- Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago: Blackhawks Nick Leddy is in the last season of his deal and carries a $2.7 million cap hit. He’s aware of his name being the rumor mill.
“It’s something you can’t focus on. It’s out of my control,” he said. “What I need to focus on is getting better every day and just focus on the team.”
- Scott King: Trade rumors don’t bother Blackhawsk Johnny Oduya: “I’ve been through it before.”
- CSN Chicago: Names that have been rumored as potential trade candidates to get under the salary cap: Johnny Oduya, Nick Leddy, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp. Mark Lazerus talking about the Blackhawks options to get under the salary cap.
“What I’ve heard, from the people I’ve talked to, is Leddy’s not their first option. He has definitely been shopped around this summer along with the other guys we always mention. To move Leddy, they’d have to not be able to move some other people,” Lazerus said.
“The idea of getting Versteeg off the payroll — I’m torn about that. A lot of people in the organization, Quenneville included, really think that Versteeg’s gonna have a big bounce-back year. He had a full summer of training instead of a summer of rehab from that knee surgery, he can literally play every single position on all four lines, he can kill penalties, he’s on the power play. In his own words, he was ‘brutal’ last year… but this is a three-time, 20-goal scorer and they have him at half price. I don’t want to move him.”