- Elliotte Friedman of Sportnet: Ducks Matt Beleskey scored his 14th goal of the season and will be a UFA at the year. The Ducks don’t need the cap space this year and will be going for it, so he won’t be available. There would be lots of interest if he hits the open market.Some teams asked the Blackhawks about Jeremy Morin and were told that he wasn’t available. Sometimes GM will let others that if they don’t want to trade the player to that team or if they think there isn’t a match. The Blackhawks will need some lower priced forwards to counter Patrick Kane’s and Jonathan Toews’ new contracts next year.
The ownership issue in Arizona is making it difficult for them to deal with pending UFA Antoine Vermette. They would like to make him an offer. It might take $6 million to get him, term could end up being an issue since Vermette is 33-years old.
Senators GM Bryan Murray didn’t offer Luke Richardson the coaching position before hiring Dave Cameron.
Nothing close for the Bruins. Talks with the Sabres about Chris Stewart may have intensified during the Board of Governors meetings.
Everyone had inquired about Blue Jackets Ryan Johansen when they were having their contract issues according to one GM, and were told that he’s not available. The Oilers did ask about Johansen, and Friedman thinks that if the Blue Jackets had shown interest, the Oilers may have tried for both Johansen and Artem Anisimov.
Roster decisions could be coming soon for the Hurricanes as they are three games into a 15 straight against Eastern teams.
- Nichols on Hockey: Elliotte Friedman on 630 CHED: The Kings have some things that they are going to need to do, and one of their young depth players may end up being traded. They’ve received interest in Jordan Nolan, Dwight Kings and Kyle Clifford. Clifford has been tied to the Oilers in the past. Chris Stewart to the Bruins is constantly out there and both teams will need to decide if they are going to do it or not.Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 on Mike Babcock and if he’d go somewhere else, like Toronto.
“Well, they could be. They could be. But the reason the Leafs stay in the picture for me is because of the financial side of things here. What’s it going to take? If $3-plus million isn’t enough in the combination and number of factors that go into the decision that Babcock and his family are going to have to make, well, does $4 million sway it? Does 4.5? Does (laughs) $5 million sway it? If you get into those numbers, we’re talking about a fortunate few, I think, around the NHL. Teams who are willing to pay that kind of money to an NHL coach.
“So it’s easy to connect the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s easy to speculate. But again, let’s not forget that Babcock does have a choice. And he’s visited Toronto enough over the years to know what Toronto is from a marketplace. And this is painful for Leafs Nation to hear, but there are players that just will not play in Toronto as unrestricted free agents because they don’t want any part of the circus. And I believe that there are some coaches, given a choice – usually coaches don’t have a choice. They’re unemployed. They need work. Well, that’s not going to be a problem for Mike Babcock. So I’ve got to wonder if, again, that circus-like atmosphere, at times, doesn’t push him away from what other options might be in the mix.”