On the Ottawa Senators …
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Ottawa Senators are not ready to be sellers just yet, but it doesn’t mean that GM Pierre Dorion isn’t willing to listen on anyone not named Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone.
Sources are saying that forwards Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and defenseman Cody Ceci are drawing the most interest.
Several teams are interested in Hoffman, with the St. Louis Blues being the frontrunners at the moment.
The Senators want to get younger, but they don’t want to do a full rebuild.
On the Montreal Canadiens …
Chris Nichols of Fan Rag Sports: Pierre McGuire was on TSN 690 talking about the Montreal Canadiens. McGuire said that if the Canadiens were to trade Max Pacioretty, he’s a valued commodity and would be dealt for top dollar, and not 50 cents on the dollar.
Darren Dreger was on TSN 690 later in the day and agreed with McGuire. Dreger adds that Pacioretty has another year on his deal at an affordable price. He has a history of being a scorer, with teams thinking they can help turn him around. isn’t suggesting that Pacioretty needs a change of scenery to return to form.
“But as much as this rumor has surfaced – and it has surfaced from time to time, certainly this season more than any other – every time I’ve investigated, basically it’s been dismissed. ‘We’re not interested in trading the captain at this point.’
“But then you try and balance that with who might be interested, the teams that might be interested – and pretty much all of the American-based teams would love to get their hands on Max Pacioretty. Especially those who either think they’re a contending team or believe that they’re not that far away from being a Stanley Cup contender.”