- Mark Spector: Thinks the Oilers have another deal in the works.
- Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger on TSN Radio: “I know there has been some dialogue between Edmonton and Anaheim regarding Jonas Hiller“
- Hope Smoke: Bob McKenzie on TSN Radio: “the Oilers have cooled down their search for a goaltender. I think it’s status quo right now for MacTavish”
- Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger on TSN Radio: “Carlyle didn’t feel great at having to waive Liles because Liles did everything Carlyle asked him to do in the exit meeting” … “I believe the Leafs are willing to eat around $1 million dollars (and that is negotiable) to move Liles”
- David Alter: If the Leafs retain any money in a John-Michael Liles trade, not using the non-compliance window they had back in August would be a mistake.
- Darren Dreger on TSN: The Red Wings are believed to be eager to make a trade. Jordin Tootoo is in play to create some cap space to make room for Gustav Nyquist. The Maple Leafs are willing to retain a significant portion of John-Michael Liles contract in a trade.
- Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: The Maple Leafs have had their eye on Panthers Dmitri Kulikov over the years, and he might be available. He wouldn’t come cheap, and he’ll be looking for a big pay increase from his $2.5 million.
- Joe Haggerty of CSNNE: Blue Jackets Nathan Horton insinuated last week that part of the reason he left the Bruins in the summer was that the Bruins wanted until the last minute to negotiate with him. At the time he signed with the Blue Jackets (seven-years, $37 million), he agent said that Horton wanted to go somewhere quieter and more laid back than Boston.
“All year, nothing happened. I waited for a long time,” Horton said of last year in Boston. “When you wait until the last minute, what am I . . . I’m not going to wait around. I’m happy with the way things turned out. It just came down to, at the end, for my family, I wanted a place where my kids could be outside.
“That’s kind of what it came down to. I heard a little bit about Columbus. It’s not the Columbus that everyone knows. Columbus is up-and-coming. They’ve got a great team and great people in charge. It’s kind of what I was looking for.”
The Bruins wouldn’t have offered a seven-year contract with his concussion history. There were negotiations last year about a five-year, around $5 million a year deal. Horton would change his mind daily on if staying in Boston or leaving. Ultimately came down to his wife’s desire to live somewhere warmer and quieter. The Bruins would have traded his rights for a seventh round pick, and had discussed a deal with the Kings. Horton said he was ruling out all Canadian cities and big markets.
- Elliotte Friedman of CBC: The Flyers have tried to trade Andrej Meszaros, but his expiring contract may be valuable to the Flyers who sit at $56 million for next season.
Among the teams the Oilers talked to were the Ducks, Blues and Capitals. Some belief they may have looked at Jake Allen and Thomas Greiss. Allen is staying in St. Louis and Greiss info appears incorrect.
Did the Oilers consider trading Nail Yakupov for help on the blueline? They may have thought the cost was too high, same as price for goaltending.
Teams exploring trade market the most are the Flyers, Rangers and maybe the Devils.
A lot of concern about Tyler Myers play, more and more lately involving Mikhail Grigorenko.
The Kings have started preliminary talks with Matt Greene.
Despite having a limited no-trade clause, Ryan Miller may consider going anywhere. Oilers make little sense.