On the Vancouver Canucks …
Rick Dhaliwal: If the Canuck are looking to add some size and grit in the free agent market, have been hearing that pending UFA center Jay Beagle is one player they could be looking at.
Rick Dhaliwal: Agent Todd Diamond on Sportsnet 650 on client Nikita Tryamkin: “I spoke at the NHL Combine with the #Canucks about Nikita and how we can approach it and maybe get ahead of it so everyone knows he is a valued person on the depth chart.”
Rick Dhaliwal: Diamond continued that Tryamkin could return to the Canucks in two years, maybe less: “is there is a chance it could be sooner, it’s a small chance.”
On Tyler Bozak …
Rick Dhaliwal: Maple Leafs pending UFA center Tyler Bozak was on Sportsnet 650 and was talking about free agency: “I take it 1 day at a time and don’t think about it too much. I did what I had to do on the ice and I’m in a good position now, I’m excited about the next few weeks.”
Rick Dhaliwal: Bozak was asked about any connections to Vancouver other than when he played in the BCHL for Victoria (Bozak has been linked to the Canucks): “No, not really. I did play in Victoria and it’s a beautiful place to live. I am keeping all my options open.”
On Ilya Kovalchuk, Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins …
TSN: Pierre LeBrun says that the Carolina Hurricanes will definitely be trading Jeff Skinner in the upcoming weeks. Some teams that are interested in Ilya Kovalchuk are also interested in Skinner. LeBrun:
“My sense is Kovalchuk has to make his decision here in the next week or two before the Skinner trade can happen. I think of a team like the Los Angeles Kings, a team like the San Jose Sharks, those are a couple teams that we know that have both shown interest in Skinner, but also in Kovalchuk.”
Darren Dreger adds that Boston Bruins are one of the teams interested in Kovalchuk. The Bruins could also be looking to make some other moves.
“There’s word that there’s interest in David Krejci on a trade front, they’d like to move David Backes, my expectation is that Boston will talk with Kovalchuk in the days ahead.”