On the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs …
Jonathan Willis of the Edmonton Journal: The Oilers might attempt to trade defenseman Mark Fayne and his $3.625 million cap hit for the next two years this offseason. The acquiring team would likely want to send some salary back to the Oilers.
The Maple Leafs are one team that might be interested in Fayne as their analytics group might see value in him. Fayne also played with the Devils when Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello was running the team. The Leafs could also use right-handed defenseman. Frank Corrado was their only right-handed defenseman to play at least 20 games last season. Connor Carrick and Nikita Zaitsev will be looking to change that this year.
Going the other way, Bob Stauffer of “Oilers Now” has suggested Tyler Bozak, who could fill a need for the Oilers. The Maple Leafs have other contracts they took on at the deadline that could be moved instead of Bozak.
On the St. Louis Blues …
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Elliotte Friedman on the Blues, Vladimir Tarasenko and rumblings they haven’t been happy with him.
“The Tarasenko thing is amazing to me. Here’s a guy who they signed to a huge extension. He’s an $8 million dollar a year player. And very quietly all year, there have been rumblings that they haven’t been satisfied with him. And this playoffs has been proof of that. His ice time was a huge conversation in the Chicago series. It was like Stamkos last year for Tampa. There were nights he was their sixth or seventh most-used forward.”
…
“I wonder, when this year is over and St. Louis has to make some choices; I mean, I have no knowledge that this is – this is purely me thinking out loud here – but I’ve got to wonder if there’s going to be any conversation about is he part of their future. I mean, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t. But they’ve gone to the third round now and he has not been a major factor for a lot of it. He was against Chicago. Every time he touched the puck in that series you wondered if he could score.
“But the subplot here is… and like I said, there have been rumors they haven’t been happy with him, and now I look at this and I’m like, ‘Wow.’”