On the Calgary Flames …
Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald: Forward Kris Versteeg is on a one-year, $950,000 deal. He’d love to remain with the Flames. If the Flames were to re-sign him now, they would have to leave him unprotected for the expansion draft or protect him. There haven’t been any contract talks with the Flames yet.
“Me and my agent have talked a lot about different scenarios and situations,” he said. “Being in Calgary is obviously No. 1 for me. I have my family, I have my friends. I feel like I’ve made a lot of good friends on the team and in the organization. Here is where my heart is, especially right now. But things change and you never know.
“The business is pretty crazy.”
On the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet 960 talking about Willie Desjardins and the Vancouver Canucks. Desjardins could be on the hot seat despite doing a good job.
“But I think a lot of that is the coaching too. He’s pushed them hard. He’s tried to make it work. I think that he’s done a really good job considering the wolves have been at the door since the first day he showed up this year.
“And I think at the end of the year you probably have to believe that he’s in trouble, but he hasn’t coached that way. And at the end of the day, that’s all you can expect from somebody in that job.”
Lindy Ruff in Dallas is another coach that could be in trouble.
“I think that Lindy Ruff is likely going to be out. But the one thing somebody just said to me is you never know with Jim Nill. He’s the kind of guy who could just say, ‘You know what? This one might be on me a bit and maybe I give him another year.’
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to say that’s ‘solid’ or ‘newsy,’ for all of the people who transcribe this and make news out of it. It’s just me wondering based on what one guy said to me.
“But I think it’s more likely than not he’s in trouble.”
Paul Maurice will be entering the final year of his contract. Friedman and Nick Kypreos think the Jets are going to extend his contract.