- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: The Rangers could use someone that could play on their fourth line. Options could be Mike Santorelli (current asking price is beyond reason), Mark Letestu, Torrey Mitchell, Curtis Glencross and Patrick Kaleta.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Post Dispatch: The Blue Jackets will likely make a couple trades by the deadline, but they won’t be making wholesale changes.
“We have young players and a good foundation in place, but we’re always looking for ways to improve our club,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said.
They could trade Mark Letestu, Cam Atkinson, Matt Calvert and Jordan Leopold. Letestu is a favorite of coach Todd Richards, but he’s a pending UFA. Atkinson is a pending RFA and has drawn interest from the Avalanche and Bruins. The Jets are said to be interested in Calvert.
- Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News: Flyers GM Ron Hextall
“Nothing has really changed,” Hextall said yesterday in a conference call with reporters. “If the right deal comes along for now and for the future, we’ll make it. If it doesn’t, obviously we won’t.
“We’ll do everything we can to get into the playoffs, short of selling off younger assets. We have our vision for the future, so we’re not going to do anything short-term that’s going to hurt us long-term. We have a vision for the future, but I’m not going to get into particulars.”
Only imminent moves would be to clear cap space for Kimmo Timonen’s return, which could be done by waiving Carlo Colaiacovo. If Timonen plays 10 games, he’s owed $750,000, which would put them over the cap and would have to be applied to next year’s number.
Source saying the Flyers and Nick Schultz have made some progress in their contract talks. The thought is they will be able to get a deal done by the trade deadline, taking him off the market. The Flyers need to clear out the likes of Braydon Coburn and Nick Grossmann to make room for prospects like Shayne Gostisbehere and Sam Morin.
- Allan Muir of SI: Trades could come sooner than later.
“There’s a lot of tire kicking going on,” the same team executive told SI.com. “There’s a clearer picture of who’s in and who’s out than there usually is at this point of the season. We know who the buyers and sellers are going to be. That might have an impact.”
The Predators and Islanders have been rumored as possible destinations for Phil Kessel.
There is more demand for defensemen than there is supply. The Bruins, Red Wings, Lightning, Stars, Ducks and Kings would like a defenseman with an expiring contract. Andrej Sekera, Cody Franson, Zbynek Michalek and possibly Marc Methot have expiring contracts and are available. Someone may take shot a Dion Phaneuf if they are okay with taking on his big contract.
“We saw last year more trades happening earlier in the cycle,” the team exec said. “There’s value in bringing a guy into your system as early as possible. And no one wants to be scrambling for something they need at the last minute. No one wants to be stuck holding onto an asset, either.”