- Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger: Zach Parise’s father had to issue a statement after he said that Zach would be a “good fit” with the Rangers.
“I have to say I was extremely disappointed in how my comments were portrayed in today’s newspaper article,” J.P. said. “I would like you to know I would never speak for Zach under any circumstance. He has not talked to me about anything other than playoffs. We have not discussed anything but playoffs.
“That is 100 percent where his focus is right now and I have absolutely no intentions to distract and get things away from his focus right now.”
J.P. Parise said in a Minneapolis Star-Tribune story that:
“Zach likes Torts a lot,” J.P. said of John Tortorella. “Zach knows how to work, he doesn’t shy away from the discipline part of it. He’d fit right in there.”
- Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger: Devils defenseman Henrik Tallinder practiced on Friday, and believes he might be able to get back in to the lineup at some point during the playoffs. Forward Jacob Josefson, out with a fractured wrist, practiced on Friday as well, and could be close to returning.
“My gut is I think they’ll be available at some point in this series,” coach Pete DeBoer said.
- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Brooks thinks that if the Canadiens hire Patrick Roy as their next coach, they may look at acquiring Predators Alexander Radulov. Roy coached Radulov when the QMJHL Quebec Ramparts won the Memorial Cup in 2005-06.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Portzline thinks the Blue Jackets will get a good return for Rick Nash, but not the best player in the deal. They should hope to get 2 NHL players, a prospect and a draft or some variation of that. The Blue Jackets may not get a #1 goalie in a Nash deal. The Sharks could include Antti Niemi, but teams like the Rangers, Maple Leafs and Bruins don’t have a #1 goalie, or one they’d move. He doesn’t think Blue Jackets will take the Kings pick this, and will instead use it next year.
- Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: Cox reports the NJ Devils will lose about $20 million this year and are on the edge of bankruptcy. The NHL has already loaned them millions of dollars. Owner Jeff Vanderbeek (has 47% share in the team) has been looking for about 18 for another owner that would be interested in the 47% that is for sale. It could get tricky for the Devils trying to re-sign Zach Parise to a big deal. The Red Wings and Wild will be among the teams interested in Parise. The Maple Leafs likely won’t, as they may be looking at the much bigger Rick Nash.
- Chuck Gormley of CSN Washington: Capitals Mike Green is one of 4 RFAs for the Capitals (John Carlson, Jay Beagle and Mathieu Perreault) and his value is the most difficult to figure out. He’s coming off a 4 year, $21 million deal. His qualifying offer would be $5 million, and if they offered him that, and he accepted, he’d be a UFA after next year.
“That’s something that we’ll talk about, I’m sure, after things settle down here,” Green said, “I’m excited to come back if that’s the game plan. That’s what I want, but we’ll see.”
“Absolutely, I love it here,” he said. “This is a great organization, a great city and I believe that we’re going to win a Cup here and I want to be a part of it.”
- Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Though doubtful due to salaries, Carchidi ponders the idea of the Flyers signing both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. With a higher cap, and the 10% overages allowed in the summer, the Flyers could figure something out. They could do Parise and go with a cheaper Matt Carle. Their to-do list includes re-signing RFA’s Jakub Voracek and Marc-Andre Bourdon. Jaromir Jagr would not be re-signed if they brought in Parise. Most fans on twitter think they should sign Suter over Parise.
- TSN.ca: Flyers Claude Giroux had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right wrist and to remove bone spurs in his left wrist, 6 weeks recovery. Wayne Simmonds had surgery to repair a broken left index finger, 4-6 weeks recovery. Matt Carle had surgery to repair a torn stomach muscle, recovery is 4-6 weeks. Kimmo Timonen will have surgery next week to remove a disc fragment in his back, recovery is 8-10 weeks. James van Riemsdyk will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip, recovery is 6 weeks.
- Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times: Lightning Steven Stamkos said that his shoulder feels good after resting it for a month. “It was just nice to get that month of rest and relax and make sure it was healthy so it didn’t hinder me when it came to training.”
