- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Ryane Clowe has a full no-trade clause, so the Sharks will have to run any deal by him. Having a solid playoff performance somewhere could help Clowe as he’ll be a UFA. The Canadiens are interested, and he could an option for the Bruins if they don’t get Jarome Iginla. Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin may not be in to the idea of giving up prime, future assets for a rental. His cupboard isn’t as deep as some other teams. Unless the price comes down for Clowe, the Canadiens may only be keeping tabs on him. The Rangers are said to be interested. There are some Western Conference teams that are interest in Clowe, including the Canucks. The Sharks may not want to move Clowe within the conference, especially if they are able to squeak into the playoffs.
One GM told LeBrun that he would have been more interested in Jussi Jokinen if he were an unrestricted free agent after this season. The $3 million hit for next season, and the salary cap going from $70.2 million to $64.3 million, scared teams off. Taking a player back or eating some salary may help land Jokinen somewhere else.
Islanders GM Garth Snow has reached out Lubomir Visnovsky’s agent Nail Sheehy about a contract extension. If contract talks don’t go anywhere, Snow may look to deal him at the deadline to a team looking for a puck-moving defenseman. The Islanders are still in the race and may decide to keep him even if they can’t get a deal done by April 3rd.
Ales Hemsky’s name is back in the rumor mill. The Oilers may not be shopping him, but teams may be calling. The Oilers would like to get tougher in their top-six.
The Oilers and Ladislav Smid’s camp have talked. If the Oilers are out of the playoff race, and can’t sign him by April 3rd, he could be a trade target.
The Capitals and Mike Ribeiro have talked, and his agent Don Meeham may circle back by the end of the week. He has said he’d like a long-term deal. He would be one of the top free agents if he hit the open market.
