My NHL Trade Rumors.com
- Home
- Free Agents
- 2013 Top 30 NHL Free Agents
- 2013 UFA Centers
- 2013 UFA Defensemen
- 2013 UFA Goalies
- 2013 UFA Left Wingers
- 2013 UFA Right Wingers
- Anaheim Ducks
- Boston Bruins
- Buffalo Sabres
- Calgary Flames
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Colorado Avalanche
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Dallas Stars
- Detroit Red Wings
- Edmonton Oilers
- Florida Panthers
- Los Angeles Kings
- Minnesota Wild
- Montreal Canadiens
- Nashville Predators
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Ottawa Senators
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Phoenix Coyotes
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- San Jose Sharks
- St. Louis Blues
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Vancouver Canucks
- Washington Capitals
- Winnipeg Jets
- Records
- Teams
- Partnerships
- Contact
Posts Tagged Sam Gagner
Morning Hits: Holland talks Wings, MacTavish talks Oilers and Alfredsson talks about retirement decision process
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on May 26th, 2013
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings didn’t make a lot a changes/additions last offseason and at the trade deadline.
“I make decisions based on all the information available to me, whether it’s the trade deadline, whether it’s free agency,” Holland said. “When we were at the trade deadline, I explored three or four different players. One of the assets that everybody wanted was our first-round pick. We traded a first-round pick last year for Kyle Quincey, and it turned out to be the 18th pick in the draft.
“This year, we did nothing. Some of the teams around us ended up trading away some unrestricted free agents. We made a decision that we were prepared to hang onto our unrestricted free agents and our young guys. I had teams calling for them, teams that were trying to go for it. Ultimately, I look at it that we hung onto our assets.”
St. James notes that the Red Wings did have interest in Jay Bouwmeester, Jason Pominville, Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla at the trade deadline.
David Staples of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers GM Craig MacTavish:
“Well, we’re going to be very active in finding at least a couple goalies.” …. “The problem with Nik, from our perspective, is that he’s a 40 year old body who wasn’t able to stay as healthy as what you need.”
The Oilers will be looking for a big centerman this summer.
“Absolutely, and we’ll be trying to acquire that piece.”
MacTavish on free agency.
“I approach that market very cautiously. I think there are a lot of mistakes made with the UFA’s when you sign players who are diminishing in terms of what their contribution can be and they’re always inflated contracts.”
MacTavish on Sam Gagner.
“Sam likes it here, he has been a valuable member of our team and is always trending up and he’ll be a guy that we’ll be looking to sign.”
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Senators Daniel Alfredsson will take his time, talking to his wife, GM Bryan Murray and Paul MacLean before deciding on his future.
“We’ll have our meetings. Then I’ll take some time. I’ll talk to (Murray) to see what he thinks, what timeline and then go from there,” said Alfredsson, a father of four.
“All I can say is it’s been a great year in terms of the group we had, the adversity we faced. We’ve become a tight group. We stuck together all along. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ll definitely take that with me when I think about what to do.”
“My wife takes a heavy load at home, and without her I would never be able to play this long,” said Alfredsson. “At times, I definitely feel like I miss out at home. You miss a lot of stuff. The first goal in your son’s career, birthdays. But … this game has given me so much, on and off the ice. When I make the decision I know it’s definite, and that’s why I want to take some time.”
Morning Rumor Hits: Clarkson, Possible Oilers targets and an Offer sheet for Pietrangelo?
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 30th, 2013
- Tom Gulitti of the Bergon Record: Devils David Clarkson isn’t sure what to expect when it comes to unrestricted free agency.
“I’m going to have my meeting with Lou and see what happens, I haven’t really even touched on it,” Clarkson said. “I’m sure I’ll have a meeting with my agent (Pat Morris) this week when I get back to Toronto and go through everything. But to be honest with you, I haven’t even sat down with (Morris) once this year. He’s somebody that let me play as well and just wanted to wait until this was over with.
“Unfortunately, it’s earlier than we expected. But I’m sure when I get home in the next week we’ll have some meetings and figure things out a little more.”
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: It’s unlikely that the Wild will be able to re-sign Cal Clutterbuck because of salary cap reasons. Matheson thinks the Oilers should go after him. Matheson also thinks the Oilers will go after Nathan Horton, and possibly Blackhawks Bryan Bickell or Viktor Stalberg.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: New Oilers GM Craig MacTavish has said changes will be coming, but it’s unlikely to involve Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Justin Schultz. That could change if Shea Weber comes available.
“I’ve always been of the belief that everything has a price, everything’s for sale. Is it likely, given the high regard we have for these players, given the punitive price we paid to get them? Highly, highly unlikely they would be part of any trade discussion, largely because we value them more highly than anybody else,” said MacTavish.
Sam Gagner could be a trade chip this summer. There have been some talks with Gagner regarding a contract extension. The Oilers could take a run at Sabres Drew Stafford. Free agents Viktor Stalberg or David Clarkson could get a look at from the Oilers.
- Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren knows he has to makeover their defense, add more size up front and add more speed. Panaccio wonders if the Flyers should put an offer sheet in on Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.
“My job is to make this team the best it can be,” Holmgren said of offering an RFA sheet or any other move. “So I will look at any and every way to do that.”
Morning Hits: Lucic, Oilers, Ducks, Predators, Avalanche, Flyers and Sharp
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 23rd, 2013
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: The Oilers and Canucks are among the teams monitoring the Milan Lucic situation. Lucic didn’t show up in good shape after more than four months of “living the soft life” during the lockout. Lucic has scored one goal in the last 26 games, six on the season. His 3-year, $18 million deal kicks in next season.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson wonders if the Ducks would call the Oilers this summer to see if Sam Gagner is available to fill their hole in the second line center spot. The Ducks could look into the free agent market: Stephen Weiss, Derek Roy or Mike Ribeiro. The Oilers don’t really want to trade him, but they will be getting offers. He’ll be a restricted free agent after next season, and will be looking for a long-term deal. He’s set to make $3.2 million next season. He’d like to remain with the Oilers, but management knows he’ll be looking for something in the $4.5 million to $5 million range. Would sending Cam Fowler for Gagner be too much?
- The Fourth Period: Predators coach Barry Trotz said that they have “too many similar players” and some moves need to be made.
“To build a really nice house you need a foundation, you need a roof, you need a plumber, you need all different elements, so you need a balance,” he said. “Through injuries and what have you, we had too many similar … we have to get bigger, we have to do a lot of things. We’ve got lots of work.”
The Preds are second last in scoring at 2.27 goals per game. GM Dave Poile will be looking for offensive help this summer.
- The Fourth Period: Avalanche president Pierre Lacroix is debating big changes that could affect GM Greg Sherman and coach Joe Sacco. Reports are that Lacroix has attended some games and is weighing options both on and off the ice.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that the acquisition of Steve Mason at the deadline was to add depth and not as a replacement for Ilya Bryzgalov next season.
“Steve is a guy that we’ve liked. When the opportunity came up to make the trade for him, it was the intention of having good goaltending,” Holmgren said. “I think right now with Ilya and Steve, we’ve got good goaltending moving forward. Any talk of anything other than that I think is out of bounds.”
When asked about the rumors of a potential amnesty buyout for Bryzgalov, Holmgren responded with a “No.”
- Chicago Blackhawks: Blackhawks Patrick Sharp missed last night’s game, but coach Joel Quenneville said that he could play on Wednesday.
Morning Hits: Smith, Sabres, Luongo, Blues, Oilers, Iginla and Kessel
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News on April 21st, 2013
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Coyotes Mike Smith, GM Don Maloney and coach Dave Tippett don’t have contracts for next season. Smith is seeking $6 million a season.The Sabres could fire GM Darcy Regier and replace him Rick Dudley. Regier could be kept on in a consultants role.The Canucks won’t amnesty buyout Roberto Luongo. GM Mike Gillis still believes that someone will trade for him. Luongo may have to expand his list. The Oilers made a pitch last summer, but he didn’t want to go there. Same with Toronto.
Players in St. Louis may be getting tired of coach Ken Hitchcock’s antics. The picking them apart and calling them out is getting old for some.
Oilers GM Craig MacTavish may look to make a trade that has immediate results. Two players that teams may target are Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky.
Jarome Iginla could end up signing with the Kings after July 5th.
- James Mirtle: It seems unlikely that the Maple Leafs won’t re-sign Phil Kessel before his contract runs out after next season.
Morning Hits: 6 outdoor games, Oilers rumors, Sakic, Sabres, Briere, Datsyuk, Olympics and Laganiere
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 17th, 2013
- TSN: The NHL is planning on having 6 outdoor games next season. Things could change and details still need to be worked out, but the proposed dates and teams are:
Jan. 1st – Maple Leafs and Red Wings at Michigan Stadium
Jan. 25th – Ducks and Kings at Dodger Stadium
Jan. 26th – Devils and Rangers at Yankee Stadium
Jan. 29th – Islanders and Rangers at Yankee Stadium
March 1st – Penguins and Blackhawks at Soldier Field
March 2nd – Senators and Canucks BC Place
- Elliotte Friedman of CBC: The Oilers could have a different look next season.
“I’m an impatient guy and I bring that impatience to this situation. We’re at the stage… that we have to do some bold things,” Craig MacTavish said at Monday’s news conference introducing him as the Oilers’ new GM. “We have to expose ourselves to some semblance of risk to try and move the team forward in a rapid fashion. We’ve got a lot of primary pieces here, but we’ve got to add some depth to help these young players.
“We’ve got to add competitiveness. I think we lack a true understanding of just how difficult it is to have success at this level.”
The Oilers will go after defenseman Mark Streit if he hits the open market, but so will many other teams. There will be Ales Hemsky rumors. They could look at moving either Sam Gagner or Nail Yakupov. They would like to re-sign RFA Gagner. The Oilers could let teams talk to Gagner to see if a deal could be worked out, then talk to the team about a trade. Friedman thinks the Oilers would listen to a “massive offer” for Yakupov.
Friedman thinks that the Avalanche have talked to Joe Sakic about an increased role with the team, but decided that he wasn’t ready. He wants to sure that he’s ready and he still wants to be around his family, he has three kids.
Sabres GM Darcy Regier said he wasn’t close to trading either Ryan Miller or Thomas Vanek at the deadline as “the value wasn’t there.” Both will be UFAs after next season, and if an extension can’t be worked out, they’ll be dealt. They’ll meet after the season and see where things go.
Friedman wonders if the Flyers buyout Daniel Briere, would the Sabres bring him back?
Sabres Steve Ott on licking Jeff Halpern’s visor: “I was just [bleeping] with him.”
Friedman spoke with Pavel Datsyuk’s agent who said that he’s talked with GM Ken Holland. Rumors are that Datsyuk will head back to Russia after next season. Sounded like the sides may have have talked about the possibility of a contract extension.
For the 2014 Sochi Olympics, NHL and NHLPA estimate travel cost to be between $4-7 million and insurance cost between $7-10 million.
NHL denied reports that the Maloofs are looking to bring a hockey team to Vegas. They haven’t talked about that in about five years.
- John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal: MacKinnon thinks the Oilers could look at trading defenseman Ladislav Smid and Magnus Paajarvi before dangling Sam Gagner.
- Bob McKenzie: The Senators-Bruins has been rescheduled to Sunday, April 28th. The 27th was the previous last day of the schedule.
- Bob McKenzie: College free agent Antoine Laganiere has signed with the Ducks.
Oilers notes and Press Conference video of Tambellini firing, MacTavish hiring
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors, NHL Videos on April 16th, 2013
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson thinks that head coach Ralph Krueger’s job is safe. There have been four coaching changes in the last six years. The Oilers could look to trade Ales Hemsky and his $5 million salary, possibly picking up part of his contract to move him. Eric Belanger and his $1.75 million will be on the block. Matheson doesn’t see the Oilers re-signing Ryan Whitney. They will probably re-sign one of Mark Fistric or Theo Peckham. Sam Gagner, RFA, is going to want a new deal in the $4.5 million to $5 million range. Do they re-sign him for that or flip him for a bigger winger or center? They could buyout Ryan Smyth or see if he’d be fine with playing only 40 games.
- Oilers press conference yesterday for the firing of GM Steve Tambellini and hiring of Craig MacTavish.
NHL Rumors I: Maple Leafs, Canucks, Flames, Oilers and Kings
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 31st, 2013
From twitter unless otherwise noted
- Bruce Garrioch: A lot of teams will see where they stand after last night to determine what they’ll be doing at the deadline.
- Bob McKenzie of TSN: “Under the right circumstances” the Maple Leafs could add a veteran goalie. Nonis may be leaning more towards Miikka Kiprusoff than Roberto Luongo. The Leafs are trying to find out if Kiprusoff would consider leaving Calgary. The Canucks asking price hasn’t dropped that much. Not including Nazem Kadri, but still looking for a center, Tyler Bozak, a prospect and a pick.
- Damien Cox: Cox guesses there is a 60% chance that the Maple Leafs will stick with James Reimer and Ben Scrivens, 15% Miikka Kiprusoff, 15% Robert Luongo and 10% something else.
- Jimmy Murphy: Murphy’s sleeper deal: Mike Smith to the Leafs. Smith is on the IR, but if he’s OK, he may not cost much more than either Luongo or Kiprusoff.
- The Fourth Period: The Leafs and Canucks had talks this week, but it may take another team to get a trade done according to a source. Nikolai Kulemin, John-Michael Liles, Korbinian Holzer, Tyler Biggs, Stuart Percy and Jesse Blacker have been attached to a possible trade. The Leafs are open to moving Bozak, but would need to find a replacement for him right away. Derek Roy has been tied to the Leafs. Mike Ribeiro may become available, but the price would be higher. The Flames are taking calls on Alex Tanguay. The Oilers aren’t shopping Shawn Horcoff, but they are taking calls. Liles would have to be apart of the deal due to salaries, $5.5 million to $3.875 million. The Leafs have asked about Sam Gagner, but it would take a package that includes Morgan Reilly.
- The Fourth Period: The Kings have inquired about Flames Alex Tanguay and Cory Sarich. The Kings want add a stay-at-home defenseman. The cost to get Sarich shouldn’t be that high. The Kings are also looking at Sabres Robyn Regehr. Winger Drew Stafford has also been part of talks.
NHL Rumors: Iginla, Kessel, Kulemin, Burmistrov, Johnson, Kennedy, Ribeiro, Oilers, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Flyers and Wild
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 6th, 2013
- Todd Cordell via twitter: TSN’s Bob McKenzie said last night that it’s more likely that Jarome Iginla gets traded at the deadline than at any time in the past. Darren Dreger said Maple Leafs Phil Kessel and Nikolai Kulemin could be available if the right deal comes along. Dreger added that Alex Burmistrov could be trade bait for the Jets.
- Aaron Portzline via twitter: Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen on trade rumors involving defenseman Jack Johnson and the Penguins: ”It’s silly. I don’t usually repond to this kind of stuff, but this is just silly. I went to watch a game. (Pens GM) Ray Shero is a friend of mine.”
- Will DePaoli via twitter: Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy is in the last year of his two year, $4 million contract, and the next couple of weeks will be crucial regarding his future. There have been internal discussions about his current and future role with the team.
- The Fourth Period: As the trade deadline approaches, Capitals center Mike Ribeiro could become a target of several teams. The 33-year old will be a UFA at the end of the season. With Panthers Stephen Weiss out for the season, Ribeiro may get more interest. Teams that are interested in adding a top two center include: Ducks, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Senators, Red Wings and Canucks.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: (mailbag) If the Oilers are out of the playoff race by the trade deadline, they’ll look to move out people. Ryan Whitney is the most likely to be traded. The Blues could be looking at him with the feeling that he’d be better right now than Ian Cole and Wade Redden. Nikolai Khabibulin could be the next guy after Whitney to be moved, if his groin can hold up. It appears as of now that they want to re-sign Ladislav Smid and Ryan Jones, both who would be UFAs at the end of the season. Teams are interested in Smid. Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky could be in play, but more likely in the summer if they decide they’d like to get bigger.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman:
“I always find that I’m usually the guy that’s more interested in making moves earlier and most of my counterparts are more interested in waiting it out, so it’s not that unusual for me,” Bowman said with a chuckle Tuesday on the line from Chicago.
A lot of teams in still waiting to see if they are buyers or sellers.
“The standings dictate how much movement there is, separation or lack thereof,” Red Wings GM Ken Holland told ESPN.com on Tuesday. “You look at the West, from third to 11th this morning, there’s just three points separating those teams.”
“Ultimately, the next two to three weeks will determine certainly my thinking for the Detroit Red Wings,” Holland said.
Teams are still trying to figure out what they have with their own team.
“It’s hard to evaluate, you get the injuries everyone is dealing with, it’s though,” Flyers GM Paul Holmgren told ESPN.com on Tuesday. “For sure you don’t want to do anything that hurts anything long term.”
Chicago Blackhawks: They don’t have many holes, but could look to add some depth up the middle.
“We’ve identified players that we think would help us,” Bowman told ESPN.com. “I’ve called to let those teams know: ‘This is a player we’re interested in, you may not be interested in moving him now or ever, but …’ they take note of it. Nobody I’ve talked to yet has wanted to talk further about it, they filed it away. So it’s a waiting game.”
“I’m probably more looking up front, depth maybe at center,” Bowman said. “Not high-end but more a role-playing type center.”
“We’ve got young guys knocking at the door,” he said. “But I guess most of our depth is young guys, so if we add a forward, it’ll be a more experienced guy.”
Red Wings: The Red Wings have been hit with a lot of injuries this season.
“If we can get all our guys back, that’s almost like a deadline addition or two,” Holland said.
LeBrun doesn’t think the Wings are interested in adding a depth defenseman, but if Holland adds one, it could be a top-four guy, which aren’t easy to come by.
Flyers: Never shy on making a big move, but not wanting to trade their top young talent.
“We’re probably like a lot of teams, looking around for something that makes sense for now and the long term,” Holmgren said. “But we think we have a good group of young players that we prefer not to mess with.”
If the Flyers make a move, they could look at adding someone who would be able to play with them into next season. They could use a puck-moving, top-four defenseman.
Wild: The Wild could use a veteran defenseman, but GM Chuck Fletcher does not want to give up any of his high-end futures.
“We’re not looking to trade our top prospects at this time,” the Wild GM said. “If there’s something we can do to help our team over the next month, we’ll look at it but we’re not looking to make wholesale changes, that’s for sure.”
Fletcher has little interest in trading Matt Cullen.
Trade Rumors: No rush on Bishop … Perreault didn’t ask for a trade … Case to move Subban … Dubnyk not worried about Luongo rumors
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on January 25th, 2013
- Andy Strickland via twitter: There is no rush for the Senators to trade goalie Ben Bishop. He’s a valuable asset and they’ll look to maximize any return for him. The Senators may wait for a team that’s desperate for a goalie.
- Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times: Capitals Mathieu Perreault clarified that he didn’t ask for a trade, which was reported by two French reports.
“I didn’t ask for a trade. Obviously I like it here, been around for four years, all my chums are [here]. I don’t wanna go anywhere. All I want is a little bit more ice time and I talked to Adam Oates and George [McPhee] today about it,” Perreault said (listen to full audio here). “All I want is to play. I wanna be here. I don’t wanna go anywhere. If you guys read the article in French it doesn’t say that I asked for a trade. Never.”
“I’m obviously not too happy. No one would be happy to be playing that much minutes,” Perreault said. “The headline says Perreault asks for a trade or something, but I never said I wanted to get traded. All I want is a little more minutes, that’s all.”
- Sean Gordon via twitter: There is a strong case for the Canadiens to trade P.K. Subban if they could get a forward that is capable to scoring 50 goals. Gordon drops Taylor Hall’s name, the quickly adds that it’s not going to happen. Getting another top young defenseman who is already signed to a deal could be an option, players like Tyler Myers or Victor Hedman, but that is unlikely as well. ”Bottom line: if the rumours end up being true, it’s because Bergevin was presented with a deal so good he couldn’t refuse.”
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk on at what point does he think he’ll will have solidified himself as a No. 1 NHL goalie:
“Maybe when I’m 39 or 40 and I’m about to hang them up. I’m sure there’ll probably be some trade rumours and questions about the games I’ve played,” he said with a laugh.“Everybody likes things to talk about and I’m sure it’ll be that way for years to come. It’s certainly frustrating at times, but I’ve always said I’m confident I can do this job. I feel like my teammates feel the same way and so does the organization.”
If Tambellini has pulled Dubnyk aside to tell him that the Roberto Luongo rumors are false.
“No, he hasn’t,” Dubnyk said with a broad grin. “That’s OK. It’s not my spot to worry about.”
There are rumors that the Canucks are looking for a center. Oilers Sam Gagner’s dad works for the Canucks. A “connect-the-dots-moment”
“Me? Jeez, I hadn’t heard that,” said Gagner, who set up Nail Yakupov’s first NHL goal on Tuesday.
“Last year, I went through the trade talk and that was tougher. It was the first time I’d been through it,” he said. “Now? I know what I have to focus on. That’s playing my game, helping the Oilers win. We’ve got a good group and it’s exciting to be part of this.”
“I think my dad wants me to stay away from him,” said Gagner.
Canucks scouting Marlies-Heat game last night, Burke and Nonis there as well … A “wow factor move” by the Oilers coming?
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on November 2nd, 2012
- Pass it to Bullis via twitter: The Toronto Marlies played the Abbotsford Heat last night, drawing Vancouver Canucks scouts and management. Strombone1 via twitter: Strombone (Roberto Luongo?) responded with “That’s weird?” Pass it to Bullis via twitter: At the Marlies-Heat game: Dave Nonis, Brian Burke, Laurence Gilman, Stan Smyl.
- Jonathan Willis of Oilers Nation: A couple days ago Bob Stauffer said on “Oilers Now” that he expects the Oilers to make a “wow factor move” on 630 CHED:
Stauffer: “I believe the Edmonton Oilers will make a move that makes people say ‘wow’ upon the CBA being completed, between then and the start of the season.”
Reid Wilkins: “This is a player personnel move?”
Stauffer: “Yeah. Believe that’s going to occur.”
And then a little later on, Stauffer added this:
“I believe there will be a wow factor move coming. And it’ll make for some entertaining discussion, let’s just say that.”
Willis then noted that the Oilers have some depth at wing, that could return the names Magnus Paajarvi and Ales Hemsky to the rumor mill. Sam Gagner is another name that may come up, though it would likely require them to bring back another center. Along the blueline is the most obvious need for the Oilers. They have Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin in net, which could be upgraded.
- David Staples of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers Kevin Lowe spoke with Bob Stauffer yesterday, and talked about the “wow factor move” that Stauffer suggested a couple days before. With many young assets, could a trade (excluding Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov) speed up the process of turning around the Oilers:
“You’re going into a game with lots of trump cards,” Lowe said. “That’s the only way you can make deals is if you have assets that are attractive to other teams. When you have assets then you can make deals.
“So, absolutely, we’re at some point, whenever that is, we’re probably not too far down the road, we’re going to have to make some touch choices and maybe move some players, or a player, draft picks, to get a piece or two that finishes off the formation of what you feel is a championship team. I mean, we need to get to the playoffs first (laughed) so you can’t put the cart ahead of the horse, but no question. I don’t talk to managers on a regular basis any more, that’s Steve Tambellini’s job, but I do know from my past experiences that we won’t have a tough job selling anybody on anybody that we have in the event we’re interested in a player on another team.”
Lowe’s comments on the biggest question marks for the Oilers:
“There’s a number of them. Are we strong enough defence? Goaltending is a question mark, and I say that in all respect to Devan Dubnyk and Khabi (Nikolai Khabibulin). Khabi has been injured and he’s approaching 40. He’s given us stretches of strong goaltending but his health is one thing.”
Players notes involving Lundqvist, Gagner, Kopecky, Pacioretty, Tropp and Emmerton
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on October 16th, 2012
- Szymon Szemberg via twitter: Henrik Lundqvist won’t be signing with Frolunda of the Swedish league at this time according to a joint statement.
- Matias Strozyk via twitter: Sam Gagner is signing with Klagenfurt, joining Tyler Myers.
- Matias Strozyk via twitter: Tomas Kopecky will join Dukla Trencin of the Slovakian Extraliga.
- Dave Stubbs via twitter: Max Pacioretty is leaving the Swiss League’s Ambri Piotta. Pacioretty missed 2 games due to a flu, and was a healthy scratch on the weekend due to the import quota rules. Official reason for Pacioretty’s return seems to be health reasons, though Stubbs thinks there could be other issues, like the import quotas. Matias Strozyk via twitter: The official story is that he’s leaving because of an elbow injury. Speculation of the reason varies from disagreement with the coach to the culture shock.
- Elliotte Friedman via twitter: Buffalo Sabres prospect Corey Tropp suffered a season ending knee injury.
- Ted Kulfan via twitter: Red Wings Corey Emmerton broke his finger in Finland. It will require surgery and he could be out up to 2 months.
CBA talks … Kronwall may join brother in KHL if lockout … Oilers lack depth at center … AHL to test no-touch icing
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on August 23rd, 2012
- Chris Johnson via twitter: CBA talks are set to start at 9:30 am this morning, with economic issues the main topic of the day.
- Aaron Portzline via twitter: “People on both sides of the aisle believe next couple days in NHL-NHLPA talks could go a long way to determining how long stalemate lasts.” … “If NHL and NHLPA become hardened in their positions, demanding the other negotiate off their proposal, this could take a long time.” … “Can the two proposals be melded together? Certainly. And that will be the first sign of significant progress, first sign of hope.”
- Dennis Bernstein via twitter: There is speculation out of Sweden that Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall could join his brother Steffen with Lokomotiv in the KHL over Djurgarden of the SEL if there is a long lockout.
- Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal: The Oilers lack depth at center, and are not very big. Their top 4 projects to be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sam Gagner, Shawn Horcoff, and Eric Belanger. If one was to get injured, Anton Lander may be their replacement. Chris VandeVelde could also be an option. Next down the list are centers Mark Zarcobello, Tyler Pitlick and Ryan Martindale.
- Kyle Cicerella via twitter: The NHL has requested that the AHL use no-touch icing, they’ll test it out this year.



Recent Comments