On the Montreal Canadiens …
Eric Engels of Sportsnet: Defenseman Andrei Markov was with the Canadiens for 16 years, and he’s still not thrilled how things played out this past offseason. He ended up signing a two-year with AK Bars of the KHL after there was basically no negotiations with the Canadiens.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” added Markov. “There was practically no negotiations with Montreal. I got two or three offers from them and they said, ‘Either you sign or you don’t sign.’
“No one listened to me and no one wanted to listen to me. That’s what happened. So I had the choice to sign on their terms or to leave and find a new team.”
On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: The Maple Leafs tried to re-sign defenseman Matt Hunwick last offseason, before settling in on Ron Hainsey.
“We were always impressed by him. We tried to sign Hunny again,” says Babcock. “He got a better deal here in Pittsburgh. That’s what you gotta do as a player. I was real excited for him when he got a three-year deal here.”
Hunwick signed a three-year deal with the Penguins after having interest from the Maple Leafs and a few other teams.
On the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers …
Matt Larkin of The Hockey News: (mailbag) Though Max Pacioretty and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have been in the rumor mill, it doesn’t mean there would be a fit for the Canadiens and Oilers in one-for-one trade. RNH may not be enough of a return for Pacioretty.
The Canadiens may be better off holding on to Pacioretty and attempt to sign John Tavares if he hits free agency this offseason. If the Canadiens did decide to move Pacioretty, there would be a lot of interest.
If the Rangers fall out of the playoff picture, they should consider moving Rick Nash. They’d likely have to eat some of his $7.8 million salary. Nash has a 12-team trade list.
