On the draft …
Bob McKenzie: Some teams are thinking that defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is either challenging, or made the case, for the top defenseman in the draft his year.
On Vincent Lecavalier …
Josh Cooper of Yahoo! Sports: Kings Vincent Lecavalier hasn’t changed his mind about retiring after the season.
“It’s not something I re-thought,” Lecavalier said with a shrug. “It’s the last time I’m going to be in the playoffs.”
Coach Darryl Sutter on Lecavlier retiring after the season.
“Did he tell you that today?” noting that “there’s a lot of assumptions in that question that it is his last playoffs.”
On jersey sponsorship …
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Bob McKenzie on TSN 1050 the possibility of ads on NHL jersey’s.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. Again, I don’t believe that there’s anything specific that the NHL has currently planned right now – other than what you said, maybe with the World Cup – but in any case, as I said, it’s inevitable. Who’s kidding who. They’re constantly looking for greater sources of revenue. It’s happened in other sports. It’s only a matter of time until it happens in hockey.”
On the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers …
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 960 on Dennis Wideman and the Edmonton Oilers.
“And Edmonton is a team that could use a defenseman. Wideman would get opportunity there. He’s going to have to sign a new contract after next year if he plays well in Edmonton. I think that’ll do very well for him.
“The other thing too is a couple of years ago, we would never have been suggested that these two teams make a deal with each other, but they did with Smid.
…
“It’s speculatory, but sometimes I like to see and say, ‘If I connect the dots, does this make any sense,’ and kind of just throw it out there.”