- Dave Molinari: Evgeni Malkin’s agent on the Malkin wants to be traded rumors: “I don’t know where this is coming from. Not from me or Geno. I’m trying to ignore it.”
- Dejan Kovacevic: “Guys, Malkin isn’t happy to be with @Penguins. He’s THRILLED. One Canadian reporter repeated a dated Pittsburgh LIE on live radio. That’s it”
- Bob McKenzie: The haven’t been any substantive talks between the Avalanche and Ryan O’Reilly’s camp about a contract extension. He will be a UFA after next season. The Avalanche love him as a player, but they may not be able to or may not want to pay him market value. They need defensemen and McKenzie has always assumed they would trade him. More of a feeling than a fact.
- Bob McKenzie: Believe the Blackhawks would like to get a first round pick in the draft. Think that Patrick Sharp will get traded, and they might be able to get one there.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Senators have firm offers for Robin Lehner and have had teams call about Craig Anderson. The Sens are more likely to move Lehner, but are not dissuading offers for Anderson. The Oilers and Sharks are believed to be among the teams interested in Lehner, as well as Rangers Cam Talbot. The Oilers have contacted the Ducks about John Gibson.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Senators GM Bryan Murray said on Thursday that seven teams have called him regarding their goalie situation. It’s thought that the Sens could get a bigger return for Lehner than Anderson, which is why they’ll likely move him. If the Senators want to complete for a playoff position, Anderson gives them the best chance. The asking price for Lehner is a good young player and a draft pick in the first two rounds.
“I’ve had quite a number of calls actually,” Murray said. “There’s some real interest by a number of teams that don’t have the depth that we have, that are looking for an NHL goaltender. We’ll just have to filter through them as we’re doing now and try to get a deal that fits for the organization.
“We have identified and know the teams that are looking and that are serious about looking. Over the next week or two I’ll probably get as good an offer as I’m going to get for it and I’m going to have to make a call at some point here and, hopefully, before the draft but it doesn’t have to be then. It could be around training camp if that’s what it leads to.”
Murray would like to get a top-six forward or top-end defenseman in the deal, but he realizes that deal may not be out there. On if they could make the deal bigger to get what he’s looking for.
“That’s a good question and that’s part of what we’re negotiating right now,” he said. “We have to make that determination if we have to sweeten the pot or not and if there’s anybody in fact willing to give up a top six forward.
“The top four defenceman and the top six forward are hard commodities to get and usually you have to draft unless it’s a cap situation and a veteran player you go make a deal for. At this point, anyway, we’re going to look and get the best deal. If it’s something other than a top six, we’ll have to do it.”