Andrew Willis of the Globe and Mail: Winnipeg entrepreneur Mark Chipman (who co-owns the 15,000 seat arena) and Toronto billionaire David Thomson are working on bringing the NHL back to Winnipeg. Rumors out of Phoenix yesterday were that they were getting close to doing this, but that may not be the case. Rumors that the Coyotes will be changing to the Jets have been around for over a month, but are being shot down by the league. Bill Daly says the NHL has no plans on moving the Coyotes to Winnipeg or to any other city. The NHL still wants to find a buyer that wants to keep the team in Phoenix. More will be known about Jerry Reinsdorf`s intensions and Ice Edge Holdings by Thursday, as that is the date the city of Glendale set for a lease to be settled.
Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen: 2009 1st round pick Jared Cowen will join the Ottawa Senators if his Junior club is eliminated from the playoffs, but it`s doubtful he`ll play a game. They are also close to signing 2009 2nd round pick, U of Denver defenseman Patrick Wiercioch, who`ll also join the team but probably not play. If either plays a game, they`ll burn a year on their entry level contracts.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: One UFA who might consider retiring after the season is Stars winger Jere Lehtinen. The 37-year-old will wait until the summer to decide if he wants to come back. The Stars would like to have him back. This season he made $1.5 million base with up to $1 million in bonuses, which he’ll make most of.
Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith was on fire for most of the season, but has struggled recently, going a minus 7 in the last 13 games. One of the reasons for his struggles has been that he hasn’t been comfortable in his skates. “I like my skates to fit right and to feel good,” Keith said. “When you feel good out there, you play good. It’s been a while since I had a good pair. “They’re just not sending me good pairs of skates, there’s not much more to say. Every hockey player likes his equipment to feel good and my skating is my biggest asset. When my skates are feeling good and fit right and are how I like them, then I skate how I want to skate.” Keith says he doesn’t want to make a big deal of the skate issue. If you don’t want to make a big deal out it Duncan, why did you bring it up to the media then?
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: The Blue Jackets will most likely be looking for a new coach in the off-season, and early candidates could be former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish, Anaheim AHL coach Kevin Dineen, and Predators assistant coach Brent Peterson.
