- Ben Kuzma via twitter: Canucks GM Mike Gillis on Roberto Luongo trade rumors: “I haven’t talked to anybody about taking a portion of his contract. Everything is on the table.”
- The Fourth Period: Several teams have contacted the Canucks about Luongo over the weekend. Other than the Maple Leafs, it’s unknown at this time which other teams have held talks. The Oilers, Flyers, Panthers and Blackhawks have expressed some interest in the past. The Canucks are looking to get a 2nd line center or top forward prospect and a top 4 defenseman in a package. From the Maple Leafs, the Canucks may be after a package including Tyler Bozak, Carl Gunnarsson and Nazem Kadi. Gillis may be looking to find a 2nd line center in a deal not involving Luongo as well.
- Dan Murphy of Sportsnet: GM Mike Gillis has said there have been “lots of discussions” regarding Luongo.
“There’s been a lot more interest in Roberto than people wanted to recognize because (they thought) the contract was onerous or difficult,” Gillis said. “That has never been mentioned to me by one team. I know some people like to make a big deal of that but it’s a very friendly contract for a lot of reasons.
“That’s one of the reasons why in the new collective agreement there are penalties and you can’t sign these types of contracts because they are favourable. So contract is not an issue.”
“I haven’t talked to anyone about keeping a portion of his contract. Is that off the table? No, I mean everything is on the table when you talk about those things. There are concepts you can discuss. But Roberto is an all-star goaltender and I don’t feel compelled or see any reason why we would go down that path with a player of this calibre.”
Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis:
“No. We don’t need to make a move. No. We don’t. The one thing — you hear the buzz over the last 48 hours — is that there is going to be a change in goal. There’s only going to be a change in goal if we can upgrade at that position without severely hampering the ability to play in front of that goaltender, and without taking away very good young players from our reserve list. If we can add a veteran, if we can add a goaltender to help these guys along, we think that would be helpful. But if we can’t, then it’s up to our whole group to play in front of them and to put wins on the board.”
- The Fourth Period: The Kings could be trading goaltender Jonathan Bernier sooner than later. Bernier is in the last year of his deal that will pay him a pro-rated $1.525 million, with a $1.25 million salary cap hit. The Devils are one team that has believed to have shown some interest in Bernier. The Kings could be looking help on the blueline.
- Sarah McLellan via twitter: It’s not a secret that the Coyotes need offensive help, especially at center. If a core piece like Keith Yandle is going to be sacrificed, it would merit a big return.
