On Antoine Vermette …
Allan Walsh: Antoine Vermette will be making a decision on where he’ll be playing by Monday. He has received 5 offers from NHL teams.
On the Colorado Avalanche …
Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Herald: Shinzawa thinks that Boston University coach David Quinn could be a good option for the Avalanche. It would take a lot to get him to leave Boston U.
Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post: Patrick Roy may not have been the perfect coach, but he was patient and was supportive of players.
“If he disagreed with the direction this team was going and wanted out of Colorado so badly that he walked away from the job, then it should give anyone who shells out big bucks for season tickets a reason to wonder if that is money well spent. I admire Sakic. But Roy has a better hockey mind.”
On the Detroit Red Wings …
Matt Larkin of The Hockey News: Red Wings GM Ken Holland when asked about the direction of the team.
“The philosophical question you’re asking me is, ‘Do we head in a direction where we make a determination that it’s all about five years from now? Or do we continue to try to be a playoff team?’” Holland said. “When you’ve got Mrazek, and you’ve got Larkin, and you’ve got Riley Sheahan, Justin Abdelkader, and you’ve got Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist, and you’ve got DeKeyser, and you’ve got Nielsen… we’ve either got to have those people and we’re trying to win the division, we’re trying to qualify for the playoffs…or don’t sign Frans Nielsen. Don’t sign Thomas Vanek. Don’t bring in Ott. And just go with a bunch of kids. And let the chips fall where they may.
“If you’re going to do a massive rebuild – get a core of players that you think can carry your team for a decade – you’ve got to miss the playoffs five, six, seven years in a row. That’s what Pittsburgh did. That’s what Florida did. That’s what Chicago did. You can just go team after team. You don’t miss one year, and all of a sudden, ‘Boy, we’re back.’ ”