On the Tampa Bay Lightning and Steven Stamkos …
- Joe Smith: Have been told there is nothing new to report regarding contract extension talks between the Lightning and Steven Stamkos. At this point, he hasn’t been asked to waive his no-movement clause.
On the Tampa Bay Lightning …
- Platinum Seat Ghosts: LeBrun on the Lightning: “I don’t think putting a gun to Steve Yzerman’s head is ever a good idea.”
- Platinum Seat Ghosts: LeBrun on Jonathan Drouin: “I think he’ll regret asking for a trade.”
- Platinum Seat Ghosts: LeBrun on Drouin: “The sense that he’s being singled out, to me, is so untrue.” LeBrun noted that Nikita Kucherov went through a similar process.
On the Vancouver Canucks …
- Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Canucks GM Jim Benning on the approaching trade deadline.
“There’s not a lot going on in the whole league right now. I’ve never really seen a year like this. But there’s lot of teams that are tight against the cap. When teams call, they want our young players. We’re in a transition period here. We’re keeping our young players and we want to develop them into the next core group of our team.”
Benning on if he’s talked to the Lightning about Jonathan Drouin or the Blue Jackets about Ryan Johansen.
“I’ve talked to both general managers about both players. The prices for both players are really high. From our perspective, maybe we don’t have the prospect depth at certain positions that they’re looking to fill to make those types of trades.”
On the Nashville Predators …
- Platinum Seat Ghosts: Pierre LeBrun thinks there is the most pressure on the Predators to make a move: “They truly need a top-shelf centre.”
On the Colorado Avalanche …
- Platinum Seat Ghosts: LeBrun on the Avalanche: “They have so many holes on defense. They’re apt to make a move over the next few months, whether it’s for this year or next”
Scouting the Kings and Stars AHL teams …
- John Hoven: Scouting the Reign and Stars last night: Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Flames, Avalanche, Ducks, Sabres, Red Wings, Predators, Canucks, Capitals and Lightning.
On the top 2016 Draft picks …
- Michael Traikos: One NHL scout said that he has ranked Jesse Puljajarvi and Patrik Laine ahead of Auston Matthews based on their play at the World Juniors.
