- Darren Dreger: The Oilers, Flames, Sharks, Stars and Panthers have shown some interest in Cam Talbot. There have been multiple trade offers.
- Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports: The Oilers are the expected front-runners for Cam Talbot. It’s hard to see them doing a straight up deal – their No. 16 for Talbot. A Kevin Klein and Talbot package could be tempting for the Oilers.
Whether or not the trade is expanded to include a defenseman like Klein, the fact remains that Cam Talbot is not Dominik Hasek. His mere presence between the pipes won’t be a panacea for Edmonton’s defensive mess. That’ll take a solid system and talent on the blue line. They’ll have the former with Todd McLellan; would the No. 16 pick be better served trying to acquire the latter instead of Talbot?
Boston Bruins: GM Don Sweeney on the possibility of UFA Carl Soderberg coming back: “Highly unlikely at this point in time that that will be happening”
- Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press: Alex Burmistrov has hinted that he’d like to return to the NHL. The Jets still hold his rights and it might be a little clearer around the draft if it’s with the Jets or another team.
- Jameson Olive: Panthers GM Dale Tallon said there won’t be offers for free agents Tomas Kopecky and Scottie Upshall.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: Red Wings management and scouting staff met from Tuesday to Thursday. GM Ken Holland has been working the phones to see what players could be available for trade.
“Now when I talk to other general managers, I have an idea of what our staff think we need, what we’d like to do,” Holland told the Free Press. “I’ve called some managers, and I’ll talk to more over the weekend. Let’s explore what’s out there. We’re trying to figure out how to get a little better. It’s not a great UFA market.”
The Wings would like to add a top-six forward with size and a top-four defenseman. Dylan Larkin is untouchable.
“For anybody in this cap world trying to get better, it starts at the draft table,” Holland said. “Now we’re trying to see if there’s a tweak here or there to make our team better.”
If the Wings are able to set up a trade and they need additional cap space, they could then look to buying out Stephen Weiss.