Off the Record: NHLPA Wants 82, Champs Chase Chara? | SJHN+

News around the NHL — and locally, San Jose Sharks news — has been grinding down to a halt lately as we all wait to see the election results and if the world ends by Wednesday. Welcome to the first National Hockey Now version of Off the Record, which is a national column appearing on all National Hockey Now sites from San Jose to Boston and all points in between. We will focus on behind-the-scenes league chatter on the NHL free agents, trade gossip, and anything else insiders are willing to share.

Of course, the league-wide stalemate’s main reason is a flattened salary cap and the uncertainty surrounding the 2021 NHL regular season. Last week, one insider shared his belief that pensive owners will begin spending when fans are cleared to return. However, while big-name NHL free agents are still looking for work and NHL trade talk has slowed down, there’s still plenty of chatter, and that’s what you’ll find here in another edition of NHN Off The Record!

Could the Champs Chase Chara?

Could the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning put a knife into the Boston Bruins’ heart and add Zdeno Chara to an already stacked left side of their blue line? An NHL source has told Boston Hockey Now that current league chatter says Boston and their captain since the 2006-07 season, have been unable to find common ground on a new contract.