On the Kings …
- Luke Fox of Sportsnet: The Kings director of hockey operations, Mike Futa, was on Sportsnet’s Hockey Central at Noon yesterday. He was talking about Anze Kopitar, and how the Kings are determined to keep him with the team long-term.
“He’s everything we covet as a King,” Mike Futa, L.A.’s director of hockey operations, said Monday of ongoing contract talks with the star centre. “It’s too close to not get it done.
“We’ll find a way to get it done.”
Futa notes that sometimes, things take longer to get done than you would like.
“Kopi’s done extremely well. He’s just an amazing person as well as a great player. We’re obviously working through it. He wants to stay here; we want him to stay here. Sometimes negotiations take a little longer than you like.”
On the Penguins …
- Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: (chat) Asked if barring any major injuries, does he see GM Jim Rutherford making any trades before the deadline?
I would be shocked if Rutherford doesn’t pursue some sort of top four defenseman between now and the trade deadline.
Asked if an upgrade to their defense is even necessary at this point.
Either a trade or a sudden realization of his immense talent by Derrick Pouliot would need to happen for this team for it to reach its ultimate goal. They made the right move to allow Paul Martin to walk as a free agent but they miss a lot of what he offered and they have not replaced it at all.
On the Coyotes …
- Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports: The Coyotes could be finished dealing with the city of Glendale unless there is significant change after next year’s elections. Glendale voided their 15-year arena lease and management agreement, then sought to bring in their own arena manager.
“At some point you have to make a decision that you can’t continue to talk to a wall,” Coyotes co-owner, president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said. “You have to accept reality and look at what your alternatives are. That’s where we are right now.”
LeBlance has had discussions with several groups on a new arena that would keep them in the Valley.
“I don’t think anything has progressed to a point where it would be prudent to state what options look like but things are moving pretty quickly; in particular with a couple of these options,” he said. “The city of Phoenix has been the most vocal. They have an NBA franchise (Suns) that they are very tied to and they want to ensure there’s no hiccup in regards to that.
“We’re working as closely as we can to understand what all the options look like and there are other communities and stakeholders we are talking to.”
There are three local possibilities for the Coyotes when their agreement with Glendale expires after next season.
