Morning Skate: Blueshirts looking for help on blue line

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Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading, while watching Trader Danny Ainge take over the weekend.

*The New York Rangers are looking for top-end, blue-line help in exchange for dropping Derek Stepan on the trade block.

*The expansion draft is getting interesting with important dates coming up where a trade freeze goes into effect, and the teams need to submit their protected list by the end of the day on Saturday. According to Aaron Portzline, there is a deal in place for the Blue Jackets to send their first-round pick to Vegas in exchange for them not taking players on the Columbus roster. It would appear there are three or four deals like this in place with Vegas, but a first round pick is a heavy price to pay for that kind of transaction.

*Former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington is going for one last score long after his glory days in the 1980’s.  

*Here’s a look at Russian defenseman prospect Mikhail Sergachev, the main piece traded from Montreal to Tampa Bay in exchange for prospective No. 1 center Jonathan Drouin.

*PHT writer Cam Tucker has Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning saying that “nothing is set in stone” as the Canucks are mulling options for the expansion draft.  

*Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall said he is open to many different options with Philly’s No. 2 overall pick headed into an active period prior to the draft.

*An interesting exercise by the Washington Post getting info from 30 beat writers in all the NHL markets for a mock expansion draft. I can’t say I see the Bruins losing Malcolm Subban to Vegas at the end of the day, however. If I had to guess I think it’s going to be Adam McQuaid based on all of the factors involved including the preference of Gerard Gallant, and the fact that McQuaid’s junior coach in Sudbury, Mike Foligno, is one of the main scouts for the Golden Knights.

*For something completely different: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have achieved greatness now with being immortalized in rap lyrics by Big Boi.

 

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