On the Arizona Coyotes …
Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports: Don Maloney wanted to re-sign Martin Hanzal before the season started, but new GM John Chayka may not be thinking on the same lines as the former Arizona Coyotes GM.
“If there was something that made sense, we would probably take a closer look at that because Marty’s been a good player for us,” Chayka said Thursday. “But maybe it’s not a bad thing to get into the season and see how things play out.”
Hanzal is entering the final year of his deal at a cap hit of $3.1 million. Chayka spoke with Hanzal’s agent when he first took over as GM, but talks have moved to the backburner and nothing is going on at moment.
Hanzal and Brad Richardson are the Coyotes only veterans down the middle. They could look to trade Hanzal at the deadline. It’s unlikely they move him before the season started unless they land another NHL center.
Tobias Rieder‘s agent is at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup and there is nothing to report on their stalled contract talks.
The Coyotes are not serious players with free agent Jimmy Vesey.
On Wayne Gretzky and the Detroit Red Wings …
Brendan Savage of MLive: Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the LA Kings on August 9th 1988.
The Detroit Red Wings were briefly in the mix for Gretzky. Three of the possible landing spots for Gretzky were the Red Wings, Kings and Philadelphia Flyers.
“I grew up a Gordie Howe fan and loved Gordie Howe and the Red Wings,” Gretzky told NHL Network. “I really felt 24 hours beforehand that I was going to end up a Detroit Red Wing. Both Janet (Jones, Gretzky’s wife) and I thought that was the perfect place to go because A, it was a great hockey city, B, because of Gordie and everything that goes with that.
“And it was really my dad that stepped in and said, ‘You know, there’s only one Gordie Howe. Detroit’s Detroit. They’ve done everything. You should go to L.A. and put a new mark on life down there, and do something so unique and so different.’ And he was the one that stepped in and said, ‘You should go play in Los Angeles.’
“I remember sitting with Janet and I was like, ‘Okay. That’s where we’re gonna go.'”
Oilers then owner Peter Pocklington only contacted the Kings about Gretzky.
“I tried to reach (Detroit Red Wings owner) Mike Ilitch, because I knew Wayne would have loved to go to Detroit,” Pocklington told NHL.com. “But it was basically done so quickly, and that was it. There was never a bidding war.
“There probably should have been, looking back.”
