On the Winnipeg Jets …
- Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun: Dustin Byfuglien has said that he’s leaving negotiations up to his agent and is trying to block things out. Andrew Ladd on the other had is sounding like he’s been keeping up to date with what has been going on with his contract process, and it’s sounding like they could be going different ways.It doesn’t appear that the Jets want to pay Ladd over $6 million a season for six years. If the Jets are going to trade Ladd, they may be waiting for closer to the deadline to hopefully get more interested teams and/or possibly driving up the price.Wiebe thinks the Anaheim Ducks make a lot of sense. He’s former teammate of Ryan Getzlaf, and the Ducks have a revolving door on the left side of Getzlaf and Corey Perry.
As for what the return could be from the Ducks, they do have a lot of young talent on the backend. There has been speculation that the Ducks could have a hard time re-signing pending RFAs in Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm. The Ducks could also be willing to trade Cam Fowler, who has two years left at a $4 million cap hit.
The Blackhawks sent a first round pick and a prospect to the Coyotes for Antoine Vermette last year, so a similar deal for the Jets could also make sense.
- Harvey Fialkov: Dustin Byfuglien when asked if he’d like to play for the Panthers: “They’re def. a team whos playing well and think will keep doing well for awhile. I wouldn’t mind having flip flops and shorts to go to the rink one day. Bomber caps and big coats, yeah, it’s a little different (in Peg).”
On Alex Kovalev …
- Rejean Tremblay of Le Journal De Montreal: (google translate) Alex Kovalev will be 43-years old next month, but he thinks he can still play in the NHL.
“I’ll be 43 next month. I’m in an exceptional form. I train five times a week by running a full routine in martial arts. I lowered my weight to 225 pounds and I built me a real muscle mass. I could return to play within a few days of training,” he told during dinner.
“I give a lot to return to the game, to help the team. I would remove myself getting ready, knowing what I do. I’m not the kind of man to call for teams to beg for a chance to return, but if you offered me, I would say yes immediately, “said Kovalev.
Asked if he’d join the Canadiens if they called, “I’ll come right away.”