While Matt Duchene drew most of the trade attention dating back to last season, team captain Gabriel Landeskog was also suggested as someone that the Avalanche might also be willing to move. With the team getting off to a better start this season though, TSN’s Bob McKenzie stated to TSN 1200 (audio link) that Colorado may not be as willing to move him now even though the team is still “somewhat open for business”. Although this is already his seventh season in the NHL, Landeskog is still only 24 and could very easily still be part of their long-term plans. He’s off to a much better start this season with 11 points in his first 15 games. For perspective, it took him until December 27th to hit 11 points last year.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- The Stars have activated Brett Ritchie off injured reserve, reports Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge via Twitter. He has yet to play this month after sustaining an upper-body injury and had a goal and an assist in 12 October contests. To make room for him on the roster, Dallas transferred winger Tyler Pitlick to IR, retroactive to November 4th. Backdating the placement that far back means that he can be reactivated as early as Saturday.
- Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson is off to a strong start this season. He already has surpassed his goal total from the last two years combined while leading the league in blocked shots. As a result, he’s setting himself up for a nice day as an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. In a reader chat, Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that the eight-year, $39MM deal that Florida gave Michael Matheson earlier this season could be a comparable contract that comes up in negotiations. Anything even close to that would certainly represent a big raise over his $1.2MM salary this season that also represents his qualifying offer next summer.