On the Hot Seat …
Michael Traikos in the Toronto Sun: Looking at five coaches that could be on the hot seat already this season: Jack Capuano (New York Islanders), Willie Desjardins (Vancouver Canucks), John Tortorella (Columbus Blue Jackets), Lindy Ruff (Dallas Stars) and Jared Bednar (Colorado Avalanche).
On Ilya Kovalchuk …
Aivis Kalnins: Ilya Kovalchuk said that he will explore his NHL options next offseason: ”We will see, everything is possible. Why couldn’t I return to NHL? I’ll have all options open that can benefit my career.”
On the 2018 Winter Olympics …
Darren Dreger: The IIHF, NHL, NHLPA, USA Hockey and Hockey Canada will be meeting next week to talk about the NHLs potential participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics. They won’t decide next week if they will be participating or not, but will have more info that they can provide to the owners at their December meetings.
On the Vancouver Canucks …
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Darren Dreger was on TSN 1040 Tuesday and was talking about the Vancouver Canucks and a recent call he had with Canucks GM Jim Benning. Teams always call the struggling teams to see what they are thinking.
“It’s been reported what, in the last two weeks, that he’s more or less looking for some offense,” noted Dreger of Benning. “He’d like to add a 20-goal scorer. He chuckled and said, ‘So would 29 other teams.’ That and a Top-4 defenseman – every team in the league are looking for those pieces. But he said the calls are heating up a little bit; again, not unusual given the General Managers meetings next week in Toronto.
“The calls that he’s getting are from rivals trying to pick his pocket, wondering would Boeser be available. Well, of course he’s not. Juolevi, is he available. (Laughs) Of course he’s not. It would take a blockbuster. I mean, those kids represent the future for the Vancouver Canucks.”