Report: Kassian's agent, Oilers GM hold preliminary extension talks

Zack Kassian's camp is working with the Edmonton Oilers on a potential contract extension, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

"We can tell you that the agent for Zack Kassian, Rick Curran, was in Dallas on Monday and met with Oilers general manager Ken Holland to begin talks on a contract," McKenzie said. "They were only preliminary, they will try and drill down on this over the next couple of weeks. Kassian is going to try to parlay some really strong play on Connor McDavid's line into a multi-year deal."

Kassian is in the final season of a three-year contract signed with the Oilers in 2017. His current cap hit is $1.95 million, and he's scheduled for unrestricted free agency in July if neither side agrees on a new deal.

The soon-to-be 29-year-old is enjoying a stellar year riding on Edmonton's top line. Kassian has already posted 23 points - just six shy of his career high - through 33 contests in 2019-20 while still providing the overpowering physical element he's known for.

The Oilers are projected to have over $23 million in available money for 2020-21, per Cap Friendly, though that number could rise if the league's salary cap goes up. Despite plenty to spend, Holland has a lot of work to do with only six forwards and three defensemen currently under contract for next season.