On the Montreal Canadiens and Alexander Radulov …
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: Alexander Radulov and his agent could be willing to talk long-term contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens.
“He likes Montreal and the fans have quickly adopted him. I don’t see why this relationship can’t continue,” Radulov’s agent, Maxim Moliver, told La Presse Thursday when asked (quotes translated). “All players want a long-term deal. If the Canadiens want to approach us with a new long term deal, we’ll listen for sure.
“Look what happened to Brent Burns…. It’s no different for a family man like Alex.”
Moliver did add that it may be too early to get into negotiations. Radulov isn’t eligible to sign a contract extension before January 1st.
The 30-year old is making $5.75 million this season.
On the Buffalo Sabres and Evander Kane …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Darren Dreger was on WGR 550 yesterday talking about Evander Kane, Buffalo Sabres trade talks.
“They’re real,” said Dreger. “But at least in the last week or so they’ve died down a little bit. I don’t know if that’s a lack of interest in the player specifically; or that Tim Murray needs to get something of decent value in return, or the deal doesn’t make sense.
“I think we can all see that Evander Kane can be an offensive threat. If he’s able to remain healthy and all of the other baggage that seems to follow this guy is ancient history and behind him, then I can guarantee that there’s going to be teams out there that are willing to absorb whatever risk might be.
“But Tim Murray knows that. And he knows that he’s an asset. And he also knows that it’s too early in the season to just move pieces out unless you’re getting the right rate of return.”
Dreger doesn’t get the sense that the Sabres are desperate to trade Kane, but they are interested in moving him. It comes down to what they can get for him, he’s still valuable and they want to maximize his value.