Nichols on Hockey: Elliotte Friedman on WGR 550 radio: Two years ago the Flames offered their No. 6, 22 and 28 draft picks to the Avalanche for the No. 1 pick, which the Avs took Nathan MacKinnon. It’s doubtful that the Oilers, Hurricanes or Coyotes would trade the No. 1 or 2 draft pick for an Eric Lindros-like package. Friedman thinks the Oilers will at some point make one of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Jordan Eberle available. They may wait to see where they end up in the draft, if they are getting one of Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. Would be shocked if they traded Nugent-Hopkins due to him being a center. Think they will consider moving one of Hall or Eberle.Bob McKenzie on NBCSN NHL live last night: There is a lot of trade interest in Andrej Sekera. He’s going to get between $5 and $6 million a year on a long-term deal.
Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger on TSN Radio: “I believe Nonis’ phone has been a lot more active the past couple of days”
Hope Smoke: Dreger: “I wouldn’t say there is an increased interest in Kessel. The point from Insider trading was: if Nonis & Shanahan decided that they wanted to attack the core & break things up, they could move Kessel & not retain one dollar. That’s the interest that exists outside of Toronto & around the NHL for Phil Kessel. I do know, & LeBrun touched on this, that when Carlyle was fired the vultures started to circle & GMs started calling & said if the Leafs were ever contemplating the thought of moving Kessel to let them know. I know a few, if not more than that, of teams to say exactly that. I don’t know what Nonis’ response was. Probably was, thanks. the reality is, when it comes to Kessel, he’s viewed so much more harshly inside the market than he is outside the market they recognize he is what he is: a prolific scorer.””Santorelli & Winnik. If things don’t improve, why wouldn’t they explore the interest in those players? It’s better turning them into something rather than losing them for free. Before you get to that, you have to go down the road of finding out from the agents what these players want . Those depth guys definitely have some value. Santorelli was a good fit in Vancouver. I guess Tortorella didn’t see him as that. Santorelli exemplifies what Shanahan, Nonis & Carlyle kept talking about as players who were bottom 6 who could push top guys. Santorelli’s future in Toronto is only clouded because of contract expectations. If they can’t come to terms the Leafs won’t have any problem moving him & perhaps others as well.”
Hope Smoke: Dreger thinks that Mike Santorelli may be looking for a three year deal at about $3 million per season. Not sure if the Leafs would want to pay him that.
