The Buffalo Sabres will place defenseman Zach Bogosian on unconditional waivers Friday for the purpose of terminating his contract as he doesn't intend to report to the AHL's Rochester Americans, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

If Bogosian clears, he will be free to sign with another club. Buffalo tried to trade the defenseman and was willing to retain 50% of his contract, Dreger reports.

Bogosian, 29, is in the final year of a seven-year, $36-million contract he signed in 2013. He's carried an average annual value of $5.14 million.

The veteran blue-liner has been a healthy scratch numerous times this season. He's appeared in just 19 games, recording one goal and five points. He reportedly requested a trade out of Buffalo earlier in the campaign.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets newcomer Dylan DeMelo appears to have made a good first impression on head coach Paul Maurice.

The Jets bench boss used a rather suggestive analogy to convey how he felt about DeMelo's game in the defenseman's debut with the club following Thursday night's 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.

"His stick so many times knocked things down, his passes were on the tape," Maurice told reporters, per the team. "That was a pure kinda of, I don't know if you could call it 'coach's porn,' but when you're watching hockey video, you know that's pretty darn good."

Winnipeg acquired DeMelo from the Senators on Tuesday in exchange for a third-round pick in 2020. The 6-foot blue-liner recorded three blocked shots while logging 18:36 of ice time, including 3:18 on the penalty kill.

"Coaches love those kind of games," Maurice continued. "It's not flashy, but his consistency with his stick, his reads, and then his passes ... the ones he needed to snap hard he did and the ones he could feather and touch in there he did."

The Jets will look to DeMelo to help give them a much-needed defensive boost in the midst of a tight Western Conference playoff race. Winnipeg ranks last in the league in both share of expected goals for and high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion is weighing more than one trade proposal involving forward Vladislav Namestnikov, TSN's Darren Dreger reported during Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."

Dreger said at least four "teams of interest" have inquired about Namestnikov, namely the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Avalanche may reportedly consider Namestnikov a "Plan B" if they fail to land Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers.

Dreger reported earlier Thursday that the Senators were holding Namestnikov out of the lineup for their contest against the Jets as a method of "asset management."

Namestnikov, 27, has 13 goals and 25 points in 54 games this season. Ottawa acquired him from the Rangers in October.

The versatile forward is a pending unrestricted free agent carrying a $3.25-million cap hit. The Senators have a slew of pending UFAs, including center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and veteran goaltender Craig Anderson.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tyson Barrie is garnering attention from opposing clubs.

Several teams reached out to the Toronto Maple Leafs about the defenseman following a flurry of trades involving blue-liners around the NHL and amidst Toronto's ongoing struggles, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."

"So suddenly the Toronto Maple Leafs started getting a lot of calls on pending (unrestricted free agent) defenseman Tyson Barrie," McKenzie said. "And when those teams called, the Leafs basically told those teams that were interested, 'Yeah, you know what? We would consider - under the right set of circumstances - trading Tyson Barrie.'"

However, McKenzie cautioned that Toronto is not interested in "a sell-off for future considerations." He added that one of two things has to happen for the Maple Leafs to trade Barrie: Either the team has to get a rearguard in exchange who "makes them a better team right now," or the return needs to be picks and prospects the club can immediately turn around and parlay into a right-shot defenseman who could play with Morgan Rielly.

The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly among the teams that have spoken to the Maple Leafs.

Entering Thursday's action, Barrie had collected 33 points through 61 games this season. However, he hasn't quite fit in on the Maple Leafs' blue line since Toronto acquired him from the Colorado Avalanche in a blockbuster deal involving Nazem Kadri last July.

The 28-year-old only carries a $2.75-million cap hit in the final season of the four-year, $22-million pact he inked with the Avalanche in 2016. Colorado retained 50% of his average annual value in the trade with Toronto.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Connor McDavid appears to be making positive steps in his recovery from a quad injury.

The Edmonton Oilers star hasn't played since Feb. 8 but took part in Thursday's team practice - his first since suffering the ailment. Head coach Dave Tippett said the team is taking it one day at a time, but he didn't rule McDavid out from returning to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

"He's moving well. We'll see where he is in the morning," Tippett said. "He's day-to-day ... he took a good step today but we're not over-promising anything."

McDavid looked comfortable while participating in an up-tempo skills drill.

The 2018 Art Ross Trophy winner was initially ruled out two-to-three weeks. Even if he sits out Friday, McDavid will travel with the club for it's California road trip beginning Sunday.

Despite missing the last five contests, McDavid ranks fourth in league scoring with 81 points through 55 games this season.

The Oilers are in the thick of a tightly contested Western Conference playoff race, leading the Pacific Division by a single point entering Thursday's action.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.