- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: It’s a good bet that the Bruins will make a trade sooner than later, with the usual names that the Bruins are listening on: Johnny Boychuk, Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski, with all three being UFAs at the end of the season. The Bruins likely have an idea what they could get for any of those players after a summer of talking with teams. Remaining question may now be, which one or two to trade?Ray Whitney on potentially playing his last NHL game …
“I’m not sure yet, and I’m not really tipping my hand one way or the other,’’ Whitney told ESPN.com on Thursday. “I’m in shape, I’m skating, but I’m not too worried. There’s obviously limitations to where I would go, but I’m not out there searching for anything, either.”
“I won’t continue to skate for much longer,” Whitney said quite candidly. “My interest in playing drops with each week that I don’t get something, so I won’t be pressing too much.”
His family is living in Arizona and he may be open to signing with them, but source saying they are not interested.
Todd Bertuzzi is hoping to sign on with a team soon, as he wants to continue playing. It won’t be with the Red Wings.
“Todd wants to continue playing,” Morris said. “He’s skating and is in great shape. A lawsuit is no longer an issue. We’ll see what transpires in the coming weeks.”
- Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Darren Dreger Friday afternoon on TSN 1050 Radio:
On if it’s his understanding that Joe Thornton or his agent told the Sharks in the summer he’d take a trade, and would to go Chicago, Los Angeles or Anaheim – one of the teams I think can win a Cup – otherwise, forget it:
“Yeah. That is 100 percent my understanding. That’s why I don’t think anyone took it very seriously. You know what? That’s why you negotiate those contracts. We could all be critical of Joe Thornton when it comes crunch time and the playoffs. Does he contribute enough. Does he step up enough. All of that. I leave that to the critics. But you negotiate your contract in good faith and you expect the same in return. He didn’t force the San Jose Sharks to extend his contract. They were happy to do that and then what was it, months after the extension, now all of the sudden he’s not a valued piece of the Sharks organization moving forward? That’s a kick to the you-know-what.
“One can appreciate with a young family why he’d want to remain entrenched in that part of the world and that’s where he’s happy. So if there’s an opportunity to go to Los Angeles or Anaheim or Chicago, then I guess all bets are off.”
- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Simmons’ hockey people in Seattle don’t think there is any impetus for the NHL in Seattle.
