Morning Rumors II: Oilers, Senators, Blue Jackets, Devils and Penguins

“It’s not rocket science where we are right now and what our strategy is moving forward. We’ve got a number of guys that are UFAs that are veteran players that are going to elicit some attention around the league for teams that are preparing for a playoff run. It’s a tough market to predict but we’ll be having those discussions. … We’re going to be aggressively making those calls to let people know what our intentions are.”

On what the potential returns could be.

“I’d be disappointed if we weren’t able to get a second or a third rounder back or potentially more than that. If we’re sitting at the draft with our first pick and then we’re not picking again until the fourth round, that would be disappointing. So that’s exactly what we’re going to try and do is get those picks back.”

On the trade value of their assets.

“It’s hard to put a market value on what our players are (worth) going into this deadline. Hopefully it heats up, I think a lot of our guys are going to be secondary market players. Everybody’s going to be looking for high-profile guys, the real high-end guys, we maybe have one or two of those guys. Outside of that I think we’re a secondary market, and we’ll try to get some interest and activity in that market.”

On if their first round draft pick is available.

“We’ll be listening to every proposal we can. Last year I didn’t have anything that was even remotely close to what I thought was value for that pick.”

“I’m like every other manager, just trying to see what’s right,” Murray said. “There’s a few players everybody’s looking to do something with and the price is real high to do that. I guess it will play out.”

One GM told Murray that he has a couple players that he consider trading, but it may not happen until some of bigger pending free agents get dealt. Murray is looking for a veteran forward that has some term left on his contract, but not ruling out pending UFAs.

“That’s more of what I’m looking at, really,” Murray said. “If I can make the right deal to get a guy that’s played in the league, that has a little term in his contract, then we would get a chance to get to know him and he’d get a chance to get to know us, and maybe then keep him around, that’s the ideal thing for me.”

“What’s the price a team like us would pay for a guy to come in here and play 20 games and in all likelihood move on?” Murray asked, rhetorically. “It’s a dilemma and a consideration and something we are daily talking about. I’m talking to GMs and we’ll evaluate each individual case as it comes along if it does come along, and hopefully make the right decision.”

Murray would like to keep their pending UFAs (Milan Michalek, Chris Phillips and Joe Corvo) as long as they remain in the playoff race.

“I still don’t think we’ve seen the Marian Gaborik who can score big goals, and what he can mean to our power play, how he can create so much space for other guys on the ice,” Kekalainen said. “If he can play at the top of his game and bring that every night, he could be exactly what this team needs the rest of the way. “He hasn’t lost the ability to score goals. He has been hurt; it has been unfortunate. But he’s still the same guy who scored all those goals. He’s not old. He’s worked his (butt) off to get back into our lineup.”

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen is in no hurry to make deals leading up to the deadline.

“I don’t think we have to do anything,” Kekalainen said. “We have good chemistry. We have a lot of good qualities about us. I like the structure of our team, the roles that have evolved. “If the right deal for the right player is there, we’ll look at it, of course. We’re preparing for every possible scenario, believe me. But we’re not going to make a deal to make it look like we’re doing something. I like this group.”