Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show on if there is anything cooking with regards to Jack Eichel trade front.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“I think it kind of goes up and down. It gets hot and it goes away. It gets hot and it goes away. I think it depends on the minute you’re asking, but something someone was saying weekend, is the fact that the grievance talk is coming up, tells you a trade isn’t as close as they’d like it to be. Or a decision on his medical isn’t as close as they’d like it to be, so you have to force the issue. Lets see if that does anything.
Someone was saying to me on the weekend, just a couple hours before we reported it, that it had quieted down. But, all it takes is one phone call to change that, and there’s no question that some teams have continued to engage at times.”
Marek brings up the Vegas Golden Knights.
“The thing about Vegas Jeff is that if you’re looking for the help right now, he doesn’t help you right now.
And I think that is kind of what some teams have looked at. For example, say Vegas makes the deal and they have to move bodies off the roster, right.”
Marek jumps in.
“Then they’re weakening themselves even further”
Friedman continues.
“Then they’re weakening themselves even further, or Pacioretty comes back, or Stone comes back, or some of the other guys that are hurt come back.
I do think Vegas has been in and out for a while. We’ve talked about the situation where we’ve talked about how Krebs is a major hang-up. I think a healthy Eichel is exactly what Vegas needs.
My question is, does it make sense for Vegas to do that right now? Like you take people off your roster and you’re not adding yet. That’s the question I would have.”
Marek says the other team that he wonders about, is the Seattle Kraken. They aren’t really in a win-now mode. The Kraken would be in a position where it’s okay to wait.
Marek asks Friedman how much noise with Seattle he thinks there’s been.
“I haven’t heard a ton of it, to be honest. It’s not like they can’t do it but I haven’t heard, I mean I’ve heard it sprinkled around but not to the Jeff where I believed anything was close there.
The teams I’ve really wondered about with Eichel are Calgary, Vegas, I’ve heard less about Anaheim than I have in the past. Rangers, but again, I don’t think the Rangers now that they’ve signed Zibanejad, I don’t think they can do it without someone retaining money.
I have to tell you this. You use to hear Minnesota but again because of their cap situation, they can’t do it unless there is money retained or someone’s willing to do it.
Colorado we obviously know now is been around there in a minor way.
And I always sit there and think, who’s the team, there’s definitely teams in there that we’re not aware of. I’ve wonder about teams like Carolina and Columbus.
But right now, I don’t get the sense that anyone is close.”
Marek asks Friedman if he’s wondered about Boston.
“Well, I think they have been around it. There’s no question about that. Just from what I’m hearing, Buffalo’s got a big ask right?
We’re talked about how they’re really happy with the way the Ristolainen deal worked out for them, and they felt their patience was rewarded. I just look at Boston’s situation and I think of what Buffalo wants and wonder if just Boston can do it.”