Bob McKenzie: Under the right circumstances, the Islanders may consider Roberto Luongo. Their are trying to figure out the cost for UFA Evgeni Nabokov first. Circumstance for a Luongo deal would mean the Canucks taking Rick DiPietro for a compliance buyout. A DiPietro buyout would be $1.5 million a year for 16 years. A Luongo buyout would be just over $1.5 million a season for 18 years. McKenzie thinks Luongo would be a good “hockey” fit for the Islanders, but it’s not known if the Islanders and Canucks could work out a deal.
Brian McNally: Capitals defenseman Jeff Schultz requested a trade in mid-March when he dropped on the depth chart according to his agent.
Craig Custance: Lightning GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t expect to trade up from the No. 3 spot. Added that he doesn’t have the ammunition to get the No. 1 pick from the Avalanche.
Adam Kimelman of NHL.com: Panthers GM Dale Tallon on trades at the draft:
“You never know,” he said of potential trades. “You just don’t know until you get to the table, and what leads up to it or precedes it as far as moving back or moving up. Usually what you do is you identify a line in the sand, and if this guy is still available then you might move forward and package a deal to move up, or if they fall behind the line than maybe you move back and pick up an asset. Just depends on how the draft really falls in.”
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: Red Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson will need off-season shoulder surgery. Jimmy Howard was playing with a pulled hamstring which happened at the end of the Ducks series. Niklas Kronwall injured his shoulder in the Blackhawks series and injured his hand against the Ducks. Daniel Cleary had a second-degree separated left shoulder and fractured left finger.
Craig Custance: Red Wings Valtteri Filppula suffered a high ankle sprain in Game 7.
Adam Kimelman of NHL.com: The Panthers hold the No. 2 pick in the draft and they hope that their pick will be able to play right away.
“We’re hopeful,” Tallon told NHL.com. “We’re going to be a young team. It’s going to be a necessary part of our puzzle moving forward. I would hope the guy we select can play for us next year.”
“It’s a pretty evenly balanced draft,” Tallon said. “Looks like there’s an equal number of forwards and defensemen that are very good. We have four picks in the first 97, so we feel we’re going to get four really good players and really fix our depth chart.”
Craig Custance: Lightning GM Steve Yzerman has declined to say if teams have asked permission to speak with Guy Boucher. Added that it would be up to the hiring team to break the news.
Bob McKenzie: The Oilers and Lightning are two teams that are looking to add a veteran coach to their staff to assist their head coaches.
Bob McKenzie: The Oilers talked to Paul Maurice this week. Teams are looking at former Canucks assistant Rick Bowness.
Bob McKenzie: Darren Dreger reported that the Stars have already spoken with Lindy Ruff and will be talking to Alain Vigneault. The Stars will also be talking to their AHL coach, Willie Desjardins. They also plan on talking with Dallas Eakins.
Bob McKenzie: The Canucks have talked with Eakins. McKenzie thinks that Ruff and Maurice may get a look.
TSN: Mark Messier could be a candidate for the Rangers head coaching position. The Oilers considered Messier before committing to Ralph Krueger.
Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Some potential trade scenarios involving the Avalanche’s 1st overall pick.1. Trade the 1st pick to the Panthers (No. 2) or Lightning (No. 3) for an establish player or two and their own 1st round pick. Avs take whatever player is left.
Let’s make an offer here to the Lightning: “We’ll trade you the No. 1 pick for the No. 3 pick and Victor Hedman. What do you say, Steve Yzerman? If you want Nathan MacKinnon really bad, this is the price to have him. Maybe we’ll throw in David Jones too.”
2. Offer the Panthers Paul Stastny and Erik Johnson for the 2nd overall pick. Panthers may counter with Matt Duchene instead of Stastny. Would that Avs part with Duchene and Johnson?
3. Avs first and Stastny for Panthers first and Jonathan Huberdeau?
Dater admits that the trade scenarios likely wouldn’t work.
David Staples of the Edmonton Journal: Former Oilers assistant coach, Craig Simpson, thinks that it is time for the Oilers to part ways with Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky.
“I think the Oilers have always been the opposite where you’ll get three back that are questions or rookies or draft picks and you don’t necessarily get the best player. I think at some point there has to be a deal or two from Craig where you’re giving up more of the volume and the potential, but you’ve got the best player in the deal. That hasn’t happened a whole lot.”
Simpson thought the Oilers should have traded Hemsky at the trade deadline last year.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: The Sharks made some move during the season, and there may not be a need or efficient way to blow it up. The roster is well structured with Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, Antti Niemi and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Joe Thornton had an good playoff run, and they have veterans like Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle. Kawakami thinks the Sharks will likely try to trade Martin Havlat and his $10 million over two years. They could amnesty him for $6.67 million if they can’t find any takers.