Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago: Rogers shoots down the rumor of the Blackhawks reportedly offering Dave Bolland for Roberto Luongo, “There are so many reasons this would be a bad idea it’s hard to pick the best one.”
Andi Petrillo via twitter (Hockey Night in Canada): Petrillo is hearing that the Maple Leafs have made an offer for Jonathan Bernier. Dennis Bernstein via twitter: Bernstein has no clue why the Kings would send Bernier to the Maple Leafs for Clarke MacArthur or Matt Frattin as they don’t have a need at forward. They’ll wait for a desperate GM to overpay. Aaron Portzline via twitter: The Blue Jackets are interested in Bernier.
Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press: The Jets and Evander Kane are working on a long-term contract for up to 6 years. It should get completed long before training camp. John Tavares and Phil Kessel’s contracts are being used as examples. Tavares signed a 6 year, $33 million deal. Kessel signed a 5 year, $27 million deal. If for some reason they went to a shorter deal, James Neal and Logan Couture could be used.
Jeff Marek via twitter: ZERO truth to rumor that Sam Gagner signed an extension with the Oilers. Jason Gregor via twitter: Gregor spoke with someone from Gagner camp, have not signed a 4 year deal, still negotiating. Jeff Marek via twitter: Hard to believe that Gagner would sign a 4 year deal worth $13 million when David Perron signed a 4 year, $15.25 million deal. Gagner has produced more.
Jeremy Rutherford via twitter: Blues GM Doug Armstrong is headed to Toronto today for T.J. Oshie’s arbitration case that is on Friday. A deal is still possible beforehand, but nothing is imminent. They have discussed deals in the 4 to 6 year range.
Josh Rimer via twitter: A ‘SOLID’ source said the Flyers made the biggest offer to Zach Parise on July 1st, $105 million. Source also said the the Penguins and Blackhawks offered shorter term contracts than the Wild, but the money was the same. The Devils offer was over $80 million.
Eric Stephens of the OC Register: Kyle Cumiskey signed with Modo of the Swedish Elite League. He played with the Ducks AHL affiliate last year.
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Rick Nash trade talks have gone cold in recent days, and in 6 months, GM Scott Howson hasn’t come close on a deal.
“There’s no timetable by which we have to make moves,” Howson said this week. “There are no deadlines. We’re going to continue to work at this. A trade with Rick will happen when we get the right value — when and if we get the right value.”
A Nash deal may not be completed by the start of training camp, though it could be delayed due to the CBA situation. Nash could also chose to hold-out of camp.
NHL.com: Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson told TSN that he would want established forwards in any Rick Nash trade.
“If we do complete a trade, we’re trading out a 30- to 40-goal scorer,” Howson told TSN’s Gino Reda. “Defense is probably the strongest part of our team as we look at it today, so we’re looking to get some NHL forwards back first and foremost.”
“We don’t have a deadline,” the GM said. “Rick’s under contract and we’ll continue to work at this, we’ll continue to keep Rick in the loop … and we’ll just hope that we get a resolution to this.”
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Maybe Shane Doan or Alexander Semin signings, or a Bobby Ryan trade can nudge a Nash trade along. Maybe teams will wait until the new CBA is in place to see whether they can fit a $7.8 million salary cap hit for the next 6 years. If the salary cap it lowered by say $10 million, teams like the Bruins, Flyers, Penguins and Sharks may not be able to take on that contract. The Rangers currently have $15.1 million and the Red Wings have $16.8 million.
The Fourth Period: TFP period has learned that the Blues have been looking for a 2nd line scorer during free agency last week. They made a play for center Olli Jokinen before he signed with the Jets. With David Backes and Patrik Berglund at center, they could be aiming for a right winger. GM Doug Armstrong is exploring the trade market for a 2nd liner and a rugged defenseman.
The Fourth Period: The Ducks have had trade talks with several teams about Bobby Ryan, but nothing appears imminent. Teams include the Flyers, Hurricanes and Rangers. The Maple Leafs, Penguins, Canadiens, Bruins, Panthers and Sharks have also inquired. The Ducks would like a center in a deal, but is not a prerequisite. They are looking to increase their secondary scoring.