- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Teams said that nobody was on the phone more in the two weeks leading up to the deadline than Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli. He was the runner-up for Antoine Vermette. He spoke with the Ducks about Devante Smith-Pelly.Chiarelli did acquire Brett Connolly, which surprised some GMs as they didn’t know he was available. The Connolly deal was talked about for weeks and was contingent on the Lightning make a trade for a defenseman.Source said that the Bruins offered two second round picks to the Sabres for Chris Stewart, Michal Neurvirth and Brian Flynn. The Sabres were after a specific prospect that the Bruins wouldn’t give up. The Bruins were believed to have offered Ryan Spooner and a 2nd round pick for Stewart at the start of the season.
There was a very little chance that the Maple Leafs would have traded Phil Kessel at the deadline. There were a few inquiries in the weeks leading up, but nothing serious. It has been the Leafs plan along to hold a bigger auction in June when more teams are able to get involved.
The same can be said for Dion Phaneuf. There were a few calls on him. Once the Red Wings and Leafs laid out their ideas for a trade, both realized they were looking at completely different deals. The Wings wanted the Leafs to retain salary and weren’t offering up Grade A stuff. The Leafs wanted a high end return.
It’s believed the Oilers took less for Jeff Petry (2nd and conditionals 5th) on Monday than they were asking for on the weekend.
The Leafs got calls on Joffrey Lupul, but the return didn’t line up on as the day went on. The Leafs will trade him in the offseason.
- Stephen Whyno of the CP: A look at some players who could be moved in the offseason.If the Maple Leafs win the Connor McDavid lottery, they might end up opting to keep Phil Kessel.Dion Phaneuf is better suited for a No. 2 or 3 role and a lighter workload somewhere else.
It makes sense that former Hurricanes GM and current Penguins GM is reportedly interested in Jordan Staal. He was seven years left on his deal at a $6 million cap hit.
Eric Staal could be one year rental, with chance to sign an extension with a contender. He’s showed this year that he can also play on the wing.
The Blackhawks will look to shed salary, and despite the rumors of a dressing room issue, trade Patrick Sharp would be about money.
Nicklas Grossmann will have one year left on his deal and the Flyers will be looking to clear cap space for Sam Morin.
Tyler Bozak has three years left a $4.2 million cap hit and could attract teams looking for a second line center.
Cam Ward will have a year left on his deal and could be an interesting option for some teams.
The Senators tried to trade Colin Greening and his remaining two years at the deadline. He carries almost a $2.3 million cap hit, so the Senators might have to retain some salary.
Ryan O’Reilly will be a year away from becoming a UFA and could be looking for a raise from his $6 million current hit.