On the New York Islanders …
Larry Brooks of the NY Post: The New York Islanders could look to be buyers this season. Acquiring a goaltender could put them over the top. The Islanders have the assets to go after Evander Kane is he’s available, but he may not be the best option for them.
thinks they should create a big package for Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. It would likely cost Josh Ho-Sang or Anthony Beauvillier, maybe Brock Nelson, maybe Ryan Pulock or Scott Mayfield and likely one of their first-round picks – theirs or Calgary’s.
On the Buffalo Sabres …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Bob McKenzie on TSN 1260 talking about the Buffalo Sabres. Mike Babcock was initially thinking of coaching the Sabres before deciding on the Maple Leafs several years ago. The Sabres season isn’t going as they had hoped and GM Jason Botterill is saying they are in the evaluation period, trying to figure out who should stay and who they should move on from.
“So as a result, Sam Reinhart’s name kind of floats out there in trade rumors. Well, wait a second. Sam Reinhart, isn’t he part of that core? A top 3 pick that should be part of that core with Eichel and the other young players? Well, maybe he is, maybe he’s not. Teams are calling on him and Buffalo has got to make a decision – if not between now and the trade deadline, between now and the summer – as to ‘Is Sam Reinhart a piece we want to build around, or is he a piece that we want to move to find other pieces to build around.’”
McKenzie won’t say for sure that pending UFA forward Evander Kane will be traded, but it’s more than likely that he will. Kane has been their best player so far this season.N
“So I would guess that it’s more likely than not that he’s traded. But that always comes down to what they’re being offered. And I’m sure between now and the deadline they’ll also get a handle on what the cost might be – number of years, number of dollars, cap hit for Evander Kane. So they’ll do those two things simultaneously.
“But if I were a betting man, I’d say Evander Kane should be high on our TSN Trade Bait board.”