- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Kings and Justin Williams have stopped their contract talks.
“Our intention is to leave negotiations until after the season,” his agent Thane Campbell told ESPN.com via email Tuesday. “However, if they accepted our current position at any time, the deal would get done. We are not removing our last offer from the table and I believe they understand our position has little flexibility.”
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Blackhawks will have their pro scouting meetings next week. They are not expecting to be big players at the deadline.
“I don’t anticipate being really busy,” Hawks GM Stan Bowman told ESPN.com Tuesday. “Most of the needs we might have will probably be filled internally. We have guys in Rockford that are probably deserving of an opportunity. We just haven’t given them a chance yet. We’ve fortunately been pretty healthy, generally speaking.”
“We don’t have a lot of cap room,” Bowman also noted. “So we would need to move a guy out to add somebody, and there’s really no one that we’re trying to move out. I guess things can change, but I’m really not on the hunt for a lot.”
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Predators are open to adding to their roster before the deadline, but they haven’t found anything they like just yet.
“I think it’s still early for me to say,” Predators GM David Poile told ESPN.com Tuesday. “We’re happy with where we are, we’re happy with our depth. We’re just finishing up our pro meetings right now, going over each team and what might be available, I can’t tell you that there’s something that’s jumping out at me that I’m dying to do.
“But it’s Jan. 13 today, there’s a lot of hockey to played before March, a lot to play out in terms of how you’re playing, your health, and where you are in the standings. Today it’s just about preparation. There’s nothing in the works as we speak.”
If they are to add someone, it would likely be a forward, but they are not alone.
“I’m sure if you ask 20 general managers who are trying to improve their team they’d say a top-six forward, we’d all like to have that,” Poile said.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Panthers GM Dale Tallon isn’t sure what they’ll be doing leading up to the trade deadline.
“We’re not going to disrupt our plan,” Tallon told ESPN.com Tuesday, referring to the team’s positive-looking rebuild. “If we add from within, great, if we have to add another piece , then we’ll go that direction. But right now we’re a long way from March 2.”
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Bruins will have to make a decision on David Pastrnak real soon on whether to burn a year on his entry-level deal or send him to the AHL to further his development.
“He’s got a real good two-way component to his game for such a skill guy. He wants to learn. He looks up to David Krejci, a fellow countryman, there’s a lot of good things here. But we just have to keep monitoring his development.”
Talk is that GM Peter Chiarelli continues to look for a winger leading up to the trade deadline.