Monthly Archives: January 2014
Sharks mailbag: Return of Ray Whitney?
The rumors are already out there that Whitney could be in play, and the 41-year-old would be the dictionary definition of a rental player. A quick check of the stats says that Whitney has six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 43 games with the Dallas Stars this season, but lately he hasn’t played among the top six. He’s in the second and final year of a two-year, $9 million deal.
PREDATORS ACQUIRE DEL ZOTTO FROM RANGERS FOR D KLEIN
The Nashville Predators have swapped defencemen with the New York Rangers, sending right-handed shooter Kevin Klein to New York in exchange for a lefty in Michael Del Zotto.
The Predators announced the trade Wednesday before heading to Vancouver for a four-game road swing.
Are the Senators interested in Matt Moulson?
Speaking of Moulson, he’s a guy that interests the Ottawa Senators as well, a source said Tuesday.
Could the Oilers trade Ryan Smyth?
Darren Dreger: Sam Gagner, we know. Ales Hemsky, we know. Ryan Smyth is expected. There’s no dialog between Craig MacTavish and Ryan Smyth. The belief is that Smyth wants one more crack with a winning team to see if he can win the Stanley Cup. He’s still effective, at least in the offensive zone, so I expect his name will heat up as we get closer to the deadline.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=441829
Not likely that the Avs will move O’Reilly
On to Ryan O’Reilly. The sense is teams would be pretty shocked if the Colorado Avalanche traded him during the season. Colorado’s got a good thing going and O’Reilly is head coach Patrick Roy’s kind of player and personality. He’s also one of the forwards – along with Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau and Paul Stastny – Roy’s usage indicates he trusts most in the defensive zone against the best competition.
Oilers and Sens trade rumors
Who might be available and who might be on the move in Edmonton?
Dreger: Sam Gagner, we know. Ales Hemsky, we know. Ryan Smyth is expected. There’s no dialog between Craig MacTavish and Ryan Smyth. The belief is that Smyth wants one more crack with a winning team to see if he can win the Stanley Cup. He’s still effective, at least in the offensive zone, so I expect his name will heat up as we get closer to the deadline.
Will Blackhawks be in market for second-line center?
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has never been shy to pull the trigger on a trade. But with the Blackhawks playing as one of the NHL’s top teams, is there a move out there that can make the defending champs even better?
Do you think the Oilers will trade their first-round 2014 draft pick? If not, who are they taking? Sam or Aaron?
No chance the Oilers are dealing away a probable top three draft pick. GM Craig MacTavish was singing a different tune a few months back, saying he was open for business to deal the team’s first-rounder but that was before his club tumbled to the current depths of 29th in a 30-team league. It looks like Buffalo (30), Edmonton (29) and Calgary (28) are in a group for the first overall pick in the lottery. The Oilers won’t take Kootenay forward Sam Reinhart (not big enough).
New York Rangers Taking Calls on Ryan Callahan
According to a source close to the situation, Ryan Callahan, the U.S.A Olympian and the captain of the Rangers could be calling a new city home for the remainder of the season. The reason? The team doesn’t feel he will be worth the salary — currently making $4.825-million with a cap hit of $4.275-million — he will likely demand as an unrestricted free agent over the summer, and Sather is hopeful that he will be able to get a decent return if he can trade him before the March 5 trade deadline.
Plenty of teams focused on Flames
With a number of players set to become free agents this summer, the Flames have plenty of attractive pieces available for rent.
Forwards Michael Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak and Matt Stajan, and defenseman Kris Russell are among Calgary’s pending unrestricted free agents, all of whom could moved by the deadline.
Blues looking for an elite goalie?
Goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott have a combined .833 save percentage in those games, with Halak pulled twice and Elliott once. Halak has been pulled four times this season, overall. The Blues have a great team, but they need a true starting goalie. They won’t give up their best prospect, forward Dmitrij Jaskin, but I can see them moving former Oiler Magnus Paajarvi and their first-rounder, plus Halak would be in play.
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/01/19/this-n-that-3/
Calgary will not trade their first round pick
In a wide-ranging interview with the 58-year-old acting GM, Burke told the Calgary Sun nobody has pitched him on peddling his first-round draft pick, which will undoubtedly be a top-five lottery selection this summer.
More importantly, he says he sees no scenario in which he will offer it up.
“No — it’s not in play,” said Burke, who has spoken sparingly as promised.
“We’ve had no inquiries — people wait to see the draft sequence.”
Could the Blue Jackets trade Gaborik?
The second crossroads will come with the NHL trade deadline on March 5. Only four regular-season games will have been played after the Olympic break, so the Blue Jackets will need to have determined whether Gaborik’s style of play meshes with the rest of the roster.
The Blue Jackets and Gaborik have had no contract talks to date, and there have been no indications they are interested in signing him to an extension.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen would not comment, but it’s possible Gaborik, if healthy, could be traded at a second straight deadline.