On the Avalanche … Adrian Dater tweets …
- Dater thinks the Avs will trade Matt Duchene this year.
- Unless Jarome Iginla vetoes it, he’ll be traded to a Cup contender at the trade deadline. If the Avs are out of it by the deadline, there is a good chance that Iginla could be traded to the Canaidens. Iginla loves playing in Colorado, but he wants a Stanley Cup too.
- Hearing talk that Semyon Varlamov could be trade bait for the Avalanche – ‘could’ be. There are some interesting discussions going on though. His name is in play, but it’s hard to trade a goalie to a contender as they usually already have one.
- Things are turbulent in Colorado right now. Their record won’t stand without some sort of shakeup. The next two weeks will say a lot.
- Their seven game road trip will determine how things play out. If they have a winning record, nothing will likely happen. If they have a losing record, there will be moves to be made.
On Patrick Marleau and Sharks …
- Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 960 on Patrick Marleau.
“The other thing I was watching, and I mentioned it briefly and I was very careful about it – and I’m going to continue to be – is that there is something going on in San Jose (with) Patrick Marleau. I don’t know exactly what it is, but he said the trade rumors were starting early this year on the weekend.
“I don’t know if it’s a guarantee it’s going to happen, but there’s something going on there. Whether it’s another team asking, or what’s happening, there’s just something bubbling underneath the surface.”
- Damien Cox of Sportsnet: Going on Friedman’s Patrick Marleau report – it’s unclear if Marleau asked for a trade or if the Sharks asked him to waive his no-trade clause. Marleau has a $6.7 million salary cap hit. 15 teams are within $1 million of the cap ceiling or are using LTIR. There may be few teams that could take on his contract. It will be an interesting situation to watch though.
