INSIDER TRADING
Decision time approaches for Coyotes on Ekman-Larsson ... Jacket’s Johnson wants to be dealt ... Sens’ Hoffman to Florida? ... Interest in Habs’ Galchenyuk, Pacioretty
The Arizona Coyotes will have a decision to make at the deadline on defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
There are no shortage of suitors with the trade deadline set for Feb. 26th at 3 p.m. EST and the Coyotes have to decide if now is the time to make a deal for the 26-year-old blueliner, who is set to become a unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019.
While the Coyotes could hang onto Ekman-Larsson and make a deal in the summer when teams may be more willing to pay what general manager John
Chayka wants, some of the teams making a push are going to want the blueliner for two playoff runs. Arizona is going to get calls.
It’s believed the Toronto Maple Leafs are among the teams that have shown more than a passing interest in Ekman-Larsson. You can put the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers in that group as well but league sources told Postmedia Saturday the asking price is extremely high.
Not only do the Coyotes want two high-end players off a club’s roster, they’re also asking for a first-round pick in return. What contender wants to do that at anytime? There’s no harm in asking but the price may come down closer to the deadline because Ekman Larsson is minus-37 and needs a change of scenery.
OFF THE GLASS
Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Jack Johnson will move close to the top of TSN’s Trade Bait list after a report surfaced Friday by The
Athletic he asked to be dealt. A unrestricted free agent on July 1, Johnson, 31, has a cap hit of $4.375 million per-season and there’s talk the Jackets tabled a long-term deal to his camp earlier this year that was worth less than $4 million per season. Since Johnson is looking for bigger money with that kind of term, he’d ideally like to be dealt somewhere that’s willing to keep him on a new deal. At this point, however, he’ll likely be a deadline rental.
The Jackets will want a top prospect and a first-round pick in return. Johnson can play in anybody’s top four in the league and there shouldn’t be any shortage of interest.
The key for the Jackets is to make the right deal so they get good a return and they can’t afford to let Johnson walk away on July 1 because that makes zero sense ... Still no word on the future of New York Islanders centre John Tavares and there’s going to be heat at the deadline to make a move if the club doesn’t have a new contract in place. The Islanders have no interest in letting Tavares walk away and push is about to come shove.
AROUND THE BOARDS
The Coyotes have been shopping defenceman Nik
las Hjalmarsson around. The Coyotes made a huge deal for Hjalmarsson in the off-season when they sent blueliner Connor Murphy and forward Laurent Dau
phin to the Chicago Blackhawks. That deal was made to get Arizona to the playoffs and it’s a certainty that’s not going to pan out. If Arizona is going to deal Hjalmarsson, he has a 10-team no-trade clause and there’s a strong belief in NHL circles he’d pre- fer not to come to any Canadian teams ... Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc
Bergevin is caught between a rock and a hard place. He can’t afford to start making deals throw in the towel with Montreal only eight points out of the final playoff spot heading into Saturday night, but the Habs need to make a move or two as well. There’s lots of interest in forwards Alex Galchenyuk and
Max Pacioretty, however, Bergevin needs to decide
RUMOURS DU JOUR
It’s been quiet in the Sunshine State but that doesn’t mean Florida Panthers GM
Dale Tallon hasn’t been working the phones. He’s been busy calling around trying to get some forward depth with no such luck so far. The Panthers went into Saturday’s action six points out of the final wildcard spot in the East and had only 122 goals this season. They badly need to start putting the puck in the net and could use some help on that front. They’d be among a group of teams — including the St. Louis Blues — that have held talks with the Senators about winger Mike Hoffman ... If you’re looking for a defenceman, give Doug
Wilson a call in San Jose. The word is the Sharks’ general manager is looking to move defenceman Paul Mar
tin. He has a deal through next season with a cap hit of $4.85 million and has a limited “No move” clause that only allows him to submit a six-team list ... The Buffalo Sabres are expected to move winger Evander Kane and there’s no shortage of interest. The Blues and Sharks, both looking for help up front, are believed to be in the mix. The question remains: What’s the asking price? The Sabres will covet a prospect, a first round pick and another pick if Kane gets a new contract in his destination. The Canucks have always coveted Kane and you wonder if they’d revisit a deal even though they’re not going to make the playoffs? A rental is more likely because Kane is a dynamic player and he’s going to make a difference.
GET WELL, PIERRE
Wishing NBC broadcaster Pierre McGuire a speedy recovery after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. Have a nice Sunday.