Hockey Chat with Darren Dreger

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Lindsay in Kitchener, ON: Hey Darren, I know things can happen fast and furious on draft day, but realistically, what do you think the chances are for Brian Burke to trade up in the draft? What do you think the cost will be in doing so? Thank you!

Darren Dreger: Lindsay, it’s not going to be easy. There is significant value attached to the top 5 picks in the entry draft, so to acquire one of those picks teams have to be willing to pay an incredible price. Toronto will not overpay unless they can move up to the No. 2 spot and the going rate, according to Tampa Bay sources is Kaberle, Schenn and 7th overall. I believe Burke will be active and has had discussions with San Jose about Ryane Clowe, but the Leafs will not pay a king's ransom to move up two or three spots.

Rob Zara in Tampa Bay: Hey Darren, do you see the Lightning trading Vincent Lecavalier or even Martin St. Louis? Where would Vinny go? Thank you!

Darren Dreger: Rob, it all depends on how ownership shakes down and we won’t know that for a few more weeks. Both Koules and Barrie have a great appreciation for their veteran stars and neither wants to trade Lecavalier (Koules made that clear to me yesterday), however I still believe if Koules prevails bumps Len Barrie out of the way, then there’s a stronger possibility the Lightning reconsider moving Vinny.

Rob in Southern California: Darren, everything I read seems to indicate that Chris Pronger will be traded, but there has been nothing specific at all! Who wants him? Also, if the Ducks can move Giguere does that open room to keep Pronger? What type of return should be expected? Thanks!

Darren Dreger: Moving Giguere isn’t going to be easy because of his contract. The Ducks may have to sweeten the deal and add draft picks or a younger player to persuade teams. Pronger’s future in Anaheim is connected to Scott Niedermayer. If in the next 24 hours Niedermayer decides he wants to continue playing, then the Ducks will start listening to offers on Pronger.

Jeff Wiens in Sexsmith, AB: Hey Darren, I'm big fan of yours! I'm also a huge Oilers fan. They need a star forward badly - can you name three possible star fowards that the Oilers might be trying get - either through trades or the UFA route? Who could be on their list? Thanks!

Darren Dreger: Jeff, I can name two - Dany Heatley and Marian Hossa. However, there is a number of big name, big contract players in play this week on the trade front. The Rangers are eager to move Scott Gomez. The Philadelphia Flyers would move Danny Briere, although Briere would have to agree to any trade. San Jose would deal Patrick Marleau. Lots of possibilities for the Oilers to consider and many more we’re unaware of, I’m sure.

Hugo in Quebec: Hi Darren, I'm a huge Montreal Canadians fan, and the team has a lot of unrestricted free agents. So there's a lot of space under the cap. Do you think Gainey will be active on draft day in order to get a star player, or will he be active on the free agent market?

Darren Dreger: Hugo, Gainey like most GM's is doing a lot of talking and listening. Because of the number of UFA's the Canadiens will have (10), Gainey is looking at next year's team as a blank canvas. He can change the direction of this organization with a couple of key moves. Of course, Gainey will always entertain the pipe dream of landing Lecavalier, so this weekend's goal is likely to get as good a sense as possible as to whether or not there is any hope of that, at any point, this summer. I'm told Montreal has interest in Briere, however does Briere have interest in Montreal? He turned them down as a free agent, so I doubt he would welcome a trade. I expect the Habs will show interest in the Sedins if a deal to keep the twins in Vancouver can’t be worked out.

Colin Harlan in Nanaimo, BC: Darren, any update on talks (or lack thereof) between Gillis and the Sedins?

Darren Dreger: Zero. JP Barry, the agent for Henrik and Daniel says there have been no new discussions. He may meet with Gillis this week in Montreal, but only if Gillis requests the meeting and so far that hasn’t happened.

Grant in Chicago: Darren, with the economy and cap up in the air, do you envision more one or two-year contracts this year during free agency rather than long term contracts?

Darren Dreger: Grant, that would make commissioner Bettman very happy. :) You may see shorter team contracts for 3rd or 4th line guys, or depth players in general, but for the star free agents, or star players going into the final year of their contracts, the only way to keep the cap hit reasonable and still pay the player a boat load is to front load the contracts and extend over a lengthy period of time.

Steve in Ottawa: Jack Johnson has been the subject of trade rumors...do you have any insight as to if is he underperforming, is there contract issues, attitude issues?

Darren Dreger: Steve, It's my understanding Johnson’s issues are related to contract. He's scheduled to become a restricted free agent.

Chris Martel in Montreal: Hi Darren, do you think Phil Kessel will be back in Beantown next season, or will Boston use him to move up in the draft? I hear that they're looking at Zack Kassian!

Darren Dreger: Chris, Kassian's name has been brought up a lot in Montreal. Boston has options and I believe in the right scenario Peter Chiarelli would consider trading Phil Kessel. As you know, in a salary cap system, you can’t keep everyone. The recent signing of David Krecji provided an indication that Kessel may be the odd man out. Kessel will fetch good return and I’m sure Chiarelli will get some offers in Montreal.

Ray in Philadelphia, PA: There seems to be a lot of talk coming out of the Rangers camp in terms of trades. What's going on there?

Darren Dreger: Ray, the Rangers are trying to trade for Dany Heatley and at the same time are trying to move Scott Gomez. I don’t see Ottawa swapping contract for contract as Gomez hasn’t lived up to New York’s expectations. Sather will trade almost anyone with the exception of his younger players.

Nick in Toronto: What's up Darren, do you think the Penguins will try to land a top line winger for Sidney? I don't think Kunitz can produce enough with Sid!

Darren Dreger: Hey Nick, Kunitz was a nice add. Like a lot of players, he was banged up during the Stanley Cup final and wasn’t as effective as he would have liked to have been. He and Crosby will be a good tandem because both push the pace and charge into high traffic areas. The challenge for the Pens is to decide whether or not Bill Guerin has enough left in the tank to keep up with these young studs. If not, then Shero is going to have to make a move he may not want to at the expense of Jordan Staal or another good young player.

Jarret in Victoria: Darren, I'm in Victoria and am sick of only hearing things about the Canucks! So I'm hoping you can let me know your thoughts of what might happen on the Flyers' end (JBo) and what are the rumors coming out of San Jose aside from Clowe?

Darren Dreger: Jarret, the Flyers are said to be one of the five teams trying to trade for the negotiating rights for Bouwmeester. Philly is also still in the mix in discussions with the Sharks and although Clowe is where the talks were initiated, often deals are made based on a secondary target. Cheechoo, Ehrhoff, Nabokov, Marleau...all of these Sharks players could be in play depending on how significant a change Doug Wilson wants to make.

Yves Thibodeau in Quebec City: Hi Darren, a lot of sources indicate that the Islanders will draft Hedman over Tavares. From what you're hearing, do you think it is a strong possibility? I think that if they do so, Isles fan will go crazy, and not in the good way...

Darren Dreger: Yves, I agree - if the Islanders by-pass Tavares and take Hedman, the fans on Long Island will go wild. That’s not to say Hedman isn’t a good player, he’s a very good player and there are many reasons to support why he could go first overall. Right now, it’s a coin flip, however I’ve talked to a number of NHL execs over the past 24 hours and the majority believe the Isles will take Hedman. If they do, you will see a feeding frenzy as teams try to trade up to No. 2. That list will include Toronto and Vancouver, for sure.

Mike in Effingham, Illinois: Hey Darren, I think you guys are awesome! What needs to happen to the train wreck that are the Colorado Avalanche? I know they will get an awesome player at No. 3 but how about their goalie situation? Is Jonas Gustavsson a possibility? Thanks.

Darren Dreger: Mike, Colorado is going to have to rebuild and there are some good young parts to start the process. Yes, Gustavsson is a possibility and he’s expected to decide on either Colorado, Toronto, Dallas or San Jose within the next ten days. He will get a chance to start in Colorado, but he may see more upside to Toronto where he would undoubtedly backup Vesa Toskala and patiently learn the NHL game.

Frank in New York: Darren, is the L.A. Kings' fifth overall pick in play?

Darren Dreger: Frank, I'm told it is and any team with designs on drafting Brayden Schenn is going to have to work hard to move up. The Kings have done an excellent job at stockpiling picks, drafting well and developing their youth. However, L.A. is ready to make the transition and is in the market for a top line forward to help move the process along.

Steve H. in Lake Louise, AB: Hey Darren, what direction are the Flames going to go in the offseason with Darryl and Brent Sutter in charge?

Darren Dreger: The Flames would like to be more defensively responsible and Brent Sutter systems may help that along. However, Calgary’s disappointing finish had nothing to do with coaching and everything to do with being under staffed. Injuries took a huge toll on this team both late in the regular season and in the playoffs. If the Flames had been healthy and ready to battle, there wouldn’t have been a coaching change. But, that wasn’t the case and someone had to pay the price and that someone was Mike Keenan.

Reid in Miami: With the loss of Jay Bouwmeester to impending free agency, who do you see as the new face of the Panthers franchise? Do you think that the Sedin twins would enjoy the warmth of South Florida?

Darren Dreger: I’m a big fan of Nathan Horton and David Booth. Both are terrific players and with Peter DeBoer’s ability to develop this young stars the future in Florida looks bright. Horton struggled at times last season, mostly because he was asked to change position and move to centre to fill the void left after the Panthers moved Jokinen to Phoenix a year ago.

Dave in Ottawa: Since when did St. Louis become a player again in free agency and trade rumours? They seem to be making pitches for all the big names supposedly available!

Darren Dreger: Dave, St. Louis definitely has an aggressive style, but somehow this team always manages to hover just below the radar. The Blues kick tires on all of the available talent and never shy away from the big names. I’m sure inquiries have been made about Heatley in Ottawa and if Niedermayer stays in Anaheim, I’m certain the Blues will make a pitch to bring Pronger back to St Louis. I have a lot of time for this team because they’re well managed and well coached.

Tim in Ottawa: With the NHLPA and the NHL BOG's having their meetings this past week, any word if the 09-10 salary cap will be released prior to the draft? It won't change much from last year but it would still help teams who might be looking to add salary via trades tomorrow!

Darren Dreger: Tim, good question. I suspect the PA knows the result of its player vote on the growth factor, or inflator as the NHL calls it which will clearly impact whether or not the salary cap drops for next season. However, before the NHLPA makes that vote public, it will first alert the NHL and they will determine the cap from that point. If the cap goes down, it won’t be by much and we should know that within the next few days.

Darren Dreger: Trade talks are heating up in Montreal and I have to get back to my blackberry and start trolling the hotel lobbies in search of the speculation! Log on to TSN.ca for complete coverage of the draft, trade possibilities and the free agent frenzy that is sure to hit next week. Thanks for the emails folks and have a safe and happy summer. Cheers.

Moderator: This concludes our question and answer session with TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Watch live coverage of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal on Friday at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN and TSN HD. Darren will also be featured in TSN's Draft Day Blog, starting at Noon et/9am pt. And watch as the big deals go down on the NHL on TSN: Free Agent Frenzy, Canada Day at Noon et/9am pt on TSN2 and at 5pm et/2pm pt on TSN.