- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Senators GM Bryan Murray said he’d like to add a top-six forward. They are in a “wait-and-see” mode as they are eight points out of the playoffs.
“We have to give it a little bit longer here,” said Murray before the club’s victory over the Coyotes. “There’s a couple of guys I wouldn’t mind doing something with but that’s not going to be easy to do.
“We’re going to have to take a step here and evaluate where we are very soon and then make a decision if we’re going to try to add or subtract.”
Murray wants to add someone to give offensive support. He’s made offers, but hasn’t been able to come up with a deal just yet.
“What I’ve talked to several teams about is a forward,” Murray said. “A guy is maybe a little more experienced, a known point-getter or at least has a chance to get points. Those aren’t easy to come by.
“We know we need another first-line player. We have players who have a chance to get there, but they’re just not there right now, and that’s hard to get.”
- Michael Russo of the Star Tribune: As the Wild continue to slide, it becomes less enticing for GM Chuck Fletcher to give up assets to help fix some of their issues: goaltending and on the blueline. Cam Ward may be the biggest name out there, but he has a $6.3 million cap hit and has had some injury issues and inconsistency in the past couple seasons. Waiting until the trade deadline, draft or free agency may make more sense than making move now. There is zero chance that they go into next season with Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper as their top two goalies.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Source told ESPN last week that the Maple Leafs are looking for a top-nine forward that can play a strong two-way game. Brendan Shanahan …
“We certainly have plans for this club,” said Shanahan. “We’ve seen a lot of things so far. We know we’re going to see more in the coming weeks. We know those decisions are coming up, we’re on it, we’re prepared.”
- Renaud Lavoie: Don’t expect Jaromir Jagr to the be traded to the Canadiens.
