On the Washington Capitals …
J.J. Regan of CSN Mid Atlantic: There has been speculation that the Capitals could trade backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer, but that may end up costing them more.
The last spot on the blueline (if go 7-3-1) is between Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt.
The last three spots up front come down to Marcus Johansson, Lars Eller, Tom Wilson, Jay Beagle and maybe T.J. Oshie if they re-sign before the draft.
Regan notes …. “If Washington trades Grubauer, that means they will lose someone else. If given the choice between losing a top-four defenseman, a productive forward or a backup goalie who likely does not factor into the team’s future, losing Grubauer may actually be a small price to pay.”
On the Vancouver Canucks and Chris Tanev …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Elliotte Friedman on WGR 550 talking about Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev, who has three years left on his deal at $4.45 million.
“I know a lot of teams have asked about him,” said NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman during a Wednesday morning appearance on Buffalo’s WGR 550. “I would assume you guys are one. I don’t know for sure, but it fits with what you guys want. Tanev is from Toronto, so I don’t think he’d have a big problem coming East and playing here.
“I think there are teams interested. I think Dallas would love to have him. I could even see a team like Toronto wanting to have him. Chris Tanev is not the biggest name in the world, but he’s a solid guy and he plays a very smart game.”
Friedman thinks that the Canucks want a lot for him and could definitely use some scorers. The Canucks may have told one team that if you trade a guy like Tanev, you’re then trying to find a guy like Tanev.
