- Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun: Canucks president Trevor Linden on rumors that the Canucks are interested in Ryan O’Reilly, with the Avs interested in Alex Edler.
“Alex is a foundational player for us. He’s a 25-minute, all-situation defenceman that every team is looking for. We haven’t had any trade discussion involving Alex. He’s going to be a cornerstone for our organization moving forward. Alex is having a real good season. He’s a big, strong, physical guy who can match up against anybody’s top line. He’s good in his own end, he’s a good puck-mover, has a big shot. That’s the type of guy you look for. Having him bounce back has been critical to our success this year.”
- Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun: The Jets could be buyers this year. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff won’t be going after a high-priced players, but adding to their bottom-six should be at the top of his priority list. The Jets will have nine healthy defenseman tomorrow when the season gets back underway. Mathieu Perreault’s status for tomorrow isn’t known yet. Though they won’t rule out a rental, the Jets may prefer to bring in someone with a year or more left on his deal. A list of players who the Jets might look at: Matt Calvert (CBJ), Matt Hendricks (EDM), Mike Santorelli (TOR), Daniel Winnik (TOR) and Torrey Mitchell (BUF).
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: The Panthers turned down all trade offers for their No. 1 pick last season – which they used on defenseman Aaron Ekblad. “I had two really intriguing ones, very fair and made us think,” said Tallon. The Flyers were likely one (drafting at No. 17) and the other might have been the Lightning at No. 19. The Flyers and Lightning would have been offering wingers, as that is what the Panthers were needing. The Oilers did inquire about the pick, offering the No. 3 pick and a player.
- Pierre LeBrun: Have been told that Mathew Hulsizer is in the process of purchasing a minority stake in the Minnesota Wild. Craig Leipold will remain a majority owner.
- Ken Campbell: Source saying that Toronto will get an All-Star Game and outdoor game in 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of the organization. Told that the outdoor game will be played against the Canadiens.
- Chris Johnston: The NHL governors were told that next year’s salary cap will be within $1 million of the original projection of $73 million if the Canadian dollar remains around $0.80.