On the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames …
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: Nick Kypreos on Hockey Central at Noon on the Calgary Flames.
“I still hear they’re kicking tires on Marc-Andre Fleury.”
Fox notes that at the 2016 draft, Eric Francis reported the Penguins asked the Flames for their first round pick for Fleury – sixth overall.
On the Vancouver Canucks …
Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province: The Canucks deadline plan seems to be similar to last season and they will wait right up until the dealine. If they don’t do anything, there is going to be some backlash from the fans. Even if they made one move, it might be good enough for some. The Canucks have had some success with drafting in the middle rounds, so you’d think they’d be okay with collecting more mid-round assets.
Naoko Asano of Sportsnet: It’s time for the Canucks to be sellers. Sports Club Stats is saying the chances of the Canucks making the playoffs are now at 2.2 percent.
GM Jim Benning said earlier this week that he hasn’t spoken with any players who have no-trade clauses yet.
The Canucks have two games this weekend, then are on their bye week. This gives them time to look at moving Jannik Hansen, Alex Burrows and/or Ryan Miller.
On the Detroit Red Wings …
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings should be looking at being sellers in advance of the trade deadline.
The Red Wings play the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins this weekend, and both teams could have interest in Red Wings pending free agents Thomas Vanek and Brendan Smith. The Anaheim Ducks could use some scoring help, and the Chicago Blackhawks might also have some interest.
Smith likely won’t be back next year, so they might as well get some assets for him.
Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou and Dylan Larkin are untouchable, but they should consider any offers for anyone else. They need collect draft picks and prospects, and eye future deals for an upgrade to their blueline.
