by ldh2013 » Thu Jul 07, 2016 8:25 am
The NHLs Mar. . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out todays trade-related reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates. Teetering Tenures In a live chat on Tuesday afternoon, ESPN.coms Katie Strange said she believes Dustin Byfuglien may not be a member of the Winnipeg Jets much longer. In a response to a question about the future of the 6-foot-5, 265 lbs. defenceman, Strange was short and to the point. "I can see Dustin Byfuglien being dealt, yes. His size, offensive ability, and versatility will likely be attractive to some teams. Right-handed defensemen are hard to find," she wrote. Byfuglien is third among all defenceman with 10 goals and 37 points, but is ranked in the bottom three with a minus-16 rating.Another veteran whose job may be on the line, according to Strange, is New York Rangers forward Brad Richards. Strange said despite the price tag - six years left after this season at $6.67 million per year - the Rangers will decide Richards future based on how many "good years" they believe he has left. Richards will be 40 when his contract expires. Volatile Venture With the post-season now a realistic possibility for the surging Ottawa Senators, general manager Bryan Murray seems ready to make a deal. "We are available to make a deal," he said in a conference call Tuesday. However, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun writes that one of the prized names on the market, Buffalo Sabres forward Matt Moulson, may be a little too pricey for the nations capital. Brennan says one NHL executive believes a deal between the Senators and Sabres "makes sense", but another executive said the Sabres would likely ask for too much in the form of "a minimum of a first (round pick) and a top young player. And Im not even sure they even want a first in this draft." Moulson is making $3.13 million this year and is said to be looking for a long-term deal and double his current wage. The Senators likely wont be willing to give up the pieces or dollars for a deal going forward. Faint Twinkle If the Dallas Stars find themselves sinking further and further out of the playoff picture, a veteran sale might be on the way. Mike Heika of the Dallas News said Tuesday that if the Stars remain on the outside looking in at the beginning of February or after the Olympics, then "players like Vern Fiddler, Ray Whitney and Erik Cole will be made available." The Stars dont have to look far into the past as a reference for such moves. Last year the team sent Brendan Morrow to the Pittsburgh Penguins less than two weeks before the trade deadline and traded Jaromir Jagr to the Boston Bruins and Derek Roy to the Vancouver Canucks the day before. Heika says the Stars may also be interested in moving defencemen Trevor Daley or Alex Goligoski. . Ellis had a $5.75 million option, and he will be paid a $1 million buyout. The 36-year-old second baseman batted .264 with 13 home runs and 79 RBIs in two seasons with the team. . -- Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden is optimistic Robert Griffin III will return this season. . PAUL, Minn.Sochi, Russia - Alexander Radulov recorded two goals and an assist and Sergei Bobrovsky posted a shutout to lead Russia into the quarterfinals on Tuesday with a 4-0 win over Norway at the Sochi Olympics. Captain Pavel Datsyuk added three assists to help the Russians take down the Norwegians and set up a quarterfinal matchup against Finland on Wednesday. The Finns received a bye to the quarterfinals after posting a second-place finish in Group B. Bobrovsky, a goaltender for the NHLs Columbus Blue Jackets, made 22 saves to keep the Norwegians off the scoreboard. It was the first win of the tournament for Bobrovsky, who was a tough-luck loser in 3-2 shootout loss to the United States in group play. The host Russians are under enormous pressure to win gold in Sochi and they are hoping to take the same road Canada used en route to its Olympic title at the 2010 Vancouver Games. The Canadians were the sixth overall seed coming out of the preliminary round four years ago in Vancouver, but still went on to capture the gold medal. Lars Haugen stopped 27-of-30 shots in the loss. Norway failed to record a single win in four games at the Sochi Olympics and was outscored by a 16-3 margin in the tournament. Norway played Tuesday without forward Mats Zuccarello, the lone NHLer on the teams roster. The New York Ranger missed the contest due to a hand injury. Zuccarello failed to score in any of Norways three games in the group stage. Russia opened a 1-0 lead early in the second period on Radulovs goal at the 4:12 mark. Radulov charged through the neutral zone and down the right wing before wheeling around the net and sending a backhand shot on net. The puck hit off the skate of Norways Morten Ask before finding its way into the net. . The goal was the first for Russia, not including shootouts, in 101 minutes, 28 seconds. The Russians dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the United States on Saturday and followed with a 1-0 shootout win over Slovakia to end group play on Sunday. Norway was whistled for a penalty 1:35 after Radulovs goal, but Russia was unable to convert on the ensuing man advantage. The Russians had plenty of offensive zone time on the power play, but couldnt get one past Haugen. However, Russia was able to extend the lead to 2-0 later in the second period. Radulov received a pass from Datsyuk in the left circle and hit the post with a backhand attempt. The puck then hit off Haugens back and briefly stayed out of the net until Ilya Kovalchuk knocked it across the line from the right side of the crease. Vladimir Tarasenko had a chance to extend the Russian lead to three goals, but he was stopped by Haugen on a breakaway with just under four minutes gone in the third period. Alex Ovechkin missed a breakaway attempt later in the third period. The Washington Capitals superstar appeared to be tripped by a Norwegian player on the breakaway, but no call was made. The Russians started slowly, firing just seven shots on net in a scoreless opening period. Norway had six shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes and both teams failed to convert on a power-play opportunity in the first. Russia padded its cushion with a pair of goals in the final two minutes of play. Radulov recorded an empty-net goal with 1:07 remaining and Alexei Tereshenko scored with the goaltender back in the game just 27 seconds later. ' ' '