On the Vancouver Canucks …
Rick Dhaliwal: Two NCAA players the Canucks are following are U of Maine defenseman Brady Keeper and Bemidji State University defenseman Zack Whitecloud.
Rick Dhaliwal: Canucks prospect Kole Lind on not signing an entry-level contract yet: “They want me to focus on this season but I expect a lot from myself and definitely expect myself to try and play pro next year and keep up with men.”
On the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders …
Frank Seravalli of TSN: The Penguins would like to acquire a third-line center which would allow Jake Guentzel to move back to the wing beside Sidney Crosby. The Penguins could also be looking to add a scoring winger.
John Tavares still hasn’t talked to the Islanders about potential terms of a new deal. The Islanders arena plans appear to be settled now. Tavares may also be looking for the Islanders to commit to free agent teammates Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson and eventually Anders Lee.
On the Washington Capitals …
Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post: Defenseman Mike Green is in the final year of his contract with the Detroit Red Wings and he said over the weekend that there haven’t any contract extension talks.
The Capitals lost depth on the blue line this past offseason with Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner leaving through free agency, and Nate Schmidt in the expansion draft.
If the Capitals are looking for help on the blue line before the trade deadline, Green could be a good fit for them.
Green on the approaching trade deadline.
“Obviously it’s been brought up just recently,” said Green, who was drafted by the Capitals in 2004, of his status heading toward the trade deadline. “I haven’t put too much thought into it. Obviously as the season goes on you focus on the day-to-day path. I wish I could give you more of an answer. I’m sure as the next couple months go on we’ll find out more. I’ll find out more.”
Green played with the Capitals until 2014-15.