- Darren Dreger: The Hurricanes have some big options this offseason. Cam Ward will likely be traded. Jeff Skinner or Eric Staal could become available. It would depend on GM Jim Rutherford’s future and if he’ll move up, stay in the same spot or move out. There could be player, coaching and management changes for the Canes.
- Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen: Craig Anderson is heading into the final season of his contract. Do they look to re-sign him or wait for next season to play out and potentially lose him for nothing? Looking like Patrick Weicioch could be traded this summer, especially if the Sens re-sign Eric Gryba. The Senators don’t have a first round pick this year from the Bobby Ryan-Ducks trade. If they want one, the only players that are good enough to get one in return are Ryan, Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza. Karlsson isn’t going anywhere. The Ducks were thought to be one of the teams interested in Spezza. Ryan has one year left at $5.562 million and never really fit with Spezza. At times he wasn’t used much by coach Paul MacLean.
- Mike Halford: Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen on Marian Gaborik.
“We had thought about it long and hard when we acquired him that we needed a little bit more skill,” Kekalainen told Sportsnet’s HockeyCentral. “I think we still could use a little bit more skill like Marian Gaborik has, but it just didn’t fit and it was time to move on because he was going to go to the unrestricted free agency.”
- Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun: The Sabres have all but announced they won’t be drafting Aaron Ekblad. Jones wonders why the Oilers and Sabres haven’t been doing business. The Sabres have need forwards and have plenty on the blueline. The Oilers have forwards but need help on the blueline.
- Sam Carchidi: Flyers Robert Haag will be in the discussion of a D spot next year if Kimmo Timonen retires.