On the Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, and San Jose Sharks …
Sportsnet: Hockey Night in Canada Headlines.
Chris Johnston: On the report that Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson has requested a trade. This may really date back to the failed contract talks that started back in August. A one point Johnson and his camp felt that a deal was real close to being done, but for some reason, they fell apart. Johnson hopes he’s dealt to a team that would sign him to an extension.
Nick Kypreos: Wonder if Jack Johnson would be a fit in Montreal. The Canadiens are still interested in Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois, which has dated back to the 2016 draft where they tried to trade up to draft him. Dubois may not be untouchable, but they may not be interested in moving him just yet. The Blue Jackets are waiting to get completely healthy. The Blue Jackets are in a win-now mode for the next year or two.
Elliotte Friedman: The Blue Jackets have had interest in Alex Galchenyuk in the past, but don’t think that gets it done for Dubois.
Nick Kypreos: The Lightning initially thought that they might have lost defenseman Victor Hedman for the season. Before Hedman’s injury, GM Steve Yzerman was getting calls on defenseman Slater Koekkoek. Yzerman didn’t want to move in case they suffered an injury to one of their top defensemen. The Bruins were an interested team. There was some talk of a potential Senators deal involving Cody Ceci and Koekkoek.
Chris Johnston: With Hedman’s injury, the NHL has been considering Morgan Rielly and Charlie McAvoy as replacements for the All-Star game.
Elliotte Friedman: The New York Rangers after another loss yesterday may be looking at what type of moves they can make. Could there be other trades to make like what they did with Derek Stepan and the Coyotes at the draft last year? They have pending UFAs in Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, and David Desharnais. They could look at players who have some term left as well – Mats Zuccarello and Ryan McDonagh. There is no guarantee, but they could listen.
Elliotte Friedman: Believe that the Sharks could be looking to move defenseman Paul Martin who has a year left at $4.85 million.