- Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News: Sharks players are trying to ignore the rumors as they are out of their control. Reports that Sharks are offering up Tyler Kennedy, Andrew Desjardins, James Sheppard and Tye McGinn. Antti Niemi may get the biggest return. If he is traded and a goalie doesn’t come back, you’d have to wonder what the dressing room would be thinking. Coach Todd McLellan on the uneasiness of deadline time.
“It always happens. Doesn’t matter where you are in the standings, it happens. Guys are wondering what’s going on, but they have to deal with it. It’s part of the year, and it’s not going away. It’s going to show up every year, and you’ve got learn to deal with it.”
- Mark Purday of the San Jose Mercury News: It’s unlikely that the Sharks give up young talent or draft picks for a rental. The odds of trading Antti Niemi are a little more than 50 percent. Trading Niemi would be deflating to the team and coaching staff. If they are able to bring in a goalie that is of similar caliber, it may go over better. They will look at trading pending UFAs Scott Hannan, Tyler Kennedy and James Sheppard for draft picks or prospects. The chances of them a doing nothing are very good.
- Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area: (mailbag) The Sharks are one of a few teams that could take on Phil Kessel’s salary. He’s still young enough to fit into GM Wilson’s plan. The Sharks won’t trade a first or young players for a rental, but Kessel isn’t that. The Sharks would have to give up a player like Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto, Micro Mueller and/or Nikolay Goldobin, along with multiple draft picks. It may be worth it. Should also keep in mind that Kessel played with Joe Pavelski in the Olympics and had some good chemistry. Antti Niemi could provide a teams with an experienced backup in case their starter goes down. Potential teams could include: Lightning, Penguins and the Islanders. Tyler Kennedy could be a harder move due to his injury issues. An Eastern Conference team could look at Tyler Kennedy. Scott Hannan and the Penguins has been a rumor.
- Scott Lewis of Sportsnet: Calgary Sun’s Eric Francis on Curtis Glencross: “He’s a guarantee to move.”
“This should have been kept behind closed doors,” Francis said. “ basically said he wanted out because the Flames weren’t willing to talk to him about a contract extension.
“Brian Burke said the money and the term he wants are not unreasonable, but we’re certainly not paying them.”
Where Glencross could end up.
“The usual suspects are Boston, Pittsburgh, the teams that rent a winger every single year,” Francis said. “His wish list did include Chicago, Anaheim, L.A., and Tampa Bay.”