Notebook Buzz
1/14/10
Offensive help on the Devils radar
*League sources expect the New Jersey Devils to be very active leading up to the trade deadline. While the Devils plan to make a run at Scott Niedermayer if he becomes available, the Devils focus at this point is on offensive help up front.
Two names being linked to New Jersey is Maple Leafs center Matt Stajan and Thrashers forward Slava Kozlov.
Another name being mentioned is Ducks center Saku Koivu. The Devils offered Koivu a two year deal in the off-season.
Selanne out for 4-8 weeks
Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne will be sidelined four to eight weeks with a broken jaw. Selanne has been regarded as a perfect fit in Pittsburgh alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin but the chances of Pittsburgh landing Selanne if healthy were slim to none.
Western Conference sources continue to indicate that Selanne has no desire to leave the West Coast, and the injury has put his trade prospects in even more doubt.
As one source put it, “Teemu has already won his Stanley Cup.”
One way to lure Selanne out of Anaheim to acquire Saku Koivu (Selanne’s best friend) and Selanne in a package deal.
$20 million + offer for Kovalchuk?
Every day Ilya Kovalchuk remains unsigned, the KHL speculation grows. One NHL GM told Sportsnet.ca, “Medvedev {KHL president Alexander Medvedov} is on a mission. He’s paying {Sergei} Fedorov $14 million this season so how much do you think he’d pay to get Kovalchuk? Twenty million a season? That’s what I’ve heard.”
