- Adrian Dater: Avs Ryan O’Reilly is being offered around the league for a good defenseman. The Panthers, Jets, Maple Leafs and Canadiens are showing some interest. People will publicly deny that he is available, but he’s definitely in play,
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Wild’s coach Mike Yeo could be on the hot seat.
The Sabres will keep Chris Stewart until GM Tim Murray gets what he wants: high end prospect and a high pick. The Bruins, Senators, Flames and Kings have shown interest.The Capitals might listen to trade offers on Troy Brower. He has a modified no-trade clause, and a $3.6 million cap hit that runs through 2015-16. They would want a good return for him.
Before training camp, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin was looking for a No. 1 center. Alex Galchenyuk’s play has changed that. Galchenyuk will be a RFA and talks are expected to start next month.
Coyotes GM Don Maloney will be busy on the phones leading up to the trade deadline on March 2nd. At least six teams have inquired about Antoine Vermette: Blues, Penguins, Kings, Canucks, Bruins and Devils. The Coyotes may be looking to get a top prospect and No. 1 pick in return for Vermette. The Bruins are deep at center, so their interest is only limited. The Kings may only want Vermette if they moved Jarrett Stoll. Vermette can play both center and the wing.
Panthers GM Dale Tallon has been calling teams to see if anyone is interest in his pending free agents. The “for sale’ sign isn’t up, but he would like to make a trade or two. Four pending UFAs that wouldn’t yield much more then draft picks include: Tomas Fleischmann ($4.5 million), Scottie Upshall ($3.5 million), Tomas Kopecky ($3 million) and Sean Bergenheim ($2.75 million).
Some think that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff may listen to anyone who has interest in Ondrej Pavelec.
- Elliotte Friedman: Coyotes sale is expected on close on New Year’s Eve. The NHL wanted more money from the sale to be put back into the team. The Kings and pending UFA Justin Williams had a soft extension deadline of next week. The Kings have asked for a little more time. January 1st is when players that signed one-year contracts can sign contract extensions. Keep an eye on Bruins Torey Krug and Reilly Smith, as well as the Christian Ehrhoff and the Penguins.
