On the Winnipeg Jets …
Gary Lawless: Hearing that the Jets are gauging the trade interest in Alex Burmistrov.
On the Vancouver Canucks …
Matthew Sekeres: (twitter response) Alex Edler has a no-trade clause and likely not being moved now. Maybe he agrees to waive it after the season. He has a young family and highly doubtful that he would waive it.
Matthew Sekeres: (twitter response) Teams typically don’t fire their GM before their coach. Coach Willie Desjardins’ hot seat is warmer than Bennings.
On Ilya Kovalchuk …
Aivis Kalnins: Alex Medvedev said that SKA is confident that they can sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a contract extension. Multiple sources have said that it is far from being done.
On the Edmonton Oilers …
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 590 on the Edmonton Oilers and if some of their young core, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Jordan Eberle could be in play.
“I don’t think right now,” theorized Friedman of the forwards’ availability. “I still think they’ve got to get another defenseman, and that can always shake somebody loose. But don’t forget – they’ve traded Hall. They lost Versteeg. They traded Yakupov. They’ve still got a lot of forwards, but I don’t know if they have a surplus. So I think the only way one of them is going is if it’s an absolute difference-maker. An absolute difference-maker.”
Friedman notes that Nugent-Nopkins has accepted that it’s Connor McDavid’s team. You can never have enough centers.
Adding a defenseman who could run the power-play would be ideal. Nugent-Hopkins shouldn’t be going anywhere.