On the Winnipeg Jets …
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Star: Talk out of Winnipeg has some scouts liking Jesse Puljajarvi over Patrick Laine.
On the New Jersey Devils …
Jimmy Murphy: Source saying that the Devils are on a growing list of teams that will be interested in Loui Eriksson if he hits the open market.
On the Los Angeles Kings …
Dennis Bernstein: (answering question) If the LA Kings don’t re-sign Milan Lucic, don’t think that they would use that money on bringing in another forward. The could look at free agent defensemen Dan Hamhuis and Jason Demers.
On the Boston Bruins …
Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald: Bruins GM Don Sweeney will have to decide soon if he wants to buy anyone out. If the Bruins bought out Dennis Seidenberg, it would cost them $1.17 million each year for the next four years. It would save them a $2.833 million cap hit next year, $1.833 for the following three years. Harris wonders if the Bruins would be smarter to use their No. 14 pick to acquire a veteran defenseman that they badly need.
On the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs …
David Staples of the Edmonton Journal: Sportsnet’s John Shannon was asked by “Oilers Now” fill-in host Brendan Ulrich if the Oilers would consider trading Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a defensemen, then trading for Maple Leafs center Tyler Bozak.
“I’m not sure that anybody that comes out of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization is somebody you want.”
Shannon thinks the Oilers should stick with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins up the middle.
“What they’re trying to do in Edmonton is change the culture, and the key word in the culture change is ‘winning’ and I’m not sure that anybody that comes out of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization is somebody you want,” Shannon said. “I’ve seen enough games here (in Toronto), I’ve seen enough of the organization that there are certain guys that are leaders and there are certain guys that aren’t. I’m not sure I would put Tyler Bozak on one that would say, ‘OK, he’s going to be my third line guy.’ ”
