from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

4. The Flames failed to land O'Reilly, but that doesn't mean they're finished trying to make moves. They aren't happy with what they've got, particularly the lack of size. That's why they traded for Brian McGrattan, but it would be a surprise if that was all. The interesting one is Jay Bouwmeester.

5. The defenceman has a no-trade clause on a deal with one more year at $6.6 million US (cash) and $6.68 million (cap hit). It's a big number, but defencemen are so hard to find. It is believed that there are some good teams interested in him. Here's the question for Bouwmeester: he will be 30 when he hits the market. If he goes to a better club and performs well, how much more does he get? And, is that kind of thinking important to him?

6. Other teams to watch: Florida, and that was before Stephen Weiss went down for the year. Just an awful stretch for a team that created much-needed excitement last season. What complicates matters is the Panthers lost an injury grievance with Sean Bergenheim, meaning they will have to pay him retroactively to Oct. 11. This is a team with a tight budget.

7. They've told others they will not trade their best young players: Jacob Markstrom, Erik Gudbranson, Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad. Do they try to unload veterans, go with the youth and a $50 million payroll next season?

26 more thoughts plus some Ryan O'Reilly talk...