- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Devils Travis Zajac has a no-trade clause, and a few sources including his agent, are pushing back against trade rumors and downplaying that anything happening at this time.
Oilers VP of Hockey Ops Craig MacTavish attended a Islanders-Flyers game last week – “Don’t go to DEFCON 1 on this,” a source said.
Some teams may be calling the Canadiens to see what they are planning with defenseman Jarred Tinordi. Tinordi would need to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL and they may be reluctant to do so in fear that he’ll be claimed.
The Canadiens have moved Lars Eller to the wing, raising questions on if his time with the team is coming to an end.
Talk is that the Flyers have received several calls about Brayden Schenn.
“Put it this way,” another exec said. “If he wants to trade Brayden Schenn, he could very easily do it.”
It’s more likely that the Bruins are looking at a more cost-effective move to their blueline over someone like Dustin Byfuglien.
It doesn’t sound like there has been a lot of talk between the Jets and Dustin Byfuglien about a contract extension. It wouldn’t be a surprise if contract extension talks between the Jets and pending RFA Jacob Trouba become the Jets most important free agent talks.
- Luke DeCock of Raleigh News & Observer: Potential contract extension talks between the Hurricanes and pending UFA Eric Staal may be complicated in various ways “from the uncertain ownership situation (a factor for both sides), to his overall performance (generally not what is expected from the ninth-highest paid player in the NHL), to his position (centers are worth more than wingers, where Staal appears likely to play).”
DeCock notes that if Jeff Skinner doesn’t play a two-way game and score 30 goals, a change of scenery may be needed. If the Hurricanes aren’t competitive, Skinner, John-Michael Liles and Kris Versteeg could become trade candidates at the deadline. Jordan Staal could also be included if he wanted to be moved and if they could find a team to take on his contract.
