- Rich Chere of The Record: Who the Devils pick at No. 6 could be undecided upon until two hours before the start of round one according to their director of scouting, David Conte, and could change via a trade up or down.
“I would say up until Friday at 5 o’clock it’s still a moving target,” Conte told NJ Advance Media.
- Terry Frei of the Denver Post: The Avs could trade Ryan O’Reilly for a defenseman. If they can’t re-sign O’Reilly to an extension, Joe Sakic will move him. They shouldn’t excessively prioritize a left handed defenseman over a right handed one.
- Alex Preswitt of the Washington Post: Capitals GM Brian McLellan is focusing his attention on re-signing their free agents and looking at trade options for a top-six forward.
“I think we have some RFAs that we really like and we want to bring them back,” MacLellan said last month. “We’ll work through it. I think we can get reasonable contracts on all of them, and then we’ll make decisions based on where the cap ends up and what amount of money we have left over after that, and how we want to invest it.”
Joel Ward – he’d like a long-term deal and the Capitals would like a short-term deal. Looking like he’ll hit the open market.
Mike Green – doesn’t seem as a priority for the Capitals right now. Could look to move his rights for a draft pick.
Jay Beagle – likely back on a two- or three-year deal. Money will be only issue.
There are no reports of actual trade talks between the Capitals and Blackhawks regarding Patrick Sharp.
“I think the Washington Capitals are a team that I see as a fit for him – among the many – but I think they would like to add a top-6 player there and a guy that’s won,” ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun told Montreal’s TSN 690, as transcribed by Chris Nichols here. “We know what the Caps’ issues are, right? So that would be an interesting fit for me. But who knows?”
Sharp’s $5.9 million may not fit in well with the Capitals, unless they were to move some salary in a separate deal. The Capitals don’t plan on trading their 22nd overall pick.
Braden Holtby – could get a long-term deal, with two sources saying a new deal could be in the $5 to $6 million range.
