- Joe Haggerty of CSNNE: The Boston Bruins are on Phil Kessel’s list of teams that he’d accept a trade too. Would the Bruins be interested? Kneejerk answer is not a chance. Sources saying the Leafs want to quickly move Kessel and Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf could stay with the Leafs, but Kessel will be traded…
a) because of his $8 million cap hit through 2022,
b) because he has the value that goes along with averaging 30 goals per season during his six years in Toronto and
c) because he has the same thirst for fitness as your typical hockey writer.Kessel would look good with David Krejci on the top-line. David Pastrnak and Brett Connolly might not be top-line ready. The Bruins offense was 22nd in the league last year.
A package for Kessel would start with the No. 14 pick in this year’s draft, a combination of Malcolm Subban, Reilly Smith, Loui Eriksson and Joe Morrow, as well as some future draft picks. Maybe the Leafs could retain as much as half of Kessel’s salary. The Bruins should at least be having conversations if it makes sense for them or not.
- Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News: (chat) Stars Trevor Daley’s strong suit is veteran leadership, but he could be in the way of a younger defenseman. The Stars may be open to trading Kari Lehtonen, but it will be difficult to move his contract. He will likely back with the Stars next season. The Stars need to find a top defenseman that can play 27-28 minutes, and one that is able to clear the zone during the critical moments. They need to find a defenseman like Duncan Keith or Victor Hedman to take the next step as a contender.
- Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: Ivan Provorov was asked by the Leafs for a second workout along with some other prospects. The Leafs like Dylan Strome, but few see him getting past whoever selects third. Provorov was said to be on the Oilers radar before they moved from No. 3 to No. 1.
- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: Some GMs think the Blackhawks will have no choice but to move Patrick Sharp. The Bruins could also put Milan Lucic on the market. Sharp is under contract for two more years, Lucic has one year left.Jakob Silfverberg is a RFA and could look at Ondrej Palat as a comparable – three-years, $10 million.