On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Jim Matheson: Can’t see there being a big trade market for Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier unless they retain a big portion of his salary.
On the Boston Bruins …
Jimmy Murphy: If the Bruins aren’t able to acquire a defenseman in a trade, expect them to be interested in Brian Campbell.
On the St. Louis Blues …
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Darren Dreger on TSN 690 on if the Blues will end up trading Kevin Shattenkirk.
“Well, that’s again the word from clubs around the NHL who have interest in Kevin Shattenkirk. I mean, in a perfect world, the Blues would sign Shattenkirk. He’s got one more year, and then he’s an unrestricted free agent. And that’s problematic. And when you look at the salary cap structure of the St. Louis Blues, it’s going to be a tough maneuver for them to get that done. There have been ongoing negotiations, but I wouldn’t deem them as being progressive from St. Louis’s perspective. There are some who don’t think they’re going to have any luck getting them signed.
“So if you’re in that predicament, if you’re Doug Armstrong, then there are a couple of trigger points. One is the weekend that we’re approaching, the draft, where there’s flexibility and a willingness among the clubs to maybe give up a bit more in assets to acquire players. We’ve seen that in the past. And then the other, obviously, is the trade deadline or around July 1.”
The Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers would like to add Shattenkirk, creating a bidding war. LeBrun thinks there will be other teams interested as well.
On the St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs …
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 on Kevin Shattenkirk and trade speculation.
Dreger says that the Bruins have offered a first round pick for Shattenkirk. From Dreger’s understanding, the Blues want to take another run at signing him before they move him. The Oilers would also love to trade for him.
“I know the Toronto Maple Leafs feel like they need another top-4 d-man. They’d prefer a 3-2 guy, but top-4 is fine. I believe that Toronto is going to be creative in how they acquire that defensemen. So I’m sure that they’ve scoured the league to look for a misfit type of player, a guy who might be undervalued in his current organization that just needs a fresh start. Or they may look at free agency.
“So Lou Lamoriello and the management team in Toronto are going to look at all options, and I’m sure Shattenkirk is on that list.”