- Tim Kavanagh of ESPN: Top 5 Snipers: 1. Thomas Vanek – the Kings have been rumored to be interested and there are ties to Minnesota. 2. Marian Gaborik – could be plan B for teams that don’t land Vanek. 3. Mike Cammalleri – the Penguins have been rumored to be interested in Cammalleri and the Pens do have some young defenseman they could move 4. Matt Moulson – the Penguins, Kings and up to 12 teams have been tied to Moulson. 5. Ales Hemsky – the Canadiens, Sharks, Penguins and Coyotes are believed to be interested.
- The Fourth Period: Ducks GM Bob Murray told ESPN that he won’t be trading Jonas Hiller before the end of the season. The Ducks are looking to add a stay-at-home defenseman and could look at Dan Girardi.
- Bruce Garrioch: Five teams have accepted their fate leading up to the trade deadline. Two or three teams will wait until March 5th.
- Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger: Martin Brodeur could be spending his last two weeks in a Devils uniform as he could be asked to waive his no-trade clause or even ask for a trade.
“It won’t be (different) if I don’t say so. That’s the bottom line,” Brodeur said Wednesday as the Devils’ non-Olympians practiced at AmeriHealth Pavilion. “If I don’t say so, it’s going to be the same as the last 20 years.”
Brodeur hasn’t talked to GM Lou Lamoriello and hasn’t decided if he’d waive his no-trade clause if asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it until I talk to people, and there is nothing planned yet. I’m probably going to wait,” Brodeur said.
“I have no indication one way or the other that anything is going to happen. I haven’t discussed it with anybody really about what my plans are going to be for the next 23 games. I haven’t talked to the coach about playing time, either. I’m just going to get back into playing shape for the next seven days and we’ll see if I’m able to get the net.”
- George Richards: Several years ago there was a James van Riemsdyk (PHI) for Jay Bouwmeester (FLA) offer on the table.
- Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times: Lightning owner Jeff Vinik said that even though they are operating in the red, it won’t stop him from spending higher towards the cap.
“I don’t want to predict out because things can change,” Vinik said. “But for the foreseeable future our strategy is to have a great team on the ice and spend at or near the salary cap.”
Vinik wouldn’t say how much they are losing.
“We want to have an extremely competitive hockey team,” Vinik said. “It’s part of a strategy. First of all, I’m competitive. We want to win. We want to win a Stanley Cup. It’s a lot more fun for our fans, but it also helps us make the playoffs and, hopefully, go deep into the playoffs which is good for the financials.”