NHL Rumors: Scouting WPG-BOS and CBJ-BUF, Canadiens, Penguins, and the Sabres
Do the Montreal Canadiens have interest in Pittsburgh Penguins Olli Maatta?

Scouting the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins

Shawn Hutcheon: Scouts listed to attend last night’s Jets-Bruins game in Boston: Florida Panthers (4), New York Rangers (3), Ottawa Senators (2), Vancouver Canucks (2), New Jersey Devils (2), Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Scouting the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres

Brian Hedger: There are 29 scouts from 23 listed to attend last night’s Blue Jackets-Sabres game.

Lance Lysowski: The Pittsburgh Penguins had two scouts listed to attend the Blue Jackets-Sabres game.

Canadiens eyeing a Penguins defenseman?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Citing Kevin Vallee and Dan Les Coulisses, the Montreal Canadiens are interested in Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta.

Maatta is under contract for another three seasons at a $4.083 million cap hit. Maatta’s has had his name occasionally come up in the rumor mill in the past.

Vallee’s colleauge Maxime Truman at DansLesCoulisses.com made the claim.

Skinner not worried or tired of contract talks

Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News: The 26-year old pending unrestricted free agent winger, Jeff Skinner, is tied for second in goals with 30, trailing Alex Ovechkin.

Is he a natural fit beside Jack Eichel or just having a career year in a contract year?

Skinner isn’t worried or tired of the contract talk.

“… Obviously they’re talking all year long,” Skinner said. “Management and agents talk all the time about different things. I don’t have any details and that’s what I go off of. They’re smarter people and that’s why they’re in management and I play. I’ll wait until they call me and fill me in. For now, I just focus on playing.”

If he keeps up this scoring pace for the rest of the season he could find himself in the eight-year, $70 million range – around $9 million a season.