On the St. Louis Blues …
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: (chat) When in Colorado a scout said the Blues are not interested in Avs forward Matt Duchene – he’s a “good-to-great player, but he’s not a leader.” Would cost a lot to aquire him.
No Blues players have no-movement clauses, though some have no-trade clauses.
Don’t see T.J. Oshie being a free agent option this offseason for the Blues.
The Blues have two first round picks and can see them making a trade. They could package to try to move up, or they could create a package for an established player.
On the Winnipeg Jets …
Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun: The Jets goaltending hasn’t been good this season and it will be addressed in the offseason.
Sounds like coach Paul Maurice will get an extension this summer. Some re-evaluation by ownership may be in order for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and Maurice. How much longer does Maurice get after two seasons near the bottom of the standings?
On the Arizona Coyotes …
Kevin Allen of USA Today: Coyotes GM John Chayka hopes to sign 2016 1st round pick Clayton Keller once Boston University’s season is over.
“I think (Keller’s) ready to take that next step for sure,” Chayka told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s been a dominant player at that level and the world junior championships. We think he’s a special player who can make an impact on a team.”
Keller scored 19 goals and added 21 assists in 28 games this season. He recorded 11 points in seven World Junior games.
On the Detroit Red Wings …
Ansar Khan of MLive: (mailbag) Coach Jeff Blashill has two years left on his contract but it doesn’t look good for him. Too many players have regressed this season, and coaching has to take some blame. Most of those players will be back next season.
thinks they’ll protect defenseman Nick Jensen along with Danny DeKeyser and Mike Green. That would leave Xavier Ouellet and Ryan Sproul exposed for the expansion draft.