On the 2018 Winter Olympics …
John Shannon: IIHF’s Rene Fasel said that they need to know for sure by the end of April if the NHL will be sending players to the Olympics.
Aivis Kalnins: The Russian Hockey Federation is saying that the NHL has asked to have free ads on banners and other merchandise if they were to go to next year’s Olympics. The IOC is against it.
On the Los Angeles Kings …
Dennis Bernstein: Think that the Kings will trade defenseman Alec Martinez for a forward this offseason.
On the Ottawa Senators …
Bruce Garrioch: Senators assistant GM Randy Lee on Colin White: “Some people are speculating he doesn’t want to come. That’s not true at all. He’s happy, he loves our team and he follows our team intently. We’ve just got to find a deal that works.”
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen: Contract talks between the Ottawa Senators and Colin White’s camp are at a standstill. The Senators know White doesn’t want to go back to college next year, but they don’t want to burn a year of his entry-level deal and are hoping he would go to the AHL on an amateur tryout.
One league executive said that it may be good for White’s development to accept an AHL deal.
“He should do it,” the executive said. “He could go down there, learn the pro game and find out what it takes to play at this level. He’s a good player and a good prospect, but he’s not going to go to the NHL and dominate.
“If you watched him play this year, he’s not that kind of player. He’s going to be a good player in the NHL but he’s not the kind of guy who will be able to walk into the league and take over a game. If he goes to the AHL, he’ll get the chance to play in all situations.”