- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: (Oilers GM Craig MacTavish Q & A)
Q: About that No. 3 pick? You’re not of a mind to give it up, are you? What about moving up to No. 1? A: There will be some interesting discussions. I’m not sure where that’s all going to go. This year, you certainly don’t know who’s going to be the best player. Nobody’s clearly ahead of the others. There’s arrogance if you think that’s the case. There’s going to be a positional bias with teams. It’ll be a positional determination for any team in the top four or maybe five. Our need is defencemen and centremen, but not necessarily in that order. We’ll get one of those needs satisfied at this draft.”
MacTavish said that Sam Gagner hasn’t asked for a trade. Added they need a blueliner that can go north-south with the puck. Their blueline as a whole needs to move the puck better. The Oilers are without a second and third round pick, and MacTavish would be surprised if he could add one, “The value of draft choices at the trade deadline is at the bottom. At the draft, the value is high.”
- Matt Larkin of The Hockey News: Larkin suggests the Oilers 3rd overall pick to the Maple Leafs for Jake Gardiner and the 8th overall pick. The Oilers could then draft Haydn Fleury.
- EJ Hradek: Jason Spezza could be a better fit with the Ducks behind Ryan Getzlaf or Tyler Seguin in Dallas.
- Adrian Dater: If he goes to the open market, the Avalanche would likely make a big offer to defenseman Matt Greene.
- Cap Geek: Estimates on bonus overages for next season: Bruins $4.75 million, Red Wings $3 million, Devils $2.25 million, Blues $700,000, and the Flyers at $345,000. If the Sharks have bonus overages, it won’t be for more then $175,000.