Morning Hits: Roy, Emelin, Ribeiro and Hemsky
  • L.A. Lariviere: Patrick Roy’s brother said he was wrongly quoted in the Denver Post article and that he expressed only his intuition.
  • Renaud Lavoie: Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin had surgery on his left knee and will be out for six months.
  • Katie Carrera of the Washington Post: Carrera ponders if the Capitals should re-sign center Mike Ribeiro. Ribeiro was second on the team in scoring with 49 points. It’s unclear if his contract demands will fit into the Capitals long-term plans. He said again last week that his next contract “has to be four or five years.” He’s looking for stability for his three children who are all in school.

    “If I can stay in the city and retire here, it’s more about the kids. I don’t want to move them too many times. School – they’re going into high school now, so if I can stay here until they go to college, or stay in the city until they go to college, that’s my focus,” Ribeiro said. “I still believe I can get better. I don’t see myself getting worse. It can only get better. I can be out there. I can work out more. There’s a lot of room there to improve and that’s why I don’t think I should have less than four or five years.”

    Ribeiro made $5 million last season. The Capitals currently have just over $58 million committed to 19 players for next season and still need to re-sign Karl Alzner and Marcus Johansson.

  • Jonathan Willis of Oilers Nation: Willis looks at the possibility of the Oilers trading right winger Ales Hemsky. Though he admits that you may not get a big return back, it doesn’t make sense to trade him for nothing. If they keep Hemsky, it could give them the option to trade Jordan Eberle for a legit number one defenseman. Holding to Hemsky now would also give them the option to move him at the trade deadline where his value may be higher. Hemsky could also bounce back this year, which would obviously benefit the Oilers. If they are able to get good value for him, then it makes sense, but if they are getting little back, it doesn’t make sense.