- Pierre LeBurn: Coyotes GM Don Maloney said that Zbynek Michalek is recovering well and there is significant interest in him.
- David Pagnotta: Multiple sources saying there is a lot of interest in Zbnyek Michalek.
- Dave Molinari: Penguins don’t appear to have any trade on the front burner.
- Erik Erlendsson: The rental prices will keep the Lightning out the high rental market.
- Bruce Garrioch: Teams are calling the Senators about defenseman Jared Cowen and are being told that he won’t be dealt.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Any Maple Leafs player not named Morgan Rielly or Jake Gardiner are available.It’s believed that five teams have contacted the Maple Leafs about Joffrey Lupul, but his contract is making it a bit hard – three years left at $5.25 million.
“All I’ve heard from Dave Nonis and Brendan Shanahan is we’re going to try to make some hockey trades because the product we put on the ice wasn’t good enough,” Lupul was saying earlier in the day. “They are trying to make trades. I’m sure they are listening to offers on everyone but I don’t think they’re going to trade players for the sake of trading them. They need to get value back. Everyone is making it sound like everybody could be gone, but then, what are you left with? A bunch of draft picks that might be good some day.”
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Senators kicked tires on Maple Leafs David Clarkson. Leafs GM Dave Nonis had contacted the Senators to see if they would be interested.
“What happened was (Nonis) called me and asked if we’d be interested in talking about (Clarkson),” Murray told the Sun. “I think (Clarkson) will be better elsewhere and there’s no question that what happened in Toronto was not a good thing for him or the team.
“I threw some names at (Nonis) and he said he would take their contracts and I said, ‘It has to be more than that and you’d have to eat some money to.’ We just talked one day and I told him I’d think about it.”
Senators GM Bryan Murray’s concern was that they wouldn’t eat enough salary and bonus structure of Clarkson’s deal.
“What happened was (Nonis) called me and asked if we’d be interested in talking about (Clarkson),” Murray told the Sun. “I think (Clarkson) will be better elsewhere and there’s no question that what happened in Toronto was not a good thing for him or the team.
“I threw some names at (Nonis) and he said he would take their contracts and I said, ‘It has to be more than that and you’d have to eat some money to.’ We just talked one day and I told him I’d think about it.”
Murray will still look for that type of player through trade for free agency.