On the Colorado Avalanche …
Terry Frei: Both Matt Duchene and Patrick Roy said that it’s all good, and they did so convincingly.
Terry Frei of the Denver Post: Matt Duchene on if he could be traded this offseason.
“I’m sure it will be thought about,” he said. “Early in the year, there were lots of rumors, and it’s part of the business. All I can do is be the best I can be and play as hard as I can for my teammates and do whatever I can do to help this team win.”
Adrian Dater: Do think that the Avs will make a big trade that involves one of Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie or Semyon Varlamov.
On the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Colorado Avalanche …
Craig Custance of ESPN: Jonathan Drouin won’t be an immediate call-up with the Lightning as he’s day-to-day want an injury, but he’s a candidate at some point. The Lightning recalled Drouin this morning.
“Some good, some not so good. Scored a nice goal,” texted the scout. “Just has to learn to play a safer and smarter game so coaches can trust putting him out there.”
Lightning GM Steve Yzerman on how Steven Stamkos’s injury doesn’t change his desire to re-signing him.
“It doesn’t change my desire, our desire, my goal — our hope is No. 1 he comes back and plays this year,” Yzerman said. “We want Stammer to remain a Tampa Bay Lightning. We’re hoping at the right time we can make that happen.”
One Western Conference team tried really hard to acquire Penguins Matt Murray before the deadline.
“He’s untouchable,” concluded an executive from that team right before the deadline. “We tried multiple angles.”
It’s looking like Avalanche could shake things up, and Matt Duchene could be a candidate to be moved. The Avs have lost/traded Paul Stastny and Ryan O’Reilly in the past couple years: “Shipping talented centers out is a really hard way to build a championship roster. Sakic should know that as well as anyone.”
