Though Purcell works out of a top six in Edmonton, he only loosely fits the description Panthers general manager Dale Tallon covets. Because while he's broken out a bit offensively flanking Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl, he hasn't scored more than 12 goals in a season since his career-best campaign in 2011-12 when he notched 24 goals and 65 points for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
McKenzie notes that the Los Angeles Kings also have interest in the 30-year-old right-winger, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer when his $4.5-million salary comes off the books.
Purcell's being held out of the Oilers' lineup for the second straight game, likely in anticipation of a deal.
The legendary defenseman heard some boos from Colorado Avalanche fans as he was introduced as part of the Detroit Red Wings alumni team at Coors Field on Friday, and it clearly didn't rattle him one bit.
This rivalry appears alive and well, at least among the old-timers.
Shayne Gostisbehere took on an unusual request Friday, sketching the "Ghost Bear" emojis under a signed helmet for a member of the military invited into the Philadelphia Flyers room.
And with hope and a Sharpie, Gostisbehere did a pretty bang-up job.
Ghost signing for military. He was asked to draw a 👻🐻 for his signature: "Sorry if it looks like an angry bird" pic.twitter.com/n2yEVYeaKg
As the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings get set for Saturday's Stadium Series game at Coors Field in Denver, an esteemed group of hockey legends from both sides gathered to renew acquaintances and pay homage to a great modern rivalry in the alumni game.
After Valeri Kamensky opened the scoring, a pair of Hall of Fame centers got in on the action, beginning with Steve Yzerman's rebound goal past Patrick Roy.
Soon after, Joe Sakic displayed his still deadly wrist shot, beating Ty Conklin up high.
NEWARK, N.J. - The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenceman Braydon Coburn to a three-year contract extension.
General manager Steve Yzerman announced the deal Friday before the team played the Devils in New Jersey.
Coburn has played in ...
Stan Bowman's roster re-making and cunning ability to maneuver around the salary walls that are constantly closing in on his empire is the stuff of legends.
Now, this isn't to say he's bamboozled every executive brave enough to seal an agreement with a firm handshake. Brandon Saad's doing just fine in Columbus, thanks. But the Chicago Blackhawks general manager seems to make the most advantageous decision for his dynastic franchise every single time out. Even moves that prompt a few head scratches, work.
So there's really no reason to suggest his latest stroke, the acquisition of the rental market's presumably most-expensive asset, Andrew Ladd, won't be another shrewd decision. One looked back at and lauded, all over again.
It's a former subordinate, though, a man who won a title with Bowman and Ladd almost six years ago, that deserves a heaping slab of credit in the fallout from Thursday night's blockbuster.
Because Kevin Cheveldayoff's come a long way since he tabled a lucrative long-term contract offer to the 10-year veteran who'd recently rolled off a surgical table, and whose signature would have probably victimized the singular, and most unique asset on the Winnipeg Jets' roster.
The right call
The Jets GM was met with the greatest plight of his career this summer. Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien, the organization's senior pillars - who though sewn through the fabric of the organization are on the wrong side of 30 - came up for new contracts, and raises, at the same time.
At first, the plan appeared to involve retaining both. However, contract talks in the summer, and even into the start of the season, seemed to focus primarily around Ladd. He was the Jets' captain, a player who recently set a career high in points, and performed valiantly through a sports hernia for a chunk of last season.
Still, to someone outside the market, it seemed misguided. Ladd remains a useful top-six player with 50-point potential. And his role as captain, and in turn his value, transcends point production to a certain extent. But he's a depreciating asset playing a subsidiary position, and a player showing his 10 seasons of on-ice battles.
Simply put: a long-term deal with Ladd would most certainly see the Jets paying for what he's done, not what he will do.
To Winnipeg's benefit but despite its efforts, things would change. Byfuglien, who's actually a few months older than Ladd but has appeared in about 100 fewer games, emerged as Cheveldayoff's priority.
And, he turned out to be a far easier sell.
The Jets signed the best deal for the organization under the circumstances Feb. 8, inking Byfuglien to a five-year extension worth $38 million.
Though a veteran, Byfuglien is still raw and prone to the blunder. But his footprint, overall impact, and combination of skills he'll bring over the next five years is so much greater, and so much more valuable than that of Ladd's.
About time
Limiting the term on Byfuglien, a player that's either at, fast approaching, or now passing the peak of his career was most important in Chevy's dealings. But the timing of his pact with the rover, and clarity gained when the captain was pinched with weeks still leading up to the deadline shouldn't be understated.
It was that defined direction that helped drive up the price over the weeks that Ladd was peddled on the open market, and Cheveldayoff received tremendous value on his asset as a result.
Barring a deal, the Jets will select twice in the first round in back-to-back drafts, while Marko Dano - a former first-round pick in his own right - joins Hobey Baker challenger Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey, Joel Armia, and a surplus of quality prospects assembling under the Jets' banner.
It wasn't without a few clumsy first steps, and assistance from Ladd's staunch negotiation, but in retaining Byfuglien and manufacturing a return on their captain, Cheveldayoff made the most of a difficult situation.
The New Jersey Devils are facing the prospect of fighting for a playoff spot without one of their best players.
Mike Cammalleri, who's been out of the lineup since Jan. 26 with a hand injury, suffered a setback in his recovery and could miss the rest of the season, head coach John Hynes revealed Friday.
Hynes: "He's not close (to returning)." Cammalleri is skating on his own without a stick.
The Chicago Blackhawks have completed another deal, officially trading Rob Scuderi to the Los Angeles Kings for fellow defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, the Kings confirmed.
The former Avalanche defenseman was asked if there was one member of the former Red Wings he would punch in the face Friday night during the alumni game, and responded with one word.
"Draper," he told Denver's 104.3 The Fan on Thursday morning.
Kris Draper, to be exact - the former Red Wings forward who was hit into the boards from behind by Colorado's Claude Lemieux in Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference final.
"Lemieux was frustrated simply because, the way the game was going, Detroit knew they were going to lose that series," Foote said.
"(Red Wings head coach Scotty) Bowman was setting the table for the following years, in my opinion. Just earlier in that game, I got hit from behind (by Vyacheslav) Kozlov, and that took 20 stitches.”
Draper suffered a broken jaw, as well as shattered cheek and orbital bones on the Lemieux hit, but Foote is still not pleased with how his former rival reacted after the incident.
"I just didn't like the way Draper carried (himself)," Foote said. "Yeah, you can be upset (that) it was a bad hit, (but) it was a bad hit on myself and all we heard in the media for, god, over a year was (about) that hit.
"It's too bad that he got hurt that way, but he was always just a little bit of a pest. There's something about him that just turns my stomach the wrong way."
Foote and Draper were teammates on the Canadian team at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turino, Italy.
The Avalanche-Red Wings alumni game takes place Friday night at Coors Field in Denver.
