- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: As many as six to eight teams have shown interest in Chris Neil, including the Blackhawks, Predators, Blues and Jets. Neil would like to stay with the Senators, but in the end he can’t entirely control the situation.
“You’ve got teams that want you. I look back to when I was a free agent on July 1 and I had offers from other teams. I took less money to stay here because I love the city, I love the organization and I’ve got a lot of respect for Bryan Murray and what he’s done,” said Neil Thursday.
“That’s one thing Bryan and I both agree on: I’ve got a lot of respect for him and he’s got a lot of respect for me. I indicated to him this is where I want to be but I want to be a part of it to. For me, that’s my competitive level. I don’t just want to sit here and collect a paycheque.”
- Katie Strang of ESPN: The Rangers will be buyers at the deadline. Some players that might be available and of interest to the Rangers include: Antoine Vermette, Mike Santorelli, Jarret Stoll, Nate Thompson and Jiri Tlusty. The Rangers have about $1.5 million in cap space.
- Iain MacIntyre: If Zack Kassian doesn’t get back into the lineup after the Canucks performance last night, he has as much of a future in Vancouver as Evander Kane has in Winnipeg.
- Josh Cooper: Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis is still in Nashville and watched the Preds-Ducks game last night. Nonis is looking to sell and the Preds and Ducks are buying.
- Mark Stepneski: Scouting the Stars-Lightning: Jets, Penguins, Coyotes, Blues, Avalanche and Sabres.
- Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post: Capitals GM Brian MacLellan after Penguins game.
“I think when you win a game like that, you get a little excited, see some different line combinations,” MacLellan told Koken. “You have some thoughts in your mind on how you can improve the team, and all of a sudden you play a game like that, and you say maybe we should leave it alone. In the end, we’re going to have to make some decisions. The forward mix has always been area for me, we’ve got some good players, and I think if we added one piece or got the chemistry right on a couple of the lines it would go a long way to improving our team.”
On the rumor mill.
“It’s fun for fans to do, I think,” MacLellan said of trade rumors, admitting he reads them occasionally. “But it’s hard on players. They have families, kids in school, lifestyles and it’s hard for a player to get traded. I don’t take it lightly with them. When their names continually get brought up, it’s hard for them to hear that.”
