- Jim Matheson: The Hurricanes and Islanders seem like a possible fit for Ryan Whitney. He may have to take a one-year deal.
- Gord Holder of the Ottawa Citizen: Negotiations between the Senators and defenseman Jared Cowen will pick up soon.
“It’s fine,” Rick Valette of Octagon Sports said Wednesday from his office in High River, Alta. “(The Senators) went through free agency, and they had a lot of things going on. We agreed early in July that we’d wait for a week or three and let things settle out.
“We have talked a couple of times, and we are going to move the process along now.”
- Allan Muir of SI: It may be hard for Tim Thomas to find a team that needs a goalie, that can afford him and that would be a place that would make him happy. There was talk earlier that the Flyers could be interested, but they decided to go with Ray Emery and Steve Mason. The Islanders had some interest, but they could have tolled his contract. They re-signed Evgeni Nabokov and Kevin Poulin. The Flames have the cap space, but the rebuilding team will go with Karri Ramo and Joey MacDonald. The Panthers and Oilers have the cap room, but they have a goalie tandem in place. Jacob Markstrom is likely the starter in Florida, but he’s on a two-way deal. The Panthers could use a boost to their credibility. Thomas may not get a big deal from them, but possibly a training camp invite.
- Terry Koshan: The Maple Leafs signed defenseman Paul Ranger to a one-year deal ($1 million), pushing TJ Brennan down the depth chart.
- Bob Stauffer: Gilbert Brule will attend the Coyotes training camp.
- Darren Dreger: The Canucks and Dale Weise avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $750,000.
- Mark Lazerus: The Blackhawks have signed Brad Winchester to a one-year deal.