Sunday Habs Headlines: Cap crunches could see some RFAs go unqualified

Montreal Canadiens new and notes

• Jeff Petry is now positioned as a mentor for Alexander Romanov in the young defenceman’s first steps in the NHL. [The Hockey Writers]
• A reminder of Petry’s overtime prowess:

Around the league and elsewhere

• With a flat cap in effect, and lower operating budgets for many teams, qualifying RFAs may not be as automatic as it has been in the past. [Sportsnet]
• After a report that is was coming, the Ottawa Senator officially bought out the contract of Bobby Ryan. [TSN]
• Looking at the buyout options for both the New York Rangers and Islanders. [New York Post]
• Marc Staal is no longer one of the options for the Rangers, as they packaged the defenceman with a second-round pick and shipped him off to the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations. [Blueshirt Banter | Winging It In Motown]
• The Red Wings also extended Sam Gagner for another year. [Sportsnet]
• After years of neglecting its back end in favour of skilled forwards, the Edmonton Oilers are finally starting to assemble a strong blue line. [The Athletic]
• The Pittsburgh Penguins may have too many defencemen now, but Brian Dumoulin and Marcus Pettersson won’t be going anywhere. [PensBurgh]