- Scott Cullen of TSN posts a Trade Deadline Playbook for the Easter Conference and Western Conference.
- Bruce Garrioch: Talked to three teams yesterday who said all was quiet on the trade talk. They expect things to pick up on Monday.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Alex Tanguay’s season ending surgery may mean that P.A. Parenteau is no longer on the trade block, if he was ever on it. They may have able to use Parenteau to acquire a defenseman. Dater doesn’t expect the Avalanche to make a big trade by the deadline. Dater thinks the Avs will trade a prospect or two or future mid-round draft picks for a veteran defenseman or forward, a depth move.
- Craig Custance of ESPN: Islanders GM Garth Snow will now be sell mode. He’ll be looking to move Thomas Vanek after contract extension talks with Vanek broke down. Vanek’s agent:
“Things are going to come hot and heavy after the break,” Bartlett predicted on Wednesday.
It may be a good move to get as much as you can for defenseman Andrew MacDonald if they can’t/don’t want to sign him to an extension.
“Garth Snow and the Islanders will make a business decision, and we’re going to have to make a business decision,” said MacDonald’s agent, Peter Cooney, when we spoke on Thursday morning after the Tavares news. “He has wanted to remain an Islander, that’s been our goal and our indication to Garth. Our door remains open to continuing those discussions to get a deal done with them.”
- Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News: The Islanders owe the Sabres a first round pick from the Thomas Vanek – Matt Moulson trade. It has a top 10 protection on this year, but the Islanders have the option to send it to the Sabres if they so choose. The 2015 draft is thought to be stronger than the 2014 draft, so if the Islanders finish at say 9th, they may opt to do so and not risk giving the Sabres a shot at Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel or Noah Hanifin. With John Tavares’ injury, may be likely that they are picking in the top 5 though.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times: A Seattle group is heading to Vancouver to learn more about the NHL, a trip that was planned months ago.
But the timing couldn’t be better, given continued negotiations behind the scenes to bring an NHL expansion franchise to this city and a sense the league could begin moving seriously toward that soon after the Olympics in Sochi conclude.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said during the Super Bowl week that the NHL hadn’t made an official decision on expansion yet. A local source said the NHL has had talks with a potential ownership group about a team starting in 2015-16. Expansion fees could be in the $200 to $250 million range. A second team would likely be needed balance out the schedule. Possible cities include: Quebec City, Kansas City, Portland, the Toronto suburb of Markham, Saskatoon and Las Vegas. Quebec City has already started building an arena.