- Insider Trading TSN: Darren Dreger: Ryan Kesler still wants out of Vancouver. The Ducks and Flyers could be on his six team trade list. Pierre LeBrun: The asking price is still high, and they want a player that can play now. Bob McKenzie: The Senators are trying to trade Jason Spezza before the draft and some teams are looking at Kesler first.
McKenzie: If Paul Maurice didn’t sign an extension with the Jets, the Penguins may have been interested.
Dreger: Panthers GM Dale Tallon has interviewed as many as 10 people for the head coaching position and hopes to get down to five or six next week and to start the second interviews.
LeBrun: Hurricanes GM Ron Francis has interviewed at least 10 people and he’s not finished. He wants to talk to Ulf Samuelsson. Bill Peters, Jacques Martin and John Stevens could be in the mix for the head coaching position.
McKenzie: Nothing new out of Vancouver. Top candidates could be John Stevens and Willie Desjardins and they are both still coaching.
Dreger: The Panthers have at least on solid offer for the first overall pick.
LeBrun: Martin Brodeur said he’s mentally ready to leave the Devils.
McKenzie: There are more than a dozen teams with firm offers on a max entry-level contract for KHLs Jiri Sekac. He’s expected to make up his mind in the next couple days.
- Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger: “What I’m hearing, and I don’t know if this is 100% true, is that Karmanos is interested in selling whatever interests he continues to have in the Hurricanes” … “I don’t know if Karmanos is actively pursuing that with any level of desperation” … “I think there is a considerable amount of change ahead in Carolina”
- William DePaoli: Jim Rutherford said that goaltending issues were the reason the Hurricanes didn’t make the playoffs the past five seasons. Said there is a different business model in Pittsburgh compared to Carolina.
- Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger: “Ward struggled mightily the past few years & that forced Jimmy to throw his name into trade talks.”