- Ansar Khan of MLive: The Red Wings would like to add a right-handed shooting defensman.
“We got seven left-hand D. I love (to have a righty), but how do you get it?” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said over the weekend at the NHL entry draft in Philadelphia. “It’s great to have this fantasy; like (general manager) Kenny Holland would tell you, there’s no tree. I’ve been all over him, but there’s no tree to grab them off of, so we’ll get what we get.”
Adding a Dman is “absolutely 100 percent” a priority for them. Dan Boyle has shown some interest in the Wings, and they could offer a two-year deal in the $5 to $5.5 million range per season. The Red Wings may be fine with offering Matt Niskanen max term (seven years), but they may not be interested in going $6 million or higher per season. Anton Stralman is another right-handed shot, but he’s not as offensive as they are looking for. Tom Gilbert and Stephane Robidas are cheaper options. The Wings are highly interested in Christian Ehrhoff despite being a left handed shot. The Wings also explored trade talks with left-handed shooting Keith Yandle and Alex Edler.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings have to upgrade their blueline through free agency or trade. Dan Boyle would be more likely than Matt Niskanen due to the price. They have “talked to lots of players’ camps,” according to GM Ken Holland. Boyle would be good as it would likely be a two deal that would bridge them till Xavier Ouellet, Ryan Sproul, Mattias Backman and Alexey Marchenko are NHL ready. Keith Yandle and Tyler Myers could be trade options.
“It all sounds easy,” Holland said. “There are 30 teams in the game. Ten years ago, there were eight or 10 teams in the game. Today’s there’s 30, because of the money game. Because of the cap. Our top priority is a d-man. For the most part, we’re happy with our forwards. We’re going to explore the market.”
- Larry Brook of the NY Post: The Rangers will likely looking to replace Anton Stralman, and have checked out Mark Fayne. They have also looked at Ryan Carter as a potential Brian Boyle replacement. Sounding like the Rangers won’t be bringing back Dominic Moore. Moore is said to be looking for a three-year deal in the $1.6 to $1.85 million per season range.
