from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

- The most valuable pending UFA of 2024 doesn't even wear skates during the games.

Incredible that Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour has not signed an extension with his preferred franchise.

More incredible that Brind'Amour's lack of job security has been such an under-discussed storyline this season. (Imagine how much noise there would be around his "lame duck" status if he worked in a Canadian market.)...

Owner Tom Dundon paid Brind'Amour less than market value during their previous negotiation, leveraging Brind'Amour's love for Raleigh and its team to his advantage.

Brind'Amour knew it and accepted it. Money isn't the only thing that buys happiness.

“I know it’s not going to be an easy negotiation. I can tell you that,” Brind’Amour told The David Glenn Show, heading into the final year of his agreement....

- For the ninth consecutive season, the league-wide save percentage is riding a downward trend.

NHL goalies, as a collective, are operating at a save percentage of just .903 this season — the worst mark since netminders got punished to a .901 rate in 2005-06. Save rates hit a 60-year high in 2014-15 with .915 but have been gradually receding.

Why?

We asked a number of players and coaches, and plenty of theories were offered: expansion has weakened the goalie and defence pool; the hard cap has thrust underdeveloped goalies into the big leagues; the crackdown on goalie-pad size; the crackdown on defence infractions (cross-checking, holding, interference); increased skills training; stick technology improvement; rising power-play efficiencies; an increasing focus by coaches and analysts on the best way to score goals (i.e., more cross-seam passes and one-timers); and the rise of skill players and elimination of pure checkers in the bottom six.

Safe to say, plenty of factors are at play. It'll be fascinating to see how low the average can go.

more on the first topic plus other notes too...