got to <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-new-centre-ice-logo-2024-25-season">our article</a> on the Canucks&#8217; new centre ice paint job.
The Florida Panthers became the latest club to unveil their design on Monday, and it came with an interesting twist. The team elected to depict &#8220;sun rays inspired by the embossed pattern in the Stanley Cup&#8221; behind their crest at centre ice.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Center ice fit for the Champs ☀️ <a href="https://t.co/qxWcsRqwkd">pic.twitter.com/qxWcsRqwkd</a>
&mdash; Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlaPanthers/status/1828229534870564893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Panthers aren&#8217;t the first team to commemorate their championship inside their central faceoff circle. Last year, the Vegas Golden Knights elected to do something very similar on the ice at T-Mobile Arena, placing their own team shield inside the bowl of the Stanley Cup.
ESPN&#8217;s Arda Öcal shared a side-by-side comparison of the two designs to social media on Tuesday morning:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
I love that the Cup design painted at center ice looks different and matches the vibe of the team / city. I hope this becomes a yearly tradition for the Cup winning team. Absolutely Love it.
(📸 <a href="https://twitter.com/thefaceoffnet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thefaceoffnet</a>) <a href="https://t.co/2ZGZEz6DI5">https://t.co/2ZGZEz6DI5</a> <a href="https://t.co/TeuFDGG6LD">pic.twitter.com/TeuFDGG6LD</a>
&mdash; ᴀʀᴅᴀ Öᴄᴀʟ (@Arda) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arda/status/1828413554522718292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Is this the start of a new league-wide tradition? We&#8217;ll just have to wait and see how the 2025 champions design their ice in the 2025-26 season. Either way, it&#8217;s a nice touch.

Welcome back to NHL Notebook — the series here at CanucksArmy where we deliver you news and notes from around the National Hockey League — oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens!

After a flurry of mid-August transactions, things have cooled down a little bit around the NHL in recent days as teams continue to gear up for the preseason to begin next month.

Even so, plenty of things are still happening behind the scenes, with tiny morsels of news slipping out for us to digest in the dog days of summer. Here's a look at some stories you may have missed from the past day or two.
<blockquote>Oilers still working on contract for Leon Draisaitl</blockquote>
What was thought by some to be a foregone conclusion has turned into more of a battle as the Edmonton Oilers and Leon Draisaitl's camp remain without an agreement on a contract extension late into August.

Draisaitl, 28, racked up 31 points in 25 playoff games this past spring after collecting 106 points during the 2023-24 regular season. The German forward is entering the final year of his current contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Speaking on Tuesday's edition of Oilers Now on the Edmonton radio station 630 CHED, Daily Faceoff hockey insider Frank Seravalli indicated that Draisaitl and the Oilers are still at odds about a new deal.

"It's unfair to categorize it as hitting a snag," Seravalli said. "On a money basis, AAV, I think these two sides are a little further apart than I envisioned."

Draisaitl is due a massive raise over his current $8.5 million AAV after surpassing 100 points in each of his last five full seasons. The Oilers originally selected the Cologne, Germany product with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
<blockquote>Filip Zadina negotiating with three teams</blockquote>
Speaking of high draft picks: Filip Zadina, who went one spot ahead of Quinn Hughes in the 2018 NHL Draft, is currently in discussions with "as many as three clubs" about a new contract for the 2024-25 season, according to ESPN's Kevin Weekes.

Zadina, 24, finished sixth on the San Jose Sharks in scoring last season with 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 72 games. The Sharks elected not to tender Zadina a contract offer after the season, making him an unrestricted free agent.

https://twitter.com/KevinWeekes/status/1828443665506652500

After being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the No. 6 pick in 2018, Zadina struggled to find a niche for himself on one of the top three lines over parts of five seasons with the club. He peaked with eight goals and 15 points in 28 games with the club in 2019-20 but managed only 19 goals and 50 points in 153 games over the following three seasons.

Also on Tuesday, Zadina's agent, Darren Ferris, <a href="https://x.com/LLysowski/status/1828425159826440632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1828425159826440632%7Ctwgr%5E8587b00af652a8dbdf83822a7a9998a205e040aa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tsn.ca%2Fnhl%2Fagent-filip-zadina-nearing-deal-with-a-team-but-not-buffalo-sabres-1.2166361">refuted an erroneous report</a> that the Czech winger would be signing a PTO deal with the Buffalo Sabres. Ferris told Buffalo News writer Lance Lysowski that he is "in the process of completing a contract for Zadina with another team."
<blockquote>Panthers unveil ice logo with Stanley Cup design</blockquote>
We're at the point in the summer where on-ice logo designs are all the rage, as evidenced by the wide array of responses we got to <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-new-centre-ice-logo-2024-25-season">our article</a> on the Canucks' new centre ice paint job.

The Florida Panthers became the latest club to unveil their design on Monday, and it came with an interesting twist. The team elected to depict "sun rays inspired by the embossed pattern in the Stanley Cup" behind their crest at centre ice.

https://twitter.com/FlaPanthers/status/1828229534870564893

The Panthers aren't the first team to commemorate their championship inside their central faceoff circle. Last year, the Vegas Golden Knights elected to do something very similar on the ice at T-Mobile Arena, placing their own team shield inside the bowl of the Stanley Cup.

ESPN's Arda Öcal shared a side-by-side comparison of the two designs to social media on Tuesday morning:

https://twitter.com/Arda/status/1828413554522718292

Is this the start of a new league-wide tradition? We'll just have to wait and see how the 2025 champions design their ice in the 2025-26 season. Either way, it's a nice touch.

NHL Notebook: Oilers, Draisaitl ‘a little further apart’ than expected in contract talks

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